I’ve had my fair proportion of disappointments in relation to “social buying,” swept up by a viral advertising wave on social media solely to be dashed upon the rocks of actuality by a neck cream that turned out to be an inexpensive knockoff, a sling service that scared the literal sh*t out of my aged Yorkie, and a chili crisp that leaked in transit and turned the mailman into my nemesis (and rightfully so). However for each miss there’s a hit. Last Boss Bitter, the tremendous bitter sweet constituted of actual dried fruit that’s been blowing up my feeds, is that hit.
Earlier than they got down to reinvent the bitter snacking expertise, the model’s co-founders James Hicks and Tommy Riggs labored at Science Inc., a enterprise studio that helped incubate manufacturers like Liquid Dying and Greenback Shave Membership, so it’s no shock that humor and retro gaming-inspired nostalgia are the pillars of their content material. However Last Boss Bitter actually commits to the bit with a full narrative. A grumpy honey badger named Hank stumbled upon a jar of expired pickles that was truly an historical relic trapping the dormant essence of an evil sorcerer. After by accident Pandora’s Field-ing the Last Boss Bitter free to unfold his sourness upon the land as soon as extra, Hank should staff up with a sugary-sweet quokka title Quinnie to gather the bitter fruits wanted to construct their bitter stamina and liberate Gooberland. And that’s simply the predominant story. All of the mini-bosses get their very own backstories and motivations for throwing in with the massive unhealthy, and their e mail e-newsletter, The Gooberland Gazette, expands the Bitter-verse even additional. This isn’t only a candified fruit snack. It’s a candified fruit snack with lore.
The online game vibes prolong past the fabulous branding, packaging and advertising. There’s sadly no 16-bit console online game tie-in, however there’s a sport to be performed, it’s simply extra Noticed than Sonic. I might eat Degree 1’s all day, daily; deliciously concentrated fruit taste with sourness only a skosh shy of an excessive amount of. However these individuals downing handfuls of Degree 2’s and three’s with out making a face? Straight-up sociopaths. If you happen to’re internet hosting an evening of board video games or heavy ingesting (or higher but, each), I like to recommend beginning your night with the VIP Destroyer Final Bitter Sampler Field (the marginally smaller and cheaper VIP Bitter Sampler Field additionally will get the job accomplished, however you’ll have to select it up on their TikTok store), which helps you to strive all three of their flagship fruit choices – cranberries, blueberries and strawberries – in three more and more intense ranges of sourness. You and your family and friends unwitting victims can play all 9 ranges at dwelling, forming a trauma bond that may stay lengthy after the mouth-puckering, tooth-disintegrating sting of those bitter candies has pale.
With no synthetic components, sweeteners, or preservatives, Last Boss Bitter is a superb selection for the health-conscious snacker, however make no mistake – that is sweet. With 20-22 grams of sugar per pouch, it has much less sugar than the identical serving dimension of Bitter Patch Youngsters (24g) however greater than Bitter Strips (16g), Warheads (15g) or Trolli Bitter Brite Crawlers (10g). However these different candies even have an extended listing of chemical compounds on their diet labels. Last Boss Bitter has solely 5 components: actual dried fruit, cane sugar, sunflower oil, citric acid, and malic acid. And let me say, you may actually style the acid. You need to positively conduct your individual style take a look at to search out how bitter is just too bitter for you. In confectionery, hanging a steadiness between candy and bitter creates a harmonious style expertise, and in my humble opinion, Degree 1 Bitter Strawberries are a symphony of flavors that might make angels weep.
Don’t even get me began on their restricted particular drops. They despatched me a field of Strawberry Kiwi Degree 2 that had me saying “Degree 1 Strawberries? I don’t know her,” a minimum of till I noticed the drop was already bought out. Seems that’s fairly customary for these extremely anticipated and extremely addictive releases, which have included Bitter Strawberry Mango Degree 2, Blue Raspberry Mango Dippers Degree 3, and Chocolate Coated Bitter Cherries. It’s additionally the one solution to have gotten your palms on their sourest choices, with Bitter Yuzu Pineapple Degree 4, Bitter Cherry Lemon Lime Degree 4, and a collab with Friday Beers that had a Blueberry, Cherry, Cranberry, Lemon Lime Degree 4 taste that made me style colours. As of publication, you may nonetheless get their newest month-to-month drop, Bitter Grapes Degree 4, however when you have a worry of lacking out on future drops, they’ve simply launched a Month-to-month Drop Membership.
If you happen to’re a nostalgic gamer, wholesome snacker, or closet masochist, you’ll like Last Boss Bitter. Get your first field free ($20 worth) with buy when your order DFB (Direct from Boss). Simply don’t say I didn’t warn you. That’s how they get you. The primary style is all the time free.
In full disclosure, this evaluation relies on retail product offered by Last Boss Bitter. However in additional full disclosure, I’ve since made three separate purchases. Undoubtedly not serving to dispel the crack comparability…
9.9/10
Hurts So Good
As soon as extra the almighty algorithm proves it is aware of me higher than I do know myself; this combo of actual fruit, actual sugar, and actual (perhaps too actual) bitter energy lives as much as the social media hype. It might have scored an ideal ten, however misplaced 0.1 factors as a result of I blindly grabbed a few Degree 1 Blueberries throughout a darkish film night time, and suffered silently via one-third of the pouch earlier than my sister stated, “You recognize these are Degree 3, proper?” The bodily ache has pale, however the emotional injury stays.
