All The Sockerbit Swedish Candy At Target, Ranked

I come from a small town with its own customs, and I absolutely adore learning about other cultures' rituals and traditions. One I find incredibly interesting is the Swedish tradition of lördagsgodis, or "Saturday candy." Since the 1950s, the folks of Sweden, both young and old, have enjoyed the weekly tradition that begins by picking out sweets on Friday (fredagsmys, or cozy Friday) and then indulging in them on Saturday.

And Swedish candies are all the rage. Until recently, I had not been tempted enough to make a purchase. But in November, U.S.-based Swedish candy company Sockerbit rolled out five of its most popular picks to 1,500 Targets nationwide. Its candies are naturally colored and flavored, with no high fructose corn syrup or GMOs, and now so easily at hand that I had to taste them and see what the fuss was about! 

I got all the Sockerbit flavors delivered from Target straight to my door so I could give these popular treats a try. I wanted to experience the flavors that so many people seem to be going crazy for. I went looking for something that offered me a different taste from the American candies I've always had. I wanted one that tasted so fabulous I would choose it over all others to celebrate once a week. And based on full flavors and fun textures, here's how they ranked.

The candies in this mix were a sweet, plump heart shape with dual colors of yellow and light pink, and then green and a darker, almost purple-colored option. The light pink one had a sourness that was on par with a citrus fruit, but there was a faint hint of strawberry in the flavor. While I expected the yellow side to be lemon, I was shocked to be hit with a very pungent pineapple that flooded my palate. It reminded me of the off flavor of Peelerz (another viral candy). Together, this heart tasted like a sour, underripe pineapple, which I did not enjoy.

Moving on to the second heart option, I tasted the purplish color, which was tart enough that it brought a tear to my eye as soon as it hit my tongue. It had a very candied flavor as well, but I could not put my finger on the definitive profile. The green side was just as tart at the start and carried through to the end, although it did give an equally apple-like flavor to hold onto. The two halves of that whole were a bit too sour for my personal enjoyment. With those being the only combos, I didn't care to keep reaching into the bag, which the treats ranked higher on this list had me doing. The texture was there, but the flavor was not. Even for sour candy fans, I wouldn't recommend this being your introduction to Swedish treats.

Like the sour gummy mix, these sweet gummies were an assortment of fruit shapes and dual-colored soda bottles. The fruits were much easier to identify, as these gummies didn't have any type of coating on them. I was even able to see that the soda bottles actually had "soda" stamped onto them, which I found rather endearing.

I first chose a purplish fruit shape with bumps that seemed like an odd grape cluster. Once tasting it, I found it was not grape at all but something more tropical, possibly lychee fruit, and I did not care for the flavor. It was strange and held on too tightly in the background. I also noticed I missed the crackle of the sugared outsides that the other candies brought. The texture of this mix was dense, but it didn't seem to hold the qualities I found in the others.

I went in for a yellow half of a soda bottle and found a strong lemon rind taste flood my palate. The flavor was almost like a disinfectant, and I hurried to the orange half to clean my tongue. And while the orange did offer a bit of a reprieve, it wasn't as pleasant as the dusted sour candies. While the strawberry candy was easily identifiable by looks and taste, the flavor was dull in comparison to the ones ranked higher. While these didn't have the off-putting sourness of the one ranked lower, I would skip these as well.

These sour cola gummies were in the shape of pop bottles, with the top half an ivory color and the bottom a brown, cola color. They were incredibly cute. I took a nibble of the top half first, wondering if the flavor would run equally throughout or be separated by the colors. The white part tasted immediately distinctive of cola; however, it held a depth in its flavor profile. There was a hint of salt there, possibly licorice, which I don't normally like, but I found this to be intriguing. When all the tastes were melded, it produced a juicy cherry cola flavor. 

There was a heightened sweetness to the bottom layer amidst the licorice. And somewhere in the background, there seemed to be a hint of cherry that grew the closer the candy came to being gone. It was all quite fascinating to my mouth and had me quickly going back for a second piece. It was playful, which I liked. These were definitely more enjoyable than the lower-ranked ones, with an interesting flavor and crisp, chewy texture. That being said, I found the novelty of all that wore off quickly. While I did go back for a few extra nibbles, I certainly couldn't finish the small bag. Even if I were to spread it out over several days, I don't think I'd eat them all. A couple of tastes of this one is enough to last for quite some time.

At first glance, these candies reminded me of marshmallow Peeps. They were sugar-coated, marshmallowy, and squishy in appearance and touch, with the marshmallow-like layer adding something unique from the other candies on the list. The scent of strawberry hit my nose as I brought the candy in for a bite, with a sensation I hadn't experienced in the ones ranked lower. It surprised me how much a natural flavor could generate such a pronounced scent. And pulling the first bit away with my teeth, I was astounded by what else I experienced.

The candy plumped as I bit into it. The white bottom was Peep-like, adding a subtly soft and slightly crisp texture. While the marshmallow added a new layer, the gummy texture quickly surpassed the fluff, compelling me to bite and pull roughly to get a piece away from the whole. On my tongue, it was tart and sweet, tasting amazingly of strawberry. And to my teeth, it gave a challenge that I rather enjoyed, as it seemed to spread the flavor with every chomp.

The flavor, while subtle, satiated my sweet tooth and left a nice bit of fruitiness behind on my tongue. There was only a slight difference in the two textures, but enough to place this candy at a higher level of playfulness and fun. Between the taste and the frivolity, I could easily enjoy a whole pack of these. However, they wouldn't disappear as quickly as the one ranked higher.

I was apprehensive about the Sour Gummy Mix. While I enjoy a bit of sour, I do not like ones that cause my jaw to clench. After getting a good look at the choices in front of me, I saw that there were different dual-colored bottle-shaped pieces and single-colored fruit-shaped pieces. When this bag said mix, it meant it! There was quite a variety.

I went in for a yellow and orange bottle covered in a fine crystallization. I bit clean through and immediately sensed a sourness that was quickly taken over by a lovely lemon flavor. The orange bottom carried the sour throughout the chew, along with the bright flavor of a very natural orange. A purplish-pink fruit blob tasted both sour and sweet; however, I couldn't define its distinct profile. And the adventure just continued.

There were numerous flavors and different heights of sour to sweet, but none were overbearing. Quite the opposite, I almost finished the bag, going back to discover more flavors and profiles by trying each one at a time and then together. While these didn't have the fun marshmallow layer, I didn't miss it amidst the adventure of the aroma, tastes, delightful textures, and colorful shapes this mix offered. Were I only able to choose one on this list, this mix would undoubtedly be it. It offered all I had gone looking for. To me, there doesn't seem to be a choice, as this mix has everything.

I started by tasting the non-sour options and then moved through from least to most flavor options per pack. I tasted at least two of each option to make sure I captured the flavors and textures, since that was a big ranking factor. I went looking for something unique in both taste and textural experience. I wanted something different and fun, not something I could get anywhere. And even though there were no artificial colors or flavors, I still expected to have all my senses delighted. The No. 1-ranked candy checked every box — sight, smell, taste, and texture.

All but the sweet gummy mix have a similar texture. The sweet gummy mix was also the only one not encrusted with what presented like a fine sugar — something I missed when it wasn't there. And although the bags tout the lack of artificiality and corn syrup, these candies were as sweet, bright, colorful, and flavorful as any I've had packed full of those ingredients.

While overall I was impressed by the one-of-a-kindness of the candies, the lower-ranked ones pushed the least of my happy buttons. I would highly recommend tasting the top three, as the elements offer something really fun and interesting. And each candy produces higher levels of enjoyment as it gets closer to the top. But if I could only have one to relish for my Saturday candy, it would definitely be the No. 1 option.