Sugar Savvy

I stole an assortment of Boston Fruit Slices from my friend John, who got them in a giant food gift basket from some I-banking or consulting firm that was trying to recruit him, though that was back when I-banking firms weren’t in deep trouble.

Boston Fruit Slices are pretty easy to find on Amazon.com, yet I don’t recall ever seeing them in stores. They’re a soft, sugar-coated fruit pate/jelly type candy. I think they fall in that category of candy that people are inured to (Boston Fruit Slices have been around for a while) and will eat if they happen upon it but won’t go out of their way to buy. They’re okay but not exceptional.

I managed to find five flavors in John’s gift basket. Lemon was bright, sweet, and tangy. Orange tasted like a less tangy version of lemon, so much so that it didn’t really taste like orange anymore. What I thought was grape (the purplish red) may actually be raspberry because it carried a slight bitterness, though I could be wrong. Red was cherry, with a strong candied cherry finish. And last and least was watermelon (pink with a green rind), which was so artificially sweetly watermelon flavored that I couldn’t finish it.

I’d eat the lemon and the raspberry again, but didn’t much care for the others. If you’re looking for a cheap fruit jelly/pate fix, I suggest Sunkist Fruit Gems (now made by Jelly Belly) instead.