Sockerbit gummies review: More proof Sweden’s food is wildly underrated

I was lucky enough to spend a week in Sweden three years ago. Across Malmo, Gothenburg and Stockholm, I repeatedly came back to the same conclusion. The food here is wonderful.

Mostly it was beef — incredible steak sandwiches and something at a Stockholm based butcher shop/restaurant called a Meat Party (Kottmastarn, you were delightful). But the candy, largely shops and stands loaded with licorice and gummies, was great as well. Thus, I came in with fairly high hopes for Sockerbit, a brand of Swedish candies that are, coincidentally, manufactured in Belgium and imported to Los Angeles.

Will they be able to recreate that Gothenburg magic? Let’s see what we’ve got.

Sour Gummy Mix: A-

We’re starting basic on my daughter’s request. This mix involves a bunch of flavors, some of which are a bit discordant. Orange wheels, lemon slices, cherries… and cola bottles. There’s also a green piece that could be an alien skull or possibly a stand-up bass. Which, hell yeah, the weirder the better for gummies.

The sour dusting is well represented in a thick, but not overwhelming, coating. Each gummy is chewy but a bit more dense than your average Sour Patch Kid. They’re also a bit larger, which leads to some more chewing than you’re used to.

Fortunately, the flavor holds up throughout. The orange brings a nice, tangy citrus. The cherry walks a proper balance between sweet and sour — its fruit is undeniably artificial but in a comforting, non-medicinal way. The cherry cola only sorta gets that flavor correct, but is still a tasty addition that maintains a fine line between sugar overload and tongue-searing tartness.

Quinn, my eight-year-old daughter’s review: I just licked it and it’s a boost of sour. I’m used to it though, because I had a sour Kona Ice. But oh my god, that is extremely sour. It’s actually really good though.

I like that it’s really sour, because I’m a sour lover. The inside is really sweet, which makes it die down the sour a bit. The lemon has more of a unique flavor. It does not taste like a lemon. It tastes like a lime. 

Sour Foamy Lips & Skulls: B

First off, these smell great. Cracking the bag feels like stepping into a candy store. Sweet, fruity aromas explode from the pouch, where… uh, lips and skulls await.

The gummies are again larger than their American counterparts, but are properly dusted with sour sugar that lasts well into each bite. The foamy versions are a bit lighter than the assorted mix I started with, but not as fluffy as I’d hoped. The lips have an unexpected citrus tinge to them that works, but is a bit of a surprise. Still, this is another solid post-lunch snack with flavor that lasts through each gummy.

Quinn: My pink skull is a little harder than the others, because it’s a skull, obviously. But it’s not as sour as the lemon and pretty good altogether.

Sweet Gummy Mix: B+

These are the shapes of the sour mix, only without the sour dusting on top. As such, I now realize what I thought was a green… guitar? is actually a frog. Neat.

There’s a fruit snack vibe to this, with each gummy being a bit firmer than your typical Haribo bear. There’s plenty of flavor bursting from each bite. While the density and size means they take a while to chew, that flavor remains constant and is enjoyable throughout. I like having the sour option, but this is proof Sockerbit is solid all the way to its core.

Quinn: Oh my god, the orange smiley face is good.

Foamy Strawberry Dream: B-

These puffy domes are like oversized gummy sno-caps, albeit without any chocolate involved. I’m not sure what a strawberry dream is, but they seem lighter than the foamy lips and skulls.

Indeed, there’s a minor Peeps vibe as a crunchy sugar shell gives way to a softer, marshmallow-esque filling. It would get icky without enough of that crunch to balance off the pillow of sugar underneath, but Sockerbit comes through with enough slightly tart crystals dusted atop each dream to keep fatigue from setting in. The strawberry is fairly standard, but the taste lasts throughout the bite for a pleasant, if a little basic and Peeps-coded, gummy experience.

Quinn: Oh, these are sweet. They taste like candy strawberry, that’s obvious. Very chewy, in between soft and hard, but I think that’s because they’ve been open for a day. Thumbs up.

Sour Cherry Cola: A-

Halloweens filled with sugary goo in tiny wax packages has dulled my excitement for bottle-shaped candies. But these look the part; some are appropriately red tinted, while others look a bit more like a Coke float in bottle form. 

The sour is up front with my first bite — a regular-colored bottle that still brings a bit of cherry syrup with it despite not looking like it would. The tart sugar that coats each morsel gives way to a chewy, slightly firm gummy underneath. That chewiness lasts a beat too long for me, but it’s not a problem.

The flavor lasts through each bite, leaving you with a pleasant, sugary aftertaste (and the feeling your saliva just doubled in density). And, whoops, I got stuck editing a video in the middle of this and ate nearly the full bag without noticing. Seems like a good sign.

Quinn: Tastes like Coca-Cola to me. I feel like the white side tastes like… maybe lime? I can’t tell, this thing is sour. Definitely good though. Two thumbs up.

Sour & Fruity Heart Gummies: A

Once again, Sockerbit provides a slightly bigger than expected candy. Not so big it’s a chore to chew, but about the size of two or three Sour Patch Kids wadded together.

The fruit flavor on these shines. I’m getting a distinct apricot/peach — something vaguely familiar, but also a bit different than your typical gummy ring. The different colors on the hearts correspond to different flavors, and I get a hefty dose of maraschino cherry in my second morsel. And, yep, had I read the back of the bag, I’d know these combos were sour apple-cherry, sour cassis-peach and sour pineapple-strawberry.

They all taste awesome. Each gummy is dense enough to be chewy and flavorful enough to retain that base through the end of each bite. This is my favorite flavor in the lineup. It might be my favorite gummy candy, ever.

Quinn: I think the pink and yellow was pretty good. They basically taste the same, but one is sweeter. Altogether they’re really good (she then promptly finished the bag, leaving me with nothing).

Would I eat it instead of a Hamm’s?

This a pass/fail mechanism where I compare whatever I’m drinking (or eating) to my baseline cheap beer. That’s the standby from the land of sky-blue waters, Hamm’s. So the question to answer is: on a typical day, would I eat Sockerbit gummies over a cold can of Hamm’s?

Yep. This is satisfying candy, clearly a step above the mass produced (but still pretty good) American standards of Sour Patch Kids and Swedish Fish. Ah, Swedish Fish. It all makes sense now.

This is part of FTW’s Beverage of the Week series. Here, we mostly chronicle and review beers, but happily expand that scope to any beverage that pairs well with sports. Yes, even cookie dough whiskey.