Poppa Tillas Mango Salsa

Product name: Poppa Tillas Mango Salsa
Purchase details: £0.79 for a 70g tub (Home Bargains)
Calories: 75 per 17.5g serving (298 per tub)
Country of origin: United Arab Emirates

I was really excited when I spotted this tube of Poppa Tillas Mango Salsa as I’d never seen a product like it before. The shape of the orange packaging may have suggested Pringles but the name, photo and Eastern illustrations screamed ‘poppadom snack’ – how exciting! I’ve only begun to like curry in the last few years but I’ve always been partial to a poppadom and, if I’m feeling brave, a bit of mango chutney, so these seemed like a great idea.

Produced for CTO Holdings, this ‘mango salsa flavoured fried corn snack’ contained both mango and curry powder and promised ‘a tasty fusion of Indian and Mexican flavours’.

The crisps were far smaller than I was expecting (the picture of the inside the tub helps give some perspective) and their concave shape made them look like miniature Popchips. However, their surface texture was rough rather than bumpy, although they did still have a bit of an orange dusting.

The Poppa Tillas had a tangy scent that probably came from the mango but it actually reminded me of tomato-based savoury snacks. They offered a decent flavour but, unfortunately, I didn’t think they tasted much different to other nibbles I’ve tried. I couldn’t decide exactly which ones, though, as I usually opt for standard crisps so it tends to be at other people’s houses that I try more ‘exotic’ things! Anyway, they were slightly salty but with a bit of sweetness which was quite like jam, and gave the overall feel of non-fishy Skips. There was also tiny spicy kick, along with the tomato aspect I’d picked up in the aroma.

The nibbles were very crispy and, whilst dry, this wasn’t in a bad way. What did disappoint me slightly was the fact they were too thick to replicate real poppadoms. I also didn’t think they tasted salty enough but, maybe if I wasn’t so used to eating them plain, I wouldn’t have thought twice about this! Interestingly, the saltiness came through more in the swallowing rather than the chewing.

The only other negative I found was that they were quite difficult to get out of the tube as I went further down it...and I have small hands! I ended up covered in crumbs but, then again, it was worth it. They may not have achieved an authentic poppadom and mango chutney flavour but they were very ‘moreish’ and enjoyable and I found that the 70g went a long way. Just be a bit careful if you give these a go – I somehow ‘burnt’ the roof of my mouth by eating them too quickly!

Appearance: 7.5/10
Aroma: 7/10
Taste: 7.5/10
Texture: 7/10
Overall score: 7.25/10

Haribo Tangfastics: Minis

Product name: Haribo Tangfastics: Minis
Calories: 75 per 22g bag 

This evening’s review is of another sweet treat that Father Christmas brought me – Haribo Tangfastics: Minis (the ‘mini’ part seemed to relate to the size of the packet rather than the sweets inside!).

Despite not being chocolate, I am a fan of Haribo, although I have a love-hate relationship with tangy sweets. I’m not really keen on the sharpness involved but, at the same time, I find it’s worth pushing through this by sucking the sugary coating off in order to get to the good stuff.

These Tangfastics (I love this play on the word ‘fantastic’, by the way!) contained no artificial colours and were represented by orange packaging. The front of the wrapper contained cartoon images of the Haribo bear and other characters that, I assumed, would be found inside. No country of origin was stated but the only contact details provided were for the UK and Ireland.

The ‘sour mix’ was described as ‘fizzy fruit flavour’ and ‘sweet foam gums’ and I was surprised at just how many fruit and plant concentrates they contained (*deep breath*: apple, blackcurrant, carrot, elderberry, grape, kiwi, lemon, mango, nettle, hibiscus, orange, passion fruit and spinach!).

The two obvious shapes present in the pack were cherries and the famous cola bottles. However, partly due to the sugar coating, I struggled to work out what the other two were supposed to be. I thought one was a frog head but, looking at the wrapper, I wondered if this was supposed to be the crocodile. The other, I decided, was a spoon, so that’s what I’ll refer to it as!

All of the shapes were colourful and the ones with foam backings had really white and fresh-looking bases. Due to the stiff, gummy nature of the sweets, I only bothered cutting one of them open, but I was pleased to see a clean jelly appearance inside, despite the rough outer texture.

The Tangfastics didn’t have an obvious scent but it was possible to smell the sugar up-close. This sugar did have a sharpness, when tasted, but this didn’t last too long, and I found that sucking it off left a flavourful, smooth sweet in the mouth.

The spoon sweet had an apple flavour which I found to be fruity and quite juicy. Like all of the sweets in the bag, it was a bit too chewy for my liking as it was hard work to get to the end of it!

The crocodiles had foam backings which provided both a softer taste and texture. In fact, texturally, they were a bit like chewier marshmallows. The red crocodile had a nice berry flavour whilst the yellow one appeared to be lemon but, thankfully for me, it wasn’t too citrusy. As for the purple sweet, this seemed to have a blackcurrant flavour – it had a deeper fruity taste which was quite like Maynards Wine Gums.

The cola bottles tasted as you’d expect cola-flavoured sweets to taste! I love coke (I drink Pepsi Max all day long) and I do quite like it when this taste is transferred to edible items. However, whilst Haribo did a good job of recreating the flavour here, I do prefer their standard cola bottles to these tangy ones.

As for the cherry sweets, these were my favourite of this selection, and they had an instantly recognisable flavour.

I’m still not a massive fan of sour sweets, and I’d always opt for plain ones when given the choice, but these Tangfastics were a lot more flavourful (particularly beneath the tang) than I remembered, and there were some good tastes there.  

Appearance: 7.5/10
Aroma: 6.5/10
Taste: 7/10
Texture: 7/10
Overall score: 7/10

Bear Yo Yos: Mango

Product name: Bear Yo Yos: Mango
Purchase details: Higgidy
Calories: 27 per Yo Yo (54 per pack)
Country of origin: England

This is an unusual review for me since, whilst I always count the number of calories I consume, my evening treats are very rarely healthy in their own right. Recently, though, I was lucky enough to win a picnic prize from Higgidy (see here), and this included a dear little snack called Bear Yo Yos.

I received the mango flavour of this product and was interested to see that it only contained fruit (mango, apple and pear, to be precise) and, therefore, counts as one of your five a day. These fruits are baked and formed into long strips that are rolled up into tight coils.

The brightly coloured paper packet contained two Yo Yos which released a strong and pleasant fruity smell as soon as it was opened.

I was quite surprised by how dark in colour the Yo Yos were. I was initially slightly put off by their almost brown appearance but I did then see it as a positive thing as it reinforced the naturalness of the product. They were also slightly sticky to the touch which was another reminder that they were made of real fruit.

Taste-wise, this product was definitely fruity, and it was nice that I got to enjoy a mango one on a hot Summer’s day (well, evening!), but I did find the flavour didn’t seem to linger, even before each bite had been swallowed.

Texturally, each Yo Yo was easy to bite through, although there was a slight bit of resistance. They also felt strange on the tongue as they seemed to be equally smooth and rough! I can’t say I’ve ever eaten anything quite like them so the nearest comparison I can make is to the bits of dried fruit that can often be found in breakfast cereals.

I did feel like a lot of love and care had gone into the production of these Yo Yos, and a glance at their website (see here), along with the little card included in the packet, further emphasised the attention to detail that I would argue is only possible when there’s a passionate team behind a brand.

I think Yo Yos are a great way to get kids to eat more fruit but I can’t say I have a need for this kind of product in my day-to-day life. For my healthy snacks, I’m more likely to eat a piece of ordinary fruit and, as much as I’d love to say I’d choose this kind of a product over something chocolatey in the evenings, in reality, that’s never going to happen!

Appearance: 6/10
Aroma: 8/10
Taste: 7/10
Texture: 6/10
Overall score: 6.75/10