Tropical Rainbow Crunchers

Freeze-drying removes water from candy without heat — frozen solid, then held under vacuum until the ice vaporises straight out of the structure. The flavour stays; the moisture and the chew do not.

Tropical benefits from this more than most. Mango, pineapple and passionfruit notes are volatile and easily flattened by heat processing; because freeze-drying never warms the candy, they survive intact and come through as distinct fruits rather than a generic sweet-fruit blur.

You can genuinely pick out individual flavours here, which is not true of every rainbow mix. It is brighter and less sugary-tasting than the original, and a good pick for anyone who finds standard rainbow candy one-note.

The 4 oz bag holds 113 g — close to three times the small bag for well under three times the price, which makes it the better buy once you know you like a flavour. It is also the sharing size: poured into a bowl it fills it, and it disappears faster than anyone expects.

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.

• 4oz bag of freeze-dried tropical rainbow candy
• Vibrant tropical fruit flavour medley
• 170 calories per serving
• Snack Kings LLC, Paterson NJ