Dr Bugs Berry Sorbet Gourmet Popcorn Treats product reviews

I had never heard of the Dr Bugs' range of gourmet popcorn treats until I was browsing the KIWIreviews website one day. Listed there were 3 flavours available to request - Mint Choc with Dark Choc Drizzle, Coconut Ice with White Choc, and Berry Sorbet with White Choc Drizzle. They all sounded delicious, so I requested them all, but was incredibly keen on the Berry Sorbet.

The packet is visually appealing, and it would certainly attract your attention if you saw it on a store shelf, I saw juicy blackberries and raspberries on the front, and hoped the blackberry wouldn't overpower the raspberry. At 120g the packet is a decent size, apparently according to the nutrition information there is 4 servings per package. These popcorn treats are gluten free, made with natural colours and flavours with New Zealand grown corn. On the front there is a clear window so you can see the product inside.

When I opened the package, I was instantly met with a fruity, sweet smell, which got my mouth watering. I picked up one of the morsels, it was a deep red colour with the white choc drizzled over it, the texture was not sticky, perfect for the children. When I popped it in my mouth, I experienced a fizzing when my tongue touched it, it wasn't intense, the flavour reminded me a bit of a raspberry soft drink teamed with a slight taste of white chocolate. The popcorn itself isn't soft but isn't overly hard to chew - a good texture for all to enjoy. My boys especially liked the flavour, and in no time I was left with an empty packet.

I highly recommend these as I thoroughly enjoyed trying this product and it will definitely be on the shopping list for special occasions, mainly because I can't justify buying a packet each week at that price. I look forward to seeing what other exciting flavours of gourmet popcorn treats Dr Bugs comes up with next.

I was rather hesitant to try this flavoured popcorn. Mainly, because the Mint Chocolate and the Coconut Ice had so much flavour and I was concerned about the sorbet coming through and also the thought of a strong berry was not really appealing. Looking at the popcorn it was rather pinkish and the picture on the packet had blackberry and raspberries on the front so I wasn't sure what way it was going to go.

Opening the packet is a breeze and again I love the fact that it is self-sealing. Taking a sniff of the opened bag instantly revealed berries. It kind of reminded me of strawberry ice cream or at least the strawberry sauce you put on top. Taking a bite I was hit with a melody of tastes coming thru, there was the tangy sorbet that hit straight away but then disappeared to be met with berries - I did not pick up on the chocolate at all. Taking a few more I got the shudder from the sorbet and again met with a berry taste. It wasn't until my third attempt that I was met with a nice chocolate explosion and instantly recognised the white chocolate taste.

As I feared this flavour was a little too much for me. I really enjoyed the other two flavours and will definitely be buying the chocolate mint again but I am afraid this one just did not hit the mark - mainly because of the sour tangy hit to begin with. I do love my fruity yoghurts and was hoping it would be along those lines but instead it went down another avenue.

I let the rest of the family try and we all had the same sort of reaction and agreed that this was not our favourite and no one really enjoyed it. Even though this was a miss in our books I still think Dr Bugs has done an amazing job with their popcorn and is a company that I will be keeping an eye on. We will still be going to the factory tour in Christchurch when we head down - we just won't be jumping in line to taste this flavour again.

I have tried the Mint Choc and Coconut Ice flavours of Dr. Bugs popcorn and have been impressed with both of them (I even went and bought another bag of the Mint Choc). I was excited to try the Berry Sorbet with White Choc Drizzle, especially as it had pictures of boysenberries and raspberries on the front. Upon opening the bag, I got a very strong and sweet smell of berries, but couldn't really discern which one. The popcorn was mostly in balls and for the few that weren't, they were fully popped with no sign of a kernel. The gaps in the popcorn were filled with a berry glaze and white chocolate was drizzled over them.

When I popped them into my mouth, I found them a little tart. Upon reading the blurb on the back, it does say that the popcorn was 'inspired by the fun of sneakily mixing sherbet as kids while our parents weren't watching' and further inspection confirmed that citric acid was one of the ingredients. Whereas the other flavoured popcorn treats seemed to melt in my mouth, I found these really chewy. In fact, after three or four, I had to stop to pull the popcorn and glaze out of my teeth. I got my sherbet-loving daughter to try one and her facial expressions indicated these weren't a favourite. She didn't ask for another one which told me all I needed to know.

Although these are very moreish, this wasn't my favourite flavour and although I'm glad to have tried them, I won't be buying them again. They are a quality snack that would be ideal for the cinema or a quiet night in, but I have been spoiled with the Mint Choc flavoured popcorn treats.

I had to smile when I saw that this product was described as an indulgent adult morsel. Six family members shared the packet with me, and the verdict was that, irrespective of age, the males in the family could take it or leave it while the females all loved it. Even Miss 11 (who is technically not yet an adult although she would challenge that.) The different opinions seemed to be based on the sweetness level. However, even that was in dispute because I don't have a sweet tooth but I did enjoy this new take on popcorn.

All of us liked the slight fizz that you got when you first put a flake into your mouth. The fruit flavours were a nice contrast with the chocolate outer. The raspberry was more dominant; it was hard to tell whether the other fruit flavour was boysenberry or something else as it was less definite. Occasionally I noticed a tangy after-taste which I assume was the sodium bicarbonate combined with the fruit flavour. My daughter said it was a good way to eat chocolate on the go as it is not as messy as a big block and would be less likely to melt in warm weather.

At one stage Miss 11 disappeared to do her homework. She had to look up some animal data on the internet, and warned us that she would be about half an hour. It was then that we discovered that the rest of the popcorn had vanished as well: she had decided it would help her to think if she had a tasty snack to enjoy while she was working! Needless to say, the bag was speedily rescued and brought back for the rest of us to evaluate while we enjoyed it.

We all liked the contrast between the chewy outside and the crunchy inside - it made the flakes more interesting to eat. The children liked the pack design as it has a little window so you can see what is inside, and it is designed to stand up so there is no risk of spilling the contents. It does come with a resealable top for long term storage, but when everyone is eating them there is little point in actually closing it. With six of us sharing, there was no risk of having any left over.

I think we will be buying this product again. It is not particularly expensive given that it is not something I could eat on my own; it is designed for sharing. There again, as already mentioned, I do not have a sweet tooth. Perhaps if Miss 11 were given a packet to eat all by herself she would probably finish it!

I have never been a huge fan of berry flavours, barring a very few rare exceptions, so this was one flavour I was hesitant to try. I really wanted to give it a fair shot, but I also didn't want to waste a bag. Still, at the end of the day it is always worthwhile to test one's assumptions every now and then, to see if it's still on the 'hard nope' list. So... the bag was rent asunder and the first piece of popcorn passed the lips, over the gums, look out stomach, here it comes.

I was surprised at how pleasant the first bite was - definite berry tones in there, but if you asked me which one/s I would struggle to say anything other than 'I think it's a red berry medley." The packaging clearly shows blackberries, boysenberries and raspberries on the front, but I would swear that I was getting other berry notes in the mix. Since everyone's taste buds have different sensitivities to flavours, it could be that you will be better able to pick out the flavours, especially if you are a berry fan. And really, why would you buy this if you weren't?

So, as with the others in the range tested so far, the popcorn is perfectly popped and I found zero unpopped kernels in the bottom of the bag. The white chocolate drizzle was crisp and delicate, enhancing the almost-sherbert brightness of the berries and 'sorbet' - I say that because the ingredient list shows sodium bicarb and citric acid as key ingredients... which also happen to be the core ingredients of sherbert. I almost feel that "Berry Sherbert" might have been a more apt name than "Berry Sorbet".

I admit to having a bit of a giggle at the 'recommended serving size' of 30g on the back - there is no way that anyone is going to portion this out into four servings after they have eaten just a few of the popped nuggets of tastiness - if the bag serves more than one person in one sitting, I would consider them somewhat blessed with superhuman self-control! I honestly don't fancy berry flavours a lot, but this bag rapidly went from just-opened to devoid-of-contents in far less time than I expected. I would even go as far as to claim that I think this would appeal to even non-berries like me!

Overall, another excellent flavour, and just one in the range that the Dr Bugs team produce. It's not cheap by any meaning of the phrase, nor are they inexpensive, but if you want quality you aren't going to find it at bargain basement prices. You don't see a mint-condition Ferrari on sale for $500 ono, so the price tag for these treats are, if anything, underselling the obvious car and skill that went into handcrafting these delights. This flavour is unlikely to be on my shopping list, but if I see any of the other flavours appearing on local supermarket shelves, they will be in my trolley for sure. I now know the quality level of the brand, and that gives me confidence to try some of the other flavours.