The Jelly Bean Taste Test

I didn't watch a lot of TV growing up as a kid. But there are some ads, that to this day, still live in a corner of my mind. I can sing the Toys 'R Us song (Christmas specials made the "OK to watch list" so I am sure I was extra impressionable and vulnerable to any ads.) The Kool-Aide guy/pitcher/monster busting into happy events. The poor little rabbit who insisted on hanging around selfish little kids, unwilling to share. And the various cola taste tests with blindfolds and table set up outside grocery stores. (Were these staged? I'll never know.) Looking back I wonder what was going on at the time to inspire tastes testing as the marketing of choice.

On Easter, Slade and I were lamenting how jelly beans have changed over the years. In the good 'ole days, there was one kind (Brachs'). Now you have Jelly Bellies, Lifesaver, generic versions, spicy versions, etc. Blah. Just give us the plain ones.

After having the discussion, I had jelly beans on my mind. (I tend to fixate in life.) So I stopped in the candy aisle at Fred Meyer to pick up a bag. To my suprise there were no Brachs'. There was generic, Jelly Belly and generic gourmet. I looked for Easter left overs with no luck. So I headed to Haagens (at this point I was on determined and mission bound.) They had a bag of Brachs'. And they had the bulk no-name-generics.

And then I became curious if the taste was really all that different. Were Slade and I correct in our assumptions that Brachs' brand was better? This was a question I needed to prove. Thus the Jelly Bean Taste Test was created. The kids and their friends were more than accommodating in assisting. They didn't mind being "lab rats." Sawyer refrained, as he doesn't have an affinity for any brand of beans.

There were 3 bean options: A, B, & C, divided by color and brand.

Each person was given a survey.

And a glass of water to rinse their mouths between brands.

Then they were given brand A's red. Then B's red. Then C's red. And so on with each color. Kamille was sick by yellow, wisely stopped, and became the distributor.

The results:

Kameron and Kennah preferred A & C over B. Avy preferred all A. Slade preferred B with the exception of black. A and C were actually the same from-the-bin-brand.

Isn't "science" fun?!