Sour Candy Fans Will Love These Seasonal Easter Treats

Easter is one of the biggest candy days of the year, and many candy fans will be reaching for sour candy this year. As Candy Industry reports, the number of sour candy lovers is higher than ever, if you can imagine that. Sour candy gets its puckering property from various acids. No, not the kind in your stomach or a car battery, but the kinds naturally found in things like lemons, berries, and even apples and carrots (via Livestrong.) Citric acid, malic acid, fumaric acid, and tartaric acid are the most common acids found in sour candy and they each bring their own kind of sourness, from citric acid's fast burst of sourness to fumaric acid's slow burn.

According to GoPuff, the sour candy boom started in the 1950s with candy companies making "spooky" candies with intense flavors for Halloween, and the rest is history. If you're team sour candy, you know that face scrunching feeling is painful but also so sweet. As Popular Science reports, some studies suggest that the sensation from sour candies can release serotonin, a neurotransmitter also known as the chemical responsible for feeling happy. 

Sour candy lovers are going to be really excited once they find out that there are at least six new candies to pucker on.

American Licorice Company, the parent company that makes favorites like Sour Punch Straws and Red Vines, has come out with several new sour candy offerings for Easter. According to a press release obtained by Mashed, there are six new seasonal additions to the American Licorice Company's lineup. 

On the Sour Punch side, there are three varieties: Sour Punch Chicks and Bunnies (available in 2.5-ounce and 9-ounce bags), Sour Punch Easter Twists, and Sour Punch Easter Straws. The Chicks and Bunnies variety features watermelon and lemon-flavored sour gummies. For those who know the classic licorice shape, the Easter Twists will look familiar and come in grape, lemon, fruit punch, and blue raspberry. The Sour Punch Easter straws are the same Sour Punch Straws fans know and love, but in the same Easter flavors as the twists. Fans who want to try them all can pick up a bag of Easter mix which features a blend of pouches from all the new offerings.

American Licorice Company has also released their classic Red Vines but with new festive packaging for spring. Lastly, Torrie & Howard, another candy company under the umbrella of the American Licorice Company, put out a "better-for-you" candy option in the form of Organic & Sour Chewie Fruities. All can be purchased on the company website or at local retailers.

If you love to pucker, make sure to pace yourself, as you probably already know, too much sour candy can make your tongue hurt.