RJ's Berry Twisters product reviews

The packaging for this product was really inviting - looked like good old treats - not a healthy idea in sight which if you are eating lollies is the way to go. I liked that the flavour was clear on the packet and there was not a lot of other information on the pack. I was excited to find how large the pieces were (although this did mean they didn't go as far). I poured the whole lot out into a bowl to try and to be honest they didn't last long. They looked great in a dark blue bowl.

The smell was pleasant when the bag was opened. The pieces were much bigger than I expected and I think for children I would either untwist them or cut them in half. I liked the fact the two flavours were in the same ball park and not a jarring change of flavour. I also liked what one of the guests did which was untwist and twist two together, sadly this was one of the last pairs so I never tried them together but one after the other was good. The texture was perfect for me - not too chewy but no so soft it was gone too quickly. The serving was a great size for four adults after a meal - left you wanting "just one more"

I liked the raspberry which was definitely the sweeter of the two tastes. It was a less berry raspberry and more of a raspberry syrup taste to me. I loved the blackberry much more which was stronger and clearer in taste to me - quite powerful.

The non resealable bag was not an issue as they were gone pretty quick. I don't think I would replace my RJs licorice with these but I might get them as an additional treat over Christmas or instead of biscuits after a meal once in a while.

I really love the RJ's liquorice and when I saw these I first thought liquorice yummy, but was told no they are lollies but not liquorice still wanted to give them a go. This was the first flavour I actually tried with raspberry and blackberry being flavours I actually enjoy a lot of. Now I had to open the packet with scissors as I couldn't tear into them. I was home alone while trying these and though I would try two of each flavour as the packet suggest 4 pieces per serving. I thought I would share with my partner when he gets home, not with the kids as these have gluten in them so my kids can't have (more for the adults HEHE).

Opened up the packet and the smell of the flavours was great, it really made me want to eat them. I pulled out the blackberry one to try and really enjoyed the yummy flavour, you could really tell this was blackberry even if you closed your eyes and popped it in your mouth not knowing what you were eating you would get this right. The second blackberry one I pulled apart and you still get the great flavour in each strip. I tried the raspberry next the flavour wasnt as strong but it was still good, it was more than a hint but less than the blackberry. I enjoyed both of these flavours I even tried them together wrapping a strip of each together and BOOM yummy the two flavours together tasted great, so I made more of these little twisters.

Now with my whole having only the serving size of 4 pieces that didn't happen, I wanted to make many more many twisters and next minute the packet was gone. So noone else got a look in for these, but I will be buying more packets and hopefully I can share then (not holding my breath for that idea). The price of a packet is good, its worth it. I love the colours on the packet showing the flavours in the packet, I also love that its easy to see what you are actually getting no guess work.

As much as I try and make healthy choices the majority of the time, I certainly can't deny myself a bit of a treat - who could?! I always enjoy finding new treats so when RJ's bought out their new range of Twisters candy I was keen to give them a try. I was lucky enough to receive one bag of each flavour combination in my latest review box, including these Berry twisters.

I love that the packets are colour co-ordinated to the flavours. This particular flavour is berry and the bag is red and purple, which matches the colour of the candy inside. When selecting this product on the shelf this would make it very easy to know which flavour selection I was picking up without having to read to bag closely.

Upon opening the bag I discovered the twisters inside. The raspberry were red and the blackberry were purple. I was a little disappointed that there wasn't a better mix of each of the flavours. I received 18 raspberry pieces and only 4 blackberry pieces. Considering the blackberry ended up being my favourite of the two this was quite disappointing. I would have thought each packet would have an even mix of both flavours.

The raspberry flavour wasn't my favourite. To be honest, I didn't think it really tasted like raspberry. It didn't have much flavour at all, was a little bit sweet and then there was an odd after taste. The blackberry on the other hand was really nice. It had a strong berry flavour and no unpleasant after taste. If I could buy this flavour on its own I would, but because this bag was mainly raspberry I wouldn't choose this flavour in the shop. The lollies themselves were nice and soft, a little bit chewy too. They were easy to chew, which is important when I have had teeth with a bit of work and I don't want to break fillings! A little bit got stuck here and there but it was easy enough to get out of my teeth.

I wanted to try something different with these twisters and decided on using them in my home made ice cream. It is the easiest ice cream recipe ever - simply a 500ml bottle of cream and a tin of condensed milk beaten until it is quite a stiff cream. Mix through any ingredients of your choice and freeze. I cut the Twisters up into small pieces and mixed them through. I left it overnight to freeze and the next evening we enjoyed some for dessert. The twister pieces had gone quite hard in the freezer, but after leaving the ice cream to melt a little they had got a bit softer. They were a little more chewy than before being frozen, but they added a nice flavour to our ice cream.

RJ's have been a popular confectionary brand in our household for years now, and although in the past we have mostly bought the liquorice being a brand name we know and trust trying these new products has been a must. Although they are not a liquorice they still have that distinctly RJ's quality and taste and the packaging carrying the RJ's logo is very appealing. We have spotted them in the supermarket before being selected to review them through KIWIreviews and been intrigued to try them with the children.

Our 5 year old opted to try the Berry Twisters first as I read the flavours of the packets out to him. He cracked me up as he pulled out the red twists and ate them avoiding all the black twists in the packet. I said to him have you tried the Blackberry? No Mum I don't like black lollies, they are yuck. He was so hesitant to try them as he is not a fan of black liquorice or the black aniseed type lollies they put in lolly mixtures, I had to explain to him that these were not your average black lolly and that they were berry flavour before he reluctantly tried one.

Both flavours were very moreish the red(raspberry) being pretty much the same in flavour as RJ's raspberry liquorice and the blackberry having that sweet berry flavour too. I think the whole family thoroughly enjoyed the berry twisters. They are very similar in texture to a soft liquorice but have that nice soft eating yet slighlty chewy texture. This is good for me especially as my teeth can't handle too much chewiness or hardness in a lolly. Definitely an RJ's product that suits the whole family.

Since hearing about these I was very interested in trying these, I love berries so these were the first that I tried. I like that you get two different flavours and I noticed how there was a good balance of the two flavours, though it would have been near to have a couple in the packet intertwined, just to add some zing to the packet. I notice there is a lot of sugar in these but the flavours are all natural so it balances out a little and the daily intake is set at adults, would like to see what it would be for a child, since these are aimed at the family.

All the kids liked the raspberry but my mother found that it was too sweet and so didn't really get any raspberry flavour. I found it sweet but preferred it to the blackberry. The blackberry was enjoyed by all the kids and my mum agreed with them on that thought, saying that it wasn't too sweet for her. I did find that they had a slightly bitter tinge to them but that probably comes down to something in the ingredients that just doesn't quite suit my tastebuds. My mum and I wouldn't rush out to buy these but it was a hit with the kids who all would happily finish the bag if they could have.

I have become a liquorice lover recently and am really enjoying being lucky enough to be selected to review new flavours through KIWIreviews. My first impression of the Twisters was that they looked like a fun snack for the whole family to enjoy, however, I ended up devouring this whole packet by myself.

After I received my review box I opened it and saw that I was fortunate enough to receive two packets of RJ'S Twisters. One flavour was the Berry Twisters and the other packet was the Soda Twisters. When I picked up the Berry flavoured packet I admired how well the red and purple on the front contrasted each other. The RJ'S logo is prominent at the top and it is easy to distinguish what the flavour inside is. I love the fact that these liquorice pieces have no artificial colours or flavours as it means I don't feel bad letting my children eat a treat like this.

When I first opened the packet I was met with a yummy fruity scent. I quickly reached into the bag and took one of the raspberry flavour and one of the blackberry also. I am very keen on blackberry flavoured foods so decided that would be the first for me to try. I tore the liquorice in half and popped a piece in my mouth. The liquorice was quite a bit more chewers than I was expecting and I didn't feel that it tasted very much like blackberry. After finishing and swallowing I noticed that I was left with a tinge of a funny after-taste which I didn't like.
Once I had ripped the raspberry Twister in half I was hopeful that it would be full of the lovely raspberry flavour I craved. I was pleasantly surprised to taste the deliciousness of raspberry. In my opinion, this was way closer to the natural flavour taste compared to the blackberry liquorice.

Overall I thoroughly enjoyed the raspberry Twister and would purchase these if they were sold in a packet as a single flavour option. The 180g pack size was perfect to fit in my handbag for a quick snack while out and about away from home.

As a mother of two young children I find it very useful to have at least one packet of sweet treats in the house to help persuade my children to help out and actually do their chores. These RJs Berry Twisters were perfect for this task. A brightly coloured packet with not one but two choices inside, this was an instant hit!

I did a small blind taste test with my children and the neighbours children to get their true opinions on which was their favourite colour and flavour. The two girls loved the purple colours but weren't fans of the taste of them, one of my son's favourite flavours was the Raspberry one but none of the other children were too fused with that one. They didn't dislike it but they did much prefer some of the other flavours.

The one thing I noticed with these twisters, and the others, was that they are quite long, especially for children, I think they could easily half the size and still have very happy kids, in fact that's exactly what I did, all pieces were cut in half and it made the packet go so much further. Texture wise, I found these very very very chewy but still quite soft, the perfect texture for kids in my opinion.

Personally I'm not sure if I'd buy this combination of favours again as my kids preferred others but at this price I might just have to buy a pack to keep in the "I NEED SUGAR NOW" box for a little hit for me or my husband.

This was the flavour of Twisters I was most excited to try as I love berry flavoured sweeties and was hoping these wouldn't disappoint... and they didn't! As with the other flavours in the Twisters range, they come in an attractive foil bag with 2 contrasting colours to represent the different flavours, red for raspberry and purple for blackberry. The bag contains 4.5 servings which consist of 4 pieces per serve. Personally, I think 2 pieces per serve is adequate as the Twisters are 4 - 5cm long and about 1cm thick. They are made up of strands stuck together that I've seen people separate, but sadly I couldn't. Not wanting to play with my food, I just decided to just eat them!

When the pack was opened my popularity soared as the whole family wanted to quality control these. Both the raspberry and blackberry were lovely but the blackberry was my favourite and the rest of the family agreed with me. They were fruity, sweet, chewy and tasty, all the things a great sweetie should be! You also knew when you'd had one and I didn't feel the need to eat the bag in one sitting (which is unusual!!)

They contain no artificial colours or flavours and are made in New Zealand which is an added bonus. They are reasonably priced and a big hit with the family so they will be added to the shopping list!

Out of the three varieties available, this is probably the one that I was the least excited for. Raspberry and Blackberry are both berries, and therefore rather similar in flavour. At least in comparison to "Cola & Blue Lemonade" or "Grape & Apple". For my personal tastes, if I have a product that contains multiple flavours, I like there to be a large difference in flavour. But there is no point in judging them by the choice of flavour. They may taste vastly different from each other. Only tasting them will answer that for me.

As with the other varieties, this product comes in a thickish foil package, with some very bright shiny colours, and a number of exciting fonts. Clearly designed to catch the eye of the child in the store. With a serving size of 4 pieces and around 18 pieces per pack, you get around four and a half servings per pack. I was a little bit unsure about how fresh the product would be over time, as the packet has no way to reseal it after opening. It turns out this wasn't an issue. I left one of each flavour in the bottom of the bag, left the packet wide open for nearly two weeks and came back to try them; firstly, it didn't attract ants, and secondly, they still maintained the same level of softness as when I first opened the packet.

I used the term softness instead of firmness (a term that I used to describe the other two variants) because these berry twisters are actually softer than the other flavours. This makes them a little more likely to get stuck in your teeth but requires much less effort to bite into them.

Flavour-wise, the two twisters are quite similar. The blackberry is the flavour that is a slow-burner that slowly builds flavour as you chew, whereas the raspberry has more upfront flavour and a bit of added sharpness. So despite the overall flavour being very similar, they tend to target different parts of the tongue, so combined, they create a lovely full-bodied flavour sensation. Very easy to eat, and apart from the two I left behind to test longevity, the rest of the packet did not survive the day.

The family had all been blown away by the Soda flavoured Twisters that we were all expecting the same from the Berry flavour. The packet was bright and inviting and looks so fun. I adore Raspberry and Blackberry flavoured lollies and there is nothing like squishing them together and combing the two flavours. I had opened the packet expecting to be able to do just that but I was really disappointed to find that 85% of the packet was Raspberry flavoured and the Blackberry was extremely lacking. This fact did not escape my husband either as he prefers the Blackberry over Raspberry.

Like with the Soda Twisters, I find these a little bit too big so I cut them all in half and they make the perfect snack size and also the packet lasts that little bit longer. While performing this task I was very tempted to hide the Blackberry away from everyone else - but as I had two girls who would not let them out of their sight I unfortunately did not get the chance. They also noticed if I was trying to sneak one so even an early taste test was out of the question.

Both girls were more than happy to just eat the Raspberry and they both said it was so yummy that they would happily eat again. I found the Raspberry ones kept changing the taste and each bite would reveal a different flavour, it just was not consistent. I did enjoy the Blackberry more and found the taste had more of a bite to it. Where as we all did enjoy these, we all agreed that the Soda Twisters were better flavoured and if we were to buy again that would be the flavour we would opt for. If we do buy again we hope that the flavours or more evenly split or better yet that there are more Blackberries then Raspberries.

My daughter was sorting out some dress-up clothes and had asked the children which items they still wanted to keep, and which they wanted to give away. They had spent a wonderful time playing with various pieces of costume, and it looked as though the task was going to take a couple of weeks because there was no way they were going to hurry. It was too much fun. Reminders that there would be no dinner until they finished up were disregarded. Who wanted to eat when they were enjoying themselves so much?

When I arrived with a packet of sweets to review, they were so excited to see what I had brought. By now both of them were dressed as little Dracula clones and when they saw the shapes of the sweets, all they could see were vampire teeth to complete the costume. Mr Seven grabbed two of the blackberry flavour while Miss Five, being the individual that she is, chose one of each. Then they started taking selfies of themselves until finally their mother took a proper photo.

It was some time before the hilarity died down enough for the children to actually eat some and give me feedback on what they thought of the product! They know the brand already and could not get their heads around the fact that this was not licorice because it was so soft and stretchy. They both had a slight preference for the raspberry flavour, but liked the blackberry as well. In fact they were enjoying it so much I had to pull rank and take a piece of each for myself so I could write my review. I am sure that they would have finished the lot unaided otherwise.

They both noticed something I had not seen - the blackberry version was thicker than the raspberry. Both of them liked having two flavours to choose from and thought they might like to take some to school in their lunchboxes, although both my daughter and I felt the pieces should be cut into two or three to minimise the possibility of choking. We could just see them demonstrating their Dracula teeth to their school friends, collapsing in giggles because it was all so funny, and then getting a large piece stuck in their throats. However that would not happen on this occasion as it was fairly certain that there would be none left to worry about.

I quite liked the flavours myself. It was interesting that I thought the blackberry had a slight edge over the raspberry. Maybe it is more suited to mature tastes! However, both varieties were pleasant and the flavours were recognisable. As I left, I overheard Miss Five telling her mother she was going to keep the Dracula costume for next time I brought lollies to review!

RJ's products are an absolute favourite in my family so we were all delighted to see that RJ's had branched out and created a new range of lollies 'Twisters', the flavours all sounded incredible and I was very happy to be able to have the opportunity to review each and every one of them. I kind of felt like RJ's had read my family's mind when they choose the flavour combinations for the Berry Twisters and the Fruity Twisters as red and purple lollies are my absolute favourite and they were combined in the Berry pack, and apple and grape are my partners favourite flavours which are combined to make the Fruity twisters. I couldn't wait to try them all out.

The packaging of the twisters was eye-catching and attractive and I loved the metallic effect it had to it, the font I thought was very well done with the wee twist to it and it clearly stated everything you needed to know about the product you are receiving. For a treat the fat total is really low compared to many other lollies on the market especially as 1 serve is equal to 4 twisters which are of a very decent size. Best of all I learnt from the wee map on the back of the packaging that RJ's products are made right here in Levin, so buying these products means you are supporting New Zealand made!

Ripping open the bag was simple and I was impressed by the amount of Twisters within it, it looked like there was a good mix of both raspberry and blackberry twisters which impressed me as too often do I find packages containing 3 or 4 of one flavour and the rest of another. Taste wise these were incredible the red taste like delicious red, ripe raspberries and the purple like juicy blackberries, the flavours were spot on and did not taste artificial at all, this is probably due to the fact that these lollies do not contain any added artificial colours or flavours. I have to say that the blackberry was the favourite flavour between my partner and myself and the raspberry with Miss 4, the texture was nice and chewy which is great as it meant they lasted a long time!

The ultimate test of the Twisters for me was when I tried to pull apart each of the twisted pieces, something I tend to like to do with all twisted lolly types, I was happy to see that these pulled apart without any trouble which is great as it means that they would make a welcome addition to decorated cupcakes when trying to make items such as flowers, animals and faces out of lollies!

I will most definitely buy these again infact I already have my partner loved them so much that he choose them as his weekly treat, well done RJ's on creating another amazing product to add to your already awesome range, I can't wait to see what comes next...