REVIEW: Starburst Airs Gummies

Starburst Airs Gummies Bag

What are Starburst Airs Gummies?

Here it is, folks, the collaboration between Starburst and Nike that we’ve all been waiting for!

Nah, it’s actually just a new weird spin on Starburst flavored gummies.

How are they?

I guess I should just jump right into it – I think I hated these.

“Hate” is a strong word I try to avoid using, but these things stink.

The entire “air” concept sold me on the spot. I anticipated a unique texture that landed somewhere between those gourmet confectionary marshmallows and gummy bears. I got that, but they were few and far between.

They LOOK pillowy soft, but most of them had the bite of an expired peach ring. Not sure if this makes sense, but the texture was begging for a crystallized sugar coating. That’s the only way that texture succeeds for me.

Starburst Airs Gummies Squishy

For every piece I thought delivered on the name, there were five that were a chore to chew. Some were like Gummy Savers, and some had a dryness to them like the chewy Sea Turtles from Trader Joe’s, which aren’t great, but at least correctly have sugar. It’s like they couldn’t decide which texture to go with, so they just ran the gummy gamut.

The “best” pieces were similar to Haribo Watermelons, which are infinitely better.

Anything else you need to know?

It wasn’t just the texture that threw me off.

The gummies smell exactly like Starburst, but something about the over-chewing reduced the flavor by about 30-40 percent. These just don’t have the Starburst pop I’ve grown to love.

Starburst Airs Gummies Flavors

I know it’s blasphemous to most, but I think Cherry is the worst main Starburst flavor by far, and it was awful here. Strawberry never fails, and I happen to really like the two citrus flavors. Lemon was probably the best, and it seemed to be the softest overall. No idea why, but finally, some justice for Lemon.

Even the pieces I kinda liked that leaned closer to marshmallow were still weak in flavor and left a film on my teeth.

Conclusion:

Starburst Airs Gummies Poured out

I can’t remember the last time I couldn’t put a snack down simply because I wanted to like it. I was trying to will it, but they just never got there.

Starburst has tried many different texture varieties (these, regular gummies, jelly beans, those straw things, etc.) and has never matched the originals. With that said, I think Airs are easily the worst Starburst candy product to date. Don’t even bother.

Purchased Price: $2.18
Size: 4.3 oz
Purchased at: Walmart
Rating: 3 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: (6 pieces) 100 calories, 0 grams of fat, 55 milligrams of sodium, 24 grams of total carbohydrates, 20 grams of total sugars, and 1 gram of protein.

13 thoughts to “REVIEW: Starburst Airs Gummies”

  1. So glad I wasn’t the only one who felt this way… Original wasn’t broken, didn’t need fixing…

  2. How do they compare to Airheads? When I first saw these I thought they would be very similar and they still do appear that way. I think I would like them if they are essentially Starburst- flavored Airheads.

  3. Blasphemer!

    I can understand not liking whichever the texture they chose, but it’s weird to have multiple different textures in the same package. I might have tried letting one sit in my mouth to see if it dissolved/effervesced, but it sounds like it still would have been disappointing.

    By mass, they should have more sugar than the normal Starburst (20g of sugar in a 32g serving vs, the normal’s 22g in a 40g serving), so that shouldn’t have been responsible for the Airs lacking that taste punch; the Airs also have more sugar per piece (20g/6 pieces = 3.33g/piece, vs. normal’s 22g/8 = 2.75g/piece). Normal Starburst have more non-sugar carbs (22 sugar + 12 non = 34 total vs. the Airs’ 20 sugar + 4 non = 24 total) as well as 3g of (all Saturated) Fat, so maybe that was removed to get the apparently desired texture.

    Thanks for saving me a few dollars (even if blasphemers aren’t allowed in Candyland).

  4. “I know it’s blasphemous to most, but I think Cherry is the worst main Starburst flavor by far…”:
    No, I *totally* agree with you! Then again, I hate pretty much everything cherry-flavored (though do enjoy actual cherries). I always have.

          1. We’ll send you all if our cherry starbursts when we have to buy the mixed bags if we can’t find any of the all pink bags. 😉

  5. original Starbursts, best to least best, imho: pink, yellow, orange, red.

    thanks for confirming that i really don’t care to try these!

  6. “So glad I wasn’t the only one who felt this way… Original wasn’t broken, didn’t need fixing…”

    While I am not saying this is a good product, it is not “fixing” it as the original is still available literally everywhere candy is sold. It is merely another choice for the consumer.

  7. “Starburst has tried many different texture varieties (these, regular gummies, jelly beans, those straw things, etc.)”

    That “etc.” would also include the Starburst gum, the cherry version of which infamously smelled like vomit. They brought the gum back a couple years later (with a new cherry formula), but I guess it was discontinued a second time with little fanfare or public mourning.

    As for these gummies, I had high hopes and am disappointed to see such a negative review. I’m a big fan of “airy gummies,” which I’ve often ordered from the UK where they’re pretty popular. I’m not much of a Starburst fan, but I would’ve bought these had they gotten the texture right.

  8. Perfect. Exactly what I said. Also, I think I know why the lemon was the best. They put too many red cherry ones in the bags every time. I believe it is cheaper to use the ones with red 40 or something. Every bag is outnumbered with red 40 the cherry ? flavored ones. I hate them but the ? ones without red 40 are better. These are not like Starburst to say the least.

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