Back in April, the Internet went a bit crazy for these sriracha lollipops. Actually, the Internet goes crazy for a lot of sriracha-related topics (sriracha IV drip, anyone?). While everyone was excited that these sriracha lollipops existed, no one had actually tasted them. So, HuffPost Food promptly ordered some, only to discover that our shipment would be inexplicably delayed. Nearly two months later, our spicy-sweet treat arrived.
Part of the reason everyone is so obsessed with sriracha is that it is such a versatile condiment. Put it in soup, on eggs or on a burger and it's a winner every time. But when it comes to lollipops -- or at least these lollipops -- it doesn't get to truly shine. While the lollipop taste is strangely complicated, the candied apple sweetness tastes kind of funny with the dull heat of sriracha. The nuanced flavor of sriracha gets muddled by the sugar, so all you feel is a spiciness, without any of the actual much-loved sriracha taste. Though one editor found it "surprisingly spicy on the back of the tongue," none of the garlicky notes came through, for better or worse.
Two tasters actually thought the flavor was so terrible that they spit it out. It wasn't easy to decipher what this lollipop actually tasted like -- one thought it started out like a grosser version of a cinnamon candy apple, and then moved more toward the savory tastes of lettuce and pickles.
All hope is not lost though, as there could be alternate uses for these treats. "Maybe Wylie Dufresne can crush these up and sprinkle them over something and then I'll like them," hoped one.
This one might not have been perfect, but Lollyphile, the company behind the sriracha pops, offers many more exotic lollipop flavors such as absinthe and maple bacon. How could those be bad?