Sour Rainbow Crunchies

Freeze-drying pulls the moisture out of candy under vacuum at sub-zero temperatures, leaving the flavour concentrated in a light, air-filled structure that shatters on contact.

On a sour candy the effect is amplified twice over. The fruit flavour concentrates, and so does the sour coating — citric and malic acid left behind in crystalline form on the outside of every puffed piece.

The result is a two-stage hit: a genuinely sharp sour blast on the first bite, then a fade into sweet fruit as the piece dissolves. That switch is what makes the bag hard to put down; each piece resets the sensation.

If you already like sour candy, this is the flavour in the range to buy first. It is our fastest-moving sour SKU by a wide margin.

The 1.5 oz bag is one generous serving — 42.5 g of candy that looks like far more than that once it is poured out, because freeze-dried candy is mostly air. It is the size to buy if you are trying a flavour for the first time, and the size that fits a lunchbox or a jacket pocket without being crushed.

Store it sealed in a cool, dry place. Moisture is the one thing that undoes freeze-dried candy — an open bag left out will slowly go soft, so press the seal shut properly and it will keep its snap.

• Sour rainbow candy, freeze-dried
• 110 calories per bag
• Snack Kings LLC, Linden NJ