Semi-international sighting: Atomic Sourball
Posted: 14:39 Thu 15-01-2004. Price: 35p. Location: Strutton Ground (near Westminster Sq), London. Sub-flavours: Atomic Fireball. Nutritional unusualness: None noted.
"James Busta" reports: I must admit to having some reservations about trying these. Being a big fan of cinnamon flavoured treats I've always felt somewhat betrayed by Atomic Fireballs - the box promises so much, and yet that sweet sweet hot hot cinnamon taste sensation lasts meerly seconds before it is worn through to the nauseous oversweetened, underflavoured centre. Though they may deny it, every critic prays for a disaster, because they tend to be innately vicious people who are a) jealous of those with the ability to achieve where their talent limits them merely to offering an opinion, and b) believe there is nothing more fun than destroying the souls and dreams of hard working men and women. And as a keen confectionary critic I found Atomic Sourballs hugely disappointing in only one respect. The respect that they are actually rather good. If I had a whimsy for irony, I might say it gives one nothing to get one's teeth into. List of expectations: Wacky American Flavours - check, Tasty - check, Moreish - check, Reasonably Priced - check, Sour - check, Atomic - negative.

...A more philosophical sighting than usual from "James" there - I've rated them "semi-international" because they've long been a fixture of the (US?) line-up at Cybercandy. Also, I'm not considering sampling these on TV's RI:SE again - partly because the show's not on any more, and partly because of what "James" tried to pull last time.

Add a comment | # Permalink to this page | 21 comment(s) so far: (NB: NO IDENTITIES ARE VERIFIED; ANYONE COULD ACTUALLY BE FROM THE MANUFACTURERS OR COMPETING COMPANIES. ALL CELEBRITY POSTINGS ARE IMPERSONATED ... POORLY)

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Posted: 15:40 Thu 15-01-2004 by "Alex" # permalink comment
Comment: I think these are available in England under a green packet. I'm not entirely sure though

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Posted: 17:10 Thu 15-01-2004 by "Nebbish" # permalink comment
Comment: What a fantastic story (the RI:SE debacle). I shall be keeping an eye on you chris, you are a talented man.

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Posted: 12:18 Fri 16-01-2004 by "moggy" # permalink comment
Comment: The sourest sweetie I have ever had came in a test tube from the Shedd Aquarium in Chicago. My brother and I bought one each. His was red flavour, mine purple. Downing it all in one we both collapsed to the grass outside laughing hysterically and trying to remove the searing flavour all in one go. My teeth felt as though all of the enamel had been stripped in a fraction of a second. The sourness made my eyes water and my nose run. It started a competition between the aforementioned brother and myself to find the sourest sweetie ever made. We have yet to find anything close. It was like drinking the juice of fifteen unripe lemons compressed into a single mouthful.

Excellent fun though. I thoroughly recommend it to all. Never seen them in the good old uk though, and I don't remember the name only the horrendous feeling of my teeth and the puckering reflex that shot through my body. It was only one of two times that my mouth has involuntarily puckered like in cartoons. (The other time involved some of my grandfathers homegrown raspberries...)

Ah the memories.

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Posted: 12:27 Fri 16-01-2004 by Snackspot # permalink comment
Comment: ah, Chicago's Shedd Aquarium - are you sure it was actually a sweet and not, for instance, a small, brightly coloured species of jellyfish?

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Posted: 15:39 Fri 16-01-2004 by "Alex" # permalink comment
Comment: Anyone tasted Toxic Waste?

They are so sour, they make you feel sick.

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Posted: 16:26 Fri 16-01-2004 by "charl" # permalink comment
Comment: yes, we tried toxic waste at work a couple of months ago. some of the dissolved sweet seeped into the crevice above my mandible joint and i cried.

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Posted: 10:46 Mon 19-01-2004 by "moggy" # permalink comment
Comment: I can well imagine that the substance was made of distilled jellyfish venom with a small amount of blue-ringed octopus ink thrown in. Bleurgh. It induces involuntary shivering just thinking about it.

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Posted: 15:43 Mon 19-01-2004 by "Alex" # permalink comment
Comment: I can confirm there is an English version, in a green pack.

It starts off tasteless, but the merest hint of chipping the surface, sour taste comes out, and hits you, despite the mildness. there is a smaller ball inside, which is more like a BB pellet, it is so hard

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Posted: 20:21 Thu 22-01-2004 by "Dave" # permalink comment
Comment: Toxic waste is widely available now, distributors are "Winstar", Preston UK if anyone is after them. In my view the individual flavours vary a lot in sour taste. The most "killer" tasting flavour is surprisingly, watermelon, far fiercer than lemon etc.

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Posted: 16:34 Wed 17-03-2004 by "Shabbs" # permalink comment
Comment: Anybody know a web site address for Winstar or email etc? (Toxic Waste)

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Posted: 18:09 Tue 01-06-2004 by "db" # permalink comment
Comment: does anyone have the email address/website for toxic waste

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Posted: 09:57 Thu 24-06-2004 by "Keeno" # permalink comment
Comment: Winstar are part of a bigger company called candyland http://www.candyland1.com

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Posted: 19:30 Mon 16-Aug-2004 by "brooksy" # permalink comment
Comment: I'm normally immune to sour tastes (I can quite easily eat several lemons without the merest inkling of a wince) but I have found two sweets in the UK that make me wince. One is "Toxic Waste" and the other I do not know the name of. It comes in either peach or lemon flavours in a small yellow plastic packet and the sweet itself is chewy. It is covered in a VERY acidic liquid that is also in the centre of the sweet. Does anyone know who makes them or where I can buy these? I had two and burnt my mouth!

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Posted: 16:54 Sat 25-Sep-2004 by "flamedfusion" # permalink comment
Comment: http://www.sweetiebag.com/sweets-chocolates/Toxic-Waste-395.asp

yeah sweetie bag sells toxic waste and a million other sweets! heres a link above!

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Posted: 20:27 Fri 08-Oct-2004 by "Phillerena" # permalink comment
Comment: Had some Toxic Waste today - whoah!!! Like sucking a concentrated lemon. They are made in Pakistan, it says on them. Hmm...

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Posted: 10:58 Sat 23-Oct-2004 by "yorkie" # permalink comment
Comment: I LOVE toxic waste but i believe myself to be a total sour head any1 no a sourer sweet?

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Posted: 21:45 Sun 17-Jul-2005 by "Shiznigglettyredsax" # permalink comment
Comment: u all suk

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Posted: 23:01 Mon 18-Jul-2005 by "Stevie Nicks" # permalink comment
Comment: At least we can spell.

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Posted: 15:04 Mon 13-Feb-2006 by "Granulated" # permalink comment
Comment: I would say that the BLACK CHERRY Toxic Waste "flavour" is the most sour.

I tried one on Saturday and had a water melon one a few mintes earlier.

I would estimate that the black cherry outer layer is 4 times more acidic.

The 2 I tried didn't have liquid centres. (??)

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Posted: 14:16 Sun 08-Jun-2008 by "Matt" # permalink comment
Comment: These are availible in Scotland in green packet because i got a pack right next to me and i live in scotland and purchased them there too

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Posted: 17:15 Wed 15-Oct-2008 by "Phaze" # permalink comment
Comment: Ah, I remember these, used to buy them at a shop before they stopped selling them. Gonna order some online and see if that goes anywhere. Might get some 'Toxic waste' (never heard of it in my life, though I do see it on the site I'm going to use) too while I'm at it.

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