One Trader Joe's Gummy Candy Just Isn't Worth Your Money

With the holidays approaching, plenty of sweet treats appear on supermarket shelves. You can find seasonal items like chocolate Santas or candy canes, but you can also find some classic favorites like tootsie rolls and lollipops.

One supermarket with plenty of sweets lining its shelves is Trader Joe's, a chain known for its cheap prices. However, you might think twice before grabbing any candy off its shelves. Daily Meal taste-tested 23 Trader Joe's candies and ranked them from worst to best. And, while some of the candies were delectable (looking at you, cocoa-coated chocolate truffles!), there was one in particular that was definitely a pass.

The candy in question is Trader Joe's Trio of Soft Licorice Twists. These twists are a gummy candy resemblant of a Twizzler and come in a pack of three different flavors: mango, green apple, and raspberry. Unfortunately, those jazzy-sounding flavors didn't work, and the texture of the sweet left much to be desired, too.

When you want a sweet treat, one of the prime features you're looking for is delicious taste. However, with Trader Joe's Trio of Soft Licorice Twists, all the flavors fell short. The Green Apple bites were slightly salvageable since they had a sour bite to them, but some fans on Reddit reported that they didn't taste like apples at all.

The raspberry wasn't a winner, either. Although there are plenty of delicious raspberry-flavored goodies, such as hard candies or gummies, these didn't have the same punchy flavor you might expect from this fruit. What's more, some users reported that the raspberry had an odd aftertaste and a perfumey flavor.

Lastly, the mango was another disappointment. Much like the raspberry, it didn't live up to its name or bring a burst of tropical flavor as you might expect. Some Reddit fans even reported it tasted like "off peach" — not exactly what you imagine when biting into mango licorice candy!

Another area where these candies could improve is their texture. Unlike a Twizzler, which is soft and chewable, these licorice twists were hard and dry. This gives them the feeling of being old or of having sat on the shelves for too long before you gave them a taste test.

What's more, the texture of the licorice isn't something Trader Joe's doesn't know how to pull off. They also have a black licorice (which we ranked number 21 out of 23 from worst to best) that's much softer than these chewy bites. As such, it makes the letdown even more disappointing.

So, whether you're after holiday candy or are just interested in a quick sweet snack, the reality is that sweets at Trader Joe's may be one of the worst items to add to your shopping list. Or, to say the least, these "soft" licorice twists might be.