Every Tootsie Pop Flavor Ranked Worst To Best
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As a kid, you may remember guessing how many licks it took to get to the Tootsie Roll center of a Tootsie Pop. While we never uncovered the exact number, we can assure you that we tasted a bunch of Tootsie Pops in the quest to find an answer.
According to Snack History, Luke Weisgram ideated the candy lollipop after licking his daughter's lollipop at the same time that he was chewing a Tootsie Roll. He discovered the two candies complimented one another and pitched it to the candy company where he worked. After a few tweaks to the recipe, the Tootsie Pop we know today came into being.
Many will tell you that the sweet and sugary outside layer and chewy inside of a Tootsie Pop will keep you coming back for more. This candy remains one of our favorites, so we wanted to investigate which flavors take the cake. With that in mind, we surveyed every Tootsie Pop flavor we could find and ranked them from worst to best. Keep reading to see where your favorite flavor landed.
14. Wild Cherry Berry
Kicking off our list, we started with Wild Cherry Berry, one of the five Wild Berry Tootsie Pop offerings. The Wild Berry flavors taste vastly different from their regular Tootsie Pop counterparts. With the Wild Berry Tootsie Pops, we get a sweeter, more intensely berry taste than in other flavors. This didn't surprise us based on the name of the pops, of course. The Wild Cherry Berry tasted similar to the classic cherry-flavored Tootsie Pop, only with that berry aftertaste.
We found the Wild Berry Tootsie Pops challenging to locate. However, the online Tootsie Pop store carries every flavor, so if you're dedicated to trying every one, you can order there. Wild Cherry Berry fulfils our sweet craving and provides a hint of cherry, but we still prefer the original Cherry flavor over its Wild Berry rendition. Unless you're a Tootsie Pop completist, you can probably skip this one.
13. Wild Blue Berry
While a candy that turns your tongue blue after a few licks can cause a laugh or two, we felt that the taste of the Wild Blue Berry Tootsie Pop did not warrant a higher ranking on our list. Although we had low expectations given that these candies are made with artificial flavors, we were still disappointed that the Wild Blue Berry flavor does not taste at all like real wild blueberries. The artificial blue taste provides hints of berry, sure, but we weren't exactly hit by a strong blueberry flavor.
With this flavor, we find ourselves only licking the sugary outer coating to ensure we can get to the chocolate candy interior. We do think that the inner part of a Tootsie Pop is the best part, after all. Even then, it's a shame that the candy exterior here was such a chore. When it comes to Wild Blue Berry, there are simply better Tootsie Pop flavors out there.
12. Wild Black Berry
With the Wild Black Berry Tootsie Pop, we likewise found that the name on the wrapper had little to nothing to do with the actual taste of the hard candy. While the original flavors may taste a little closer to their namesake inspirations that you might expect, the Wild Berry Tootsie Pop varieties just aren't there.
The outer layer of the Wild Black Berry Tootsie Pop gives us notes of black licorice and blackberry, though the taste is not overpowering. We hoped this variety would provide a stronger flavor but could only pick up the slightest hints of berry.
Over on Amazon, the Wild Berry flavors come in a variety pack, though this particular flavor does not appear as often as the others in each pack. Overall, the blackberry flavor does a bit to set Wild Black Berry apart from its Tootsie Pop fellows, but it still doesn't provide a wow factor worthy enough of a higher ranking.
11. Wild Mango Berry
Unlike some other flavors, the Wild Mango Berry Tootsie Pops exceeded our Wild Berry expectations, though those expectations weren't especially high after a certain point. While the Wild Berry Tootsie Pops have been frustrating otherwise, at least the Mango flavor can provide a good amount of fruity sweetness on the outside to complement the rich chocolate Tootsie Roll filling. With every lick, we tasted hints of the mango and berry flavors. Similar to the other Wild Berry Tootsie Pops, the fruity taste is not extremely strong but it's at least prevalent in the lollipop.
While the Wild Mango Berry flavor is one of the stronger Wild Berry flavors, it's still not our favorite amongst all the Tootsie Pop varieties out there. It's hardly offensive or overbearing, but neither is it the sort of flavor that grabs our attention or draws on our nostalgia in just the right way.
10. Wild Apple Berry
It's always apple season with Wild Apple Berry Tootsie Pops, which, while it still wasn't our favorite Tootsie Pop flavor ever, at least made it to the front of the Wild Berry pack. Wild Apple Berry won over our hearts and tastebuds with its strong apple flavor and almost juicy nature. Compared to other Tootsie products, such as the Caramel Apple Orchard Pops, this one does not contain a terribly strong apple flavor. We also find that a tart caramel filling is a far better pairing with apple than the chewy chocolate center of a Tootsie Pop. After all, there's got to be a reason why you don't see too many chocolate and apple dessert combos.
Overall, this flavor provides a sweet and, in the right mood, even delicious experience, Yet there was nothing over the top about this Tootsie Pop that would place it higher on our list.
9. Lemon
Your favorite lemon candy is now in Tootsie Pop form. Well, maybe, so long as you're okay with the potentially odd marriage of chocolate and lemon. For some, this rather simple flavor will please every time. For others, it could be just too much. For our part, we found that Lemon Tootsie Pops tasted much better than we anticipated. We worried the tart lemon flavor might not compliment the sweet chocolate filling, but somehow the flavor combination works and kept us going back for more.
We found this flavor to be seriously fresh, to the point where you could really taste the lemon flavor in each lick. Perhaps our biggest gripe with the Lemon Tootsie Pop flavor is how difficult it is to find in stores. Thankfully, you can order the Lemon Tootsie Pop online, so you're never short of what could be your new favorite tart and sweet treat.
8. Caramel
We think that caramel and chocolate go together like peanut butter and jelly. At least, it works pretty well in Tootsie Pop form. The Caramel Tootsie Pop's tangy caramel exterior and chewy inner chocolate candy are a caramel lover's dream. This flavor, which once could only be found in the assorted pack, can now be bought in its own limited edition bag. If you like Caramel Tootsie Pops, this means you'll receive about twenty times more caramel fun in every bag than you once could.
We love caramel candies and especially the taste of the hard caramel shell that makes up the majority of this Tootsie Pop. These limited edition Tootsie Pop lollipops come out every year around Halloween and often fly off the shelves, making them tough to find if you're not quick. If you're lucky, you may get a handful of Caramel Tootsie Pops in your Halloween candy basket.
7. Strawberry Watermelon
The Strawberry Watermelon flavor remains one of our favorite double flavor combinations as each of the namesake fruits manages to shine throughout the experience of eating the Tootsie Pop. Strawberry Watermelon is one of the newer flavors of Tootsie Pop out there. This means that the delicious hard candy-covered Tootsie Pop provides a fruity and sugary treat that may or may not be easy to find at your local grocery or candy store.
As they have introduced this new flavor, Tootsie Roll Industries has warned about shipping delays for this popular flavor. We hope that Strawberry Watermelon Tootsie Pops become more widely available as it's a delicious and fairly unique flavor, though some may find the combination with the chocolate filling to be unusual. Still, we believe that it tastes like summertime and could be perfect for a day at the beach or a picnic in the park.
6. Grape
We generally think that grape-flavored candies taste like cough drops, but that's thankfully not the case with the Grape Tootsie Pop. If you want to snag all the favorite classic flavors of Tootsie Pop, then you can always grab an assorted pack. For the true aficionado of this flavor, then rest assured that Grape Tootsie Pops come in bulk 50-count bags. For some, the Grape Tootsie Pop will have you imagining you're taking a grape straight off the vine with every lick of your pop. Others may still balk at the artificiality they detect in the hard candy exterior.
Otherwise, one of the few things we found off about this flavor is the blue wrapper used for a grape flavor, rather than a brighter purple. While this has nothing to do with the taste of the Tootsie Pop, we found it a bit strange. Nonetheless, we still enjoyed this variety of Tootsie Pop.
5. Pomegranate
At its best, pomegranate tastes sweet and slightly tart depending on the ripeness of the fruit. We think that the Pomegranate Tootsie Pops mimics the same flavor profile fairly well, despite the use of artificial flavorings in the candy. Frankly, this flavor almost blew our minds and taste buds. We did not expect to love the Pomegranate flavor as much as we did.
According to one Amazon reviewer, "From the first time I put this glorious pop in my mouth, I knew my life would be forever changed. I imagine this is what it would be like riding a unicorn into the sunset..." While we have yet to see a unicorn ride into the sunset in person, we're sure this unicorn would likely be holding a Pomegranate Tootsie Pop. If you happen across one of these more unique Tootsie Pop flavors, then be sure to give it a try.
4. Orange
While the popularity of the Orange Starburst may be up for debate, we feel confident about placing the Orange Tootsie Pop fairly high up in the flavor ranking. If you're sick of rooting around in the mixed bag of Tootsie Pops for your favorite orange flavor, then know that you can purchase an entire bag of only Orange Tootsie Pops. With that in hand, you can eat as many Orange pops as you'd like.
This bright, citrusy flavor complements the inner chocolate Tootsie Roll pretty well, echoing a classic chocolate orange treat. It's a surprisingly subtle fruity flavor, too. It's certainly far more able to play well with the chocolate filling than other flavors, though we will admit that there's still an unfortunate artificial edge. Still, if you can get past that quibble, yYou won't regret a few hundred licks to get to the center of this Tootsie Pop.
3. Chocolate
Few Tootsie Pop flavors are more likely to get a serious argument going than Chocolate. This flavor can most commonly be found in the Tootsie Pop assorted flavor bag, but it also comes in a full bag of only Chocolate. Some have decried the combination of a hard candy chocolate covering a soft chocolate Tootsie Roll interior, perhaps hoping for a bit more contrast. But iIf you like chocolate, what's better than an entirely chocolate-coated pop?
The only reason this flavor did not rank higher on our list is due to the freshness of the chocolate coating. If you find yourself with an older Chocolate Tootsie Pop, the outer chocolate may have lost a lot of its freshness and could even look a bit funky. Regardless, we're willing to take a stand and maintain that Chocolate Tootsie Pops will always hold a special place in our hearts and candy jar.
2. Raspberry
Sliding into second place in our Tootsie Pop flavor roundup is the classic Raspberry flavor. The mouth-watering Raspberry Tootsie Pop will make you want to upgrade from the assorted classics bag to a dedicated Raspberry bag. The more Raspberry Tootsie Pops, the better, if you ask us. We like having options, but if the darn good balance of sweet to tart in the raspberry variety steals your heart, then we think you should grab the biggest bag you can. Chances are it still won't last long as everyone around you snags one.
While many Raspberry Tootsie Pop fans are vocal advocate of their favorite flavor, we think that there's something out there that's just a bit more satisfying. Don't get us wrong, as we'll grab one of these any day. Thankfully, this is also one of the more accessible flavors out there, and you're bound to easily find it at a store somewhere near to you.
1. Cherry
Our fruity favorite simply has to be the Cherry Tootsie Pop. As one might expect, it contains the classic chewy Tootsie Roll at the center covered with a sweet cherry-flavored candy outer coating. Though other cherry-flavored candies may have scared you off, this Tootsie Pop provides a bold and fruity taste without coming across as cherry-flavored cough medicine.
Like the other classic flavors, the Cherry Tootsie Pops are available in the assorted flavors pack as well as in their own dedicated bag. If you're as big of a fan as this classic and downright nostalgic flavor as we are, then you might as well get a bulk bag or two to keep you in Cherry Tootsie Pops for at least a little while. And if you need a little outside confirmation, then know that Tootsie itself has further solidified our favoritism by recognizing Cherry as the brand's most popular flavor.