Review time!

Sorry for the long lapse in posts – I was out of the country (my next post will include a story from the trip – gumball related!). But finally, I’m back and ready for the third installment of Maison Gumball Reviews. Ready? Let’s go.

Maison Review #3 – Strawberry Shortcake Gumballs

I begin with a confession. I, Shmoel, have never had strawberry shortcake. Yes, my beloved fellow foodies. I am embarrassed to say it, but, alas, it is true. I placed my order for these gumballs from Gumball.com with a tinge of grief yet an overwhelming sense of excitement for the unknown. No, I’d never had strawberry shortcake, but soon, I would have the gumball modeled after this famed dessert.

And then, they arrived (the Strawberry Shortcake gumballs that is). My giddiness was undeniable, and I ripped open the box in juvenile glee. And there they were – white gumballs with red speckles and spots – as accurate a representation of strawberry shortcake that a gumball could ever hope to attain.

Biting into that first gumball, I immediately recognized the many flavors that make up the strawberry shortcake. There was a distinct fruit flavor that could only be strawberry. And there was the gnomic taste of a truncated cake. It was all there – at least I think. But extremely unsure of the accuracy of this globe’s composition, I set off to uncover the true cake. I wanted to be sure that the strawberry shortcake flavor had not been lost in translation, that the ball had remained true to its artful and supposedly delicious predecessor.

Long story short – the cake was good; the gumball was better. But, perhaps I’m biased – I am the proud proprietor of Maison de Gumball. Anyway, grading time!

Aroma – 3.5. Honestly, it didn’t really smell like strawberry shortcake.

Look – 3.5. About as accurate as it comes with gumballs. The speckles were surprisingly more visually appealing in this case (unlike the Fruit Freaks Gumballs).

Composition – 4.5. Superb chewability and very fresh.

Taste – 4.5. Better than the cake itself.

Overall, I give the Strawberry Shortcake gumballs 4 out of 5 balls.

I hope I haven’t insulted all bakers out there, but this gumball is better than the original (and best when both are crammed into one’s bouche all at once).

The First of Many Gumball Reviews

Hello all!

This post will be the first of many dedicated to reviewing gumballs - the simple ones, the tasty ones, and the downright strange ones. The gumballs that I will be reviewing all come from Gumball.com. They've got a great selection of flavors and varieties. Check it out!

Now, onto the first review!

Maison Review #1 - Sour Cotton Candy Gumballs

The Sour Cotton Candy Gumballs came in a case of 850 (standard 1 inch gumballs) and were in 4 different colors - a bright blue (almost cyan), a faded green, an arctic blue, and a red-ish almost maroon color.

Before I jump into an analysis of the flavor, I must note that I hold cotton candy in very, very high regard. It was perhaps my favorite food as a kid, and I ate the stuff by the truck-load. Basically, before I bit into that first gumball, I had lofty expectations.

So, the pressure was high on these gumballs, and they most certainly delivered. The authentic cotton candy taste was there, and the slight sour flavor added a whole other level of complexity to the overall taste and composition of the ball's flavor. Honestly, the sweetness of the cotton candy flavor might have been a little overwhelming if not for the addition of the sour. The two balance each other quite well, and the result is an excellent example of gumball handiwork.

A little more background information is needed now - at the end of every product review I will conclude with a rating of the gumball that reflects a number of factors including taste, flavor, composition, sweetness, savorability, tang, zest, and aroma.

I give the Sour Cotton Candy Gumballs 4 balls out of 5. An all around tasty product that I'd recommend to any gumball aficionado or lover of candy.