RJ's Sour Twisters - Soda product reviews

I won a packet of these cola and blue lemonade twisters in a competition on here and was excited to try this new flavour. As a huge fan of licorice and even the licorice with sherbet I had high hopes for these flavours.

They arrived in the mail and they quickly became the focus of the kids. They too were eager to try these new flavours. Opening the packet we were delighted with small pieces of brown and blue licorice with sherbet in the middle. First up was the blue lemonade as I do love lemonade. It was ok. didn't have a very strong flavour but was enough to get the flavour across. The kids loved this one and quickly downed them.

Next up was the cola. I'm not a huge fan of cola and a lot less of a fan of flavoured cola. To discover it had a red centre I was a bit hesitant. We tried the cola flavour and had mixed reviews. My son and myself we not fans. I found it quiet a sickly flavour. After two I could not eat any more. My daughter however loved the flavour, more so than the lemonade.

So mixed reviews within our house. Would I personally buy these again, no. I did not enjoy the cola flavour at all. I will be sticking to the more traditional licorice, but my daughter, she loved them. Everyone's taste is different.

I have been loving the new ranges RJ's have been coming up with, after having regularly had RJ's licorice for many years it has long been a favourite confectionary brand. My family all have their favourites from the range of products including the licorice logs and licorice allsorts and the new twisters range for my youngest. He was the biggest fan of these sour twisters as they are closer to a sweet lolly than a bitter licorice which is a win for him. Although they do still have a similar texture to the traditional licorice they are a completely different product with a unique taste and texture.

We loved the sour flavour and with the burst inside each twist you got a nice hit of the sour soda taste, my young guy loved this and has since asked for more sour twisters. When we purchased a packet of RJ's licorice allsorts he was disappointed that these were not included in the packet of mixed licorice. For my partner the twists are too sweet as he doesnt have too much of a sweet tooth preferring dark chocolates and traditional black licorice. I am happy to eat either.

I love that the range is extending as there is now more for my family to choose from so the children have their sweeter choices like the twisters while the adults can have the traditional recipes.

RJ's is made in Levin, New Zealand so it's awesome to be supporting a local product. I have previously tried the RJ's citrus twisters and thought they were delicious so couldn't wait to give this soda variety a taste test! The bag is nice and bright and shows the product clearly although they are slightly smaller in real life and not as bright as the bag shows. The flavours were not evenly distributed and there were a lot more cola flavoured ones.

I tried the cola flavour first as I love sour coke bottle lollies. They have a really strong cola taste and I couldn't really taste the sherbet until I tried them separately. I think it was raspberry flavour. I then tried blue lemonade which I couldn't really taste as the cola flavour was so overpowering. I tried the blue again the next day before the cola and it did have a slight lemonade flavour and I could taste the sherbet which was nice. However I could still taste cola, I guess from being in the bag together. The cola also left a weird aftertaste in my mouth.

Personally, I wasn't really a fan of this flavour and much preferred the citrus. However, two of my children and my husband really enjoyed these flavours so it comes down to personal preference. The amount of sherbet in them was great too.

RJ'S have established a well-known name for themselves in the licorice business for being a trusted and reliable producer of great flavoured licorice and the soda mix twisters are no exception. I opened the bag to a sweet fizzy aroma which was to be expected and took out one of each flavour and ate them separately. The cola flavoured one tasted spot on to what I imagined and was very similar to cola sherbet so I wasn't overly impressed with it but still enjoyed the taste. The blue lemonade one was my pick of the two flavours being the nicest as it tasted like lemonade but it also had the sour fizziness to it which I found the cola one to have lacked.

The packaging is very appealing with its gleaming colours of Red, blue and brown shining all over the bag which gives off the impression it is serious about fun and also has a kind of retro vibe to it. One of the things I have picked up about the RJ'S packaging is that it really suits the product whether it's the plain subtle packaging for its natural licorice or the wild colourful packets for their bold exciting flavours.

I handed out one of each flavour to the kids to see their impressions and I wasn't surprised to see that they loved each one equally as much. I have since finished the bag and have checked to see what else is in the twisters range and look forward to trying the citrus mix which comprises of orange and lime flavours. Overall I would purchase these again although I would prefer the bag to contain just the blue lemonade flavour as it is defiantly my pick from these.

I took these along to be enjoyed by a delighted group of ladies while we played board games one evening. This mixed pack was a good size to share and the individual pieces were a nice size not tiny but not too big. When we opened them, what did disappoint us was that there were only about 6 or 7 pieces of the cola compared to so many more pieces of the lemonade. This was a shame as the cola was a big hit, as one lady said, "tastes like cola sherbert but in the form of licorice... I will fight you for the rest." Of the 3 out of the 4 of us who tried it, we all liked it and although it wasn't particularly sour, we would buy it again if we could buy it on its own.

By comparison, the lemonade was not as popular with us, it was felt that single wrapped ones would be good to give out to kids but for the adult palate the flavour wasn't very sophisticated and was too super sweet.

Overall, if we could buy the cola on its own we'd all definitely get that but would pass on the mixed pack due to the imbalanced ratio of flavours. That said it is still a reasonable price for the pack and I would say good value for money.

I enjoy cola flavoured lollies and for that reason alone I was looking forward to this to try out. The packaging is fun and bright and catches your eye.

We opened up the packet and we're all left feeling a bit dissapointed when we saw there was only six pieces of the cola, which left the four of us having just one and a half pieces each in comparison to twenty of the lemonade lollies, a better ratio would have improved things a lot. My seven and ten year olds both thoroughly enjoyed the cola lolly and would happily have it again. My nine year old though agreed with me, we both enjoyed the sour, tangy centre but found that the outside had a slightly off taste which we didn't like at all.

When trying the lemonade, the four of us all enjoyed it and agreed that it was nicer then the cola version. We could definitely taste a hint of lemonade which was nice and the centre had a nice sour zing to it. I asked the kids what they thought the best thing about these lollies was and they all agreed that it is the sour sherbet centre that the lollies have, even eating the outer first so they could savour the inside flavours. It's always good to try out New Zealand based products and I know this is a good brand.

The cola was a bit of a miss but the lemonade was a huge hit, the kids would love to have these again.

Another one of RJ's Sour Twisters flavours I was excited to try was the Soda flavour. Once my son and his friend had tidy up there mess they tried the flavour with me and I was surprised when they both did not like it. My 9 year old loves sour lollies and he loves lollies in general and cola flavour so that was weird for him to say he didn't like it. I however really enjoyed the flavours and thought they were bang on and had a nice amount of sour twist to the lolly.

My partner really liked this flavour and said this was his favourite flavours and loved the cola one the most, he is a massive cola lover. I thought the packaging had a great amount of lollies in the bag, however I did find the bag a bit hard to open. But that didn't put me of ripping into the bag to get the yummy goodies out. I would buy these again and if the kids don't like them, then that means more for us without hiding them or waiting till sleep time to eat them.

The price is great and affordable and the packing is eye catching and bright. I love the colour combination on the packaging. I will be looking out for these when I go shopping next. I will also buy them when we head to friends houses for movie nights as its a great snack to take along besides chips and dip.

These Soda Mix Twister's come in a bright blue, pink and brown foil bag so the whole family was instantly drawn to them. With hubby and my two daughters begging me to open them up, I relented and told them they could have some but they had to give me feed back. The smell in the packet was overwhelmingly cola and each piece was approx 2.5 - 3cm long and had a sherbet like centre running through the middle.

The cola twisters were brown with a pink centre and reminded me of cherry Coke whilst other family members said it tasted of berries. The Blue Lemonade Twisters were blue with a white centre and had a lemonade tang to it. None of us could figure out why they were blue and the ingredients didn't give away any clues! Although the blue lemonade was flavoursome, we all agreed it wasn't as intense as the cola twists. The sour centre's were sour in both of them but I would have liked them to be sourer. There was a good ratio of sour centre to outside log and they were nice and chewy.

Once they had given me their feedback, my husband and kids literally tore through the packet like a cloud of locusts until I ripped them from him! The pack says that a serving size is approx 6 pieces but I personally think that is too much, especially for children and one cola and one blue lemonade was more than adequate for mine. I liked to cut them up to make them go a little further and this also made them taste a little sourer. Although it was nice having both flavours in one pack, we all agreed that the cola twisters were our favourite and I would be happy to see a packet dedicated to just that flavour.

They were definitely a bit hit with this family with everyone saying how yummy they are. My hubby did comment how the word 'Twisters' on the front of the pack, when laid down, looked like it was in 3D and made his eyes go funny but it didn't seem to have had a major impact as he has requested we buy some more next week!

I still don't really know what Blue Lemonade actually is. Google searching provides a mix of descriptions from simply blue coloured lemonade, to lemonade combined with blueberries and sometimes blackberries. Biting into the gummy portion of the blue lemonade there is a bit of a berry tang to the flavour, so I would be inclined to believe it is a blueberry and lemonade mix. This sour variety of twisters has a distinct difference to the earlier variation in that there is a line of sherbet through the centre of the twister, providing a sharp kick to the taste buds.

Due to the presence of the sherbet, the entire shape of the twister has been adjusted. Rather than the multiple strands that could be pulled apart and separated, this product is simply a single strand that is shaped on the exterior to look similar to the twisters of old. Obviously, you can't have strands able to be pulled apart, or your sour filling would fall out, and it would just be a blue lemonade gummy. I like the proportions, with a good sherbet to gummy ratio; as the gummy itself is not sour in any way, a good amount of sherbet is necessary. The gummy itself is quite solid and has a fair bit of stickiness to it. It is a product that you need to make sure that you chew properly, as it is quite easy to get a small piece stuck in the throat. Perhaps I'm too used to barely chewing, but there were several instances where I had to cough pieces back up to re-chew them. So do take care if you are giving them to young children.

There a second flavour on the pack; Cola. Although it isn't mentioned on the packet at all, the sour filling seems to be a raspberry-esque concoction. Almost coming across as a mix between bubblegum and raspberry flavours, it combines well with the "cola bottle lolly" flavour of the accompanying gummy. The gummy portion of the cola lolly is actually much softer and most malleable than the blue lemonade, and I found that most of the cola flavoured lollies were stuck together at the bottom of the bag. This variety didn't have that "stick in your throat" issue that the blue lemonade variety did, but the extra softness does mean they get stuck in your teeth that much more. Almost reminiscent of the fan-favourite raspberry and coke drink that everyone makes at the Burger King drink station, this is my favourite flavour of the pack, but it does have the downside of being more acidic and you can definitely feel it if you have several in one go.

I love my sour lollies, and these aren't bad, but I'd love the sourness to be added to the gummy somehow, rather than through sherbet, to try and reduce that overly acidic component.

Six of us, with ages ranging from three to old (!), had assembled to try out this packet of RJ's treats - two of them confirmed licorice lovers who were intrigued to try something a little different. I put the sweets into a bowl with some grapes and told everyone to first take a brown one and give me their impressions, and then do the same with the blue ones (but not before I said they could!) Once I had feedback from the whole group, the rest would be up for grabs along with the grapes.

They all knew that the brown ones were cola flavoured. Not only had they read the packet, but these lollies had that authentic and unmistakeable cola smell. One person said they reminded her of having a coke and raspberry drink when she was the designated driver for a group going to a party or the pub, so she figured that if the outer section was cola flavoured, the pink inside strip was almost certainly raspberry. Everyone liked these, even Miss Three who has never been allowed to taste real cola because she is too young! They had just the right balance between sweet and sour which made them appealing to everyone, irrespective of age.

Next everyone took a blue lolly - the "blue lemonade" flavour. This was much less intense that the cola variety but was still quite pleasant. Mr Ten wondered if the white strip inside the blue outer covering might be ordinary lemonade; none of us could quite decide although Miss Three's mother said she thought it was sherbet. It did not really matter; everyone enjoyed these too, and there was some interesting discussion as to which one each person preferred. The pack recommends that six pieces is a serving, but we thought that three would be plenty - they are quite filling.

The room was quite warm so both varieties were soft and chewy - possibly on a colder day they might be firmer. Most of us thought they would be good to take to the movies to share, and possibly even on a tramp as part of a scroggin mix. As for our two licorice lovers, they were both surprised to find just how much they enjoyed both flavours. They were also impressed by the price as the packet contains plenty for everyone; it is a full 180g.

I like the idea of putting two flavours in the same packet. They look more interesting if you are serving them in a bowl, and if there is someone who does not like one of the flavours it is possible that he or she might like the other. And I just love the packaging: it is bright and brash so would be really eye-catching on a supermarket shelf. it would be hard to miss it!

Blue lemonade and Cola YUM two of my very favourite flavour combinations, and also 2 flavours I have previously tried from the RJ's range but without the sour sherbet centres. Seeing this combination reappear but with the addition of the sherbet centres made me very happy and I could not wait to try them out for myself. I initially thought there was no way that the original variety could be beaten but I sure was wrong about that, these are amazing!

A yummy product in a funky looking bag which is made from vibrant and fun colours that is easy to open was a great start for me. Miss 5 straight away knew that it contained lollies so was waiting impatiently for me to open the bag, I handed her the bag and told her that she could try them once she could get the bag open, which luckily was very easy to do as I also couldn't wait to try these out. Miss 5 and I took out one of each flavour each and happily gave them a taste test. I loved the blue outer shell of the blue lemonade and thought it tasted like a mix of bubblegum and candy floss flavours, not at all like lemonade, however the sherbet filling was full of zing and tasted very lemony and was a great match for the outer flavour. The cola shell was equally as delicious and had a great cola taste to it without tasting overly artificial, I loved the addition to the berry flavoured filling and the way in which the flavours went so well together, this may be to do with the fact that I love berry or cherry flavoured colas. It was hard to pick a favourite flavour.

I will absolutely be buying these again and at $3.49 I think they are a very reasonable price. Just when I thought one of my favourite lollies couldn't get any better RJ's have proved me wrong again. Another great tasting product which you really must try for yourself.

Having tried the previous iteration of Twisters - where there was no core of filling - I was interested to see how sour non-licorice would play out. I was hopeful, as I do enjoy confections that include some form of sour or sherbert element. When I opened the pack, I immediately got that cola-lolly smell straight away, so I knew they were going to be full of flavour but the 'blue lemonade' is a subtle flavour so I wanted to see how that survived the inclusion of a filling.

Both flavours were quite tasty, giving a sweetness burst without it becoming sickly or too rich. Not really one for the 'fake cola' flavour lollies, and never a fan of berry cola drinks, I was a little surprised by how well the cola flavour is paired with the berry filling. I expected, at best, to get nothing more than something resembling Berry V flavour, and at worst to get some ghastly sweet mash of the two, so finding that when eaten together they were quite tolerable to me. That's actually quite high praise considering my usual dislike of such combinations.

The blue lemonade had a nice, refreshing lemon sherbert centre that helped it stay clean and not slide down towards an almost bubblegum flavour. This was actually my favourite of the two. I found it was nice to eat as a mixed bite, but it was also quite tasty eating the non-licorice outer and the sherbert core separately too.

I'm not entirely sure I would buy this flavour again, but I have nothing against it and would happily sample a piece or two should someone else offer it to me at an event etc. For those who like cola lollies, this would likely be a treat for you.