My second-favorite part of elementary school Valentine’s Day was cutting and pasting construction paper, lace and stickers to create homemade cards for my class. But the dopamine hit that came with delivering a card to my fourth grade crush was nothing compared to eating a cherry Fun Dip or a few packs of Smarties.
Valentine’s Day is a holiday about love. But it’s also a holiday about pink and red candy. So, inspired by Marisa Rosa’s story from last fall, I searched Trader Joe’s for Valentine’s treats and sat down with my roommates and my boyfriend on Friday to try them.
I can’t promise my review will represent what most people think about these items. I learned to bake chocolate chip cookies before I was tall enough to reach the kitchen counters. I used to sprinkle sugar over a bowl of strawberries to make them sweeter. One thing that always cures my stomachaches is a vanilla milkshake. My sweet tooth is intense.
But that's what makes me a credible reviewer. Here's everything to get and avoid from Trader Joe’s this February.
Jelly Bean Hearts
Rating: 3/5
Price: $1.49
These jelly beans are adorable. They don’t quite deliver the nostalgia of the classic Jelly Belly beans, and they’re slightly stickier and taste more authentically like fruit. These beans are not overly sweet, and they’re shaped like hearts about the size of two typical jelly beans. Both shades of pink were delicious, but I could barely eat the white (coconut?) flavor. It was unexpectedly strong and sour and was completely unwelcome in a bag of bright, berry hearts.
