Mentos New Rainbow

Mentos have switched things up a bit by making some changes to one of their favourite products, the Rainbow roll. I'm not entirely sure if this will be a permanent change to this flavour, or if it is to be sold alongside as the seasonal release.

The package doesn't indicate it is a limited release, but that isn't usually a safe way to get that sort of information. We've seen 'Limited Edition' items get added to the regular lineup, so it can be hard to tell sometimes!

Normally, the Rainbow roll contains seven flavours: strawberry, pineapple, grape, cherry, raspberry, orange and watermelon. In the new roll, pineapple, cherry and watermelon have been subbed out for three new flavours: kiwi, cranberry, and yuzu, which is a small citrus fruit from Japan. Flavour of the fruit is described as being very tart and similar to grapefruit, with a tinge of mandarin. (Mentos have used this flavour before in their Aqua Kiss 3D Gum in Yuzu-Grapefruit-Orange flavour.) Having never tried a yuzu, I won't be able to comment on the realism of the flavour, but I'm curious to try it! Unfortunately the pack only contains two pieces of each flavour.

Strawberry is a light rosy pink colour. It is sweet with a floral flavour that doesn't point at any particular berry.

Apple is the darker green dragee in the pack. Mentos released a limited edition roll of Green Apple not long ago, which I enjoyed for its juicy, tart and refreshing flavour.

The 'purple' pieces are grape, though really they are more of a muted mauve colour. The flavour is along the lines of Hubba Bubba Grape - sweet and sugary with a strong faux grape taste.

Orange is the easiest of the roll to identify. It has a mild, sweet orange flavour (think orange icy poles) that is unoffensive and refreshing. There's no citrus tang, but I'd still buy a whole roll of this flavour.

Kiwi is light green in colour. I don't know what sort of kiwi fruit the flavour creators at Mentos have been trying, because this is so far from right. The flavour is hard to describe, but it has a weird sort of tarty aspect to it that reminds me a little bit of lemonade. I wonder if there is mint in this piece because I get a little of that 'fresh mouth' feel afterwards. I don't know what it is, but it sure isn't kiwi fruit!

Cranberry is the final pink piece that has a bit of orange in its colour. The flavour on this is definitely sweet, but with some great tarty notes that got my mouth watering. I found these excellent, and a good representation of sweetened cranberries. Putting these in a roll with the other berry flavours would give the whole roll great dimension.

The yellow pieces are yuzu. The flavour is quite a bit like grapefruit, but toned down and sugared up. There's also a little bit of lemonade in there too. It's not very tart, but very refreshing. Even though I have no idea what a real yuzu tastes like, these are delicious.

Although it was let down by kiwi, I found the roll contained a good mix of flavours. I'd love to see both cranberry and yuzu combined into future Mentos mixes.

Score: 4 out of 5 stars.

Mentos are made in China and contains milk and glucose products.