Newman’s Own Organics – Review and Giveaway

Newman’s Own Organics began in 1993 as a division of Newman’s Own and branched into it’s own company in 2001.  NOO offers a large variety of products, and I believe my review will help you to determine which snack choices to make in the future when you’re looking for an organic alternative in your snack routine.  Need help locating a retailer that sells Newman’s Own Organics?  Check for locations here.

Read my review of the products we have been given the opportunity to test and then sign up on the Rafflecopter form at the end of this post for a chance to win some Newman’s Own Organics products of your own.

*Disclaimer: I was provided free products in exchange for my honest review.  I was not provided any further compensation.  All opinions expressed in this post are my own.   Affiliate links are included in this post.  Making purchases after clicking these links will earn me a commission, which will be used to continue running this blog!

Licorice Twists

Sour Apple – The first item I opened at the request of my husband.  Not a poor choice!  I could see a slight sprinkle of sugar on the sticks.  Biting into the stick, I quickly realized it was not as sweet or as sour as I had expected.  This is a bonus for me!  I’m not a huge fan of super sugary snacks, so this was very satisfying.  How did it fare with the husband?  I think he finished half the package in one sitting… I think that’s a win!   Click here to purchase [easyazon_link identifier=”B005X4T4NW” locale=”US” nw=”y” nf=”y” tag=”ivsvabasaan0a-20″ cart=”n” cloak=”n” localize=”y” popups=”n”]Sour Apple Licorice Twists on Amazon[/easyazon_link].
Black Licorice -Nothing special.  They were good, but I’m more of a jelly bean black licorice person where the flavor bites back a little.
Pomegranate – A nice mild pomegranate flavored licorice candy
Strawberry – My next favorite in the licorice sticks!  These weren’t strong but had just enough strawberry flavor … I got a “candy” fix without feeling like I was eating the super sugary overly flavored candy that little kids like.

Chocolate Bars consist of 6 equally-sized squares in 2.25oz packages

Orange Dark – This was the first I tried in this category.  I was apprehensive as I’m not a fan of dark chocolate, but I was intrigued by the orange.  I was pleasantly … no, extremely, surprised by how much I enjoyed this chocolate bar!  The chocolate itself was extremely smooth and creamy.  The orange flavor mostly overpowered the bitterness of the dark chocolate, and even though I was still left with the dark chocolate aftertaste, I still really enjoyed this bar!  If dark chocolate is supposed to be healthier for you, this is certainly the way to get me to eat it.  Click here to purchase [easyazon_link identifier=”B01K86HY7M” locale=”US” nw=”y” nf=”y” tag=”ivsvabasaan0a-20″ cart=”n” cloak=”n” localize=”y” popups=”n”]Orange Dark Chocolate on Amazon[/easyazon_link].
Mocha Milk Chocolate – Super smooth texture.  The mocha flavor was mild, so it wasn’t bitter or overpowering.
Espresso Dark – Another one of my favorites.  This rich and silky chocolate bar tickles the taste buds as you bite into tiny, but flavorful, crunchy espresso beans.  I’m particular about a medium blend coffee and these espresso pieces didn’t overwhelm me!  Big bonus 🙂

Milk Chocolate – Perfectly simple smooth and silky milk chocolate bar when you’re not looking for extras!  I like the basics and this could be my go to bar when I’m looking for a bit of simplicity.
Dark – Perhaps not a favorite, BUT for Dark Chocolate, it was good.  I liked that there was only a hint of bitter!  I typically associate dark chocolate with a strong bitter aftertaste – this chocolate has changed my view quite a bit about dark chocolate.
Super Dark – Consistent with the rest of the chocolates, this was silky smooth with a great flavor.  As is the downfall (in my opinion) of all dark chocolates is that it left me with the bitter aftertaste that I’m not fond of.  But, if you’re a dark chocolate fan, this one is sure to please!

Milk Chocolate Caramel Cups –  Smooth texture (as I’m coming to expect of their chocolates) filled with an extremely silky, thin caramel that doesn’t stick to your teeth.
Peppermint Cups – If you’re looking for an organic alternative to a York, this is it!  The silky smooth chocolate coupled with a milder peppermint flavor was amazing!
Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups – I like a full-flavored peanut butter in my peanut butter cups.  These didn’t do it for me, but if you’re a dark chocolate fan who doesn’t need a heavy peanut butter flavor, these cups may be for you.
Milk Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups– This is a lovely subtle peanut butter treat with the perfect silky smooth chocolate.

Vanilla Alphabet Cookies – Slightly crunchy, buttery vanilla flavor that I shared with my, now, 1-year-old.  I think these are, by far, my favorite cookies, and I feel better that I’m feeding the baby organic goodness.  Even the hubby tried these and greedily grabbed a handful.
Hermits – These are soft ginger cookies with raisins and molasses.  While they were soft, as promised, I felt the ginger was too mild for my taste.  These reminded me of a fig newton type cookie.
Hint-O-Mint Newman-O’s – This is a creme filled mint chocolate cookie and they aren’t kidding about “hint” of mint.  If you’re in the mood for an oreo type cookie with a barely there mint flavor, these are your cookies.
Chocolate Creme Newman-O’s – One word? Amazing!  These are oreo-style cookies with a chocolate creme filling.  I’m not big into oreos, but the chocolate creme was to die for!  Takes me back to my teenage years when I’d eat the creme out of oreos and throw out the cookie.  The difference here is that I actually enjoyed eating the cookie part too.
Ginger-O’s -Another one of my favorites in the cookie selection!  Just enough ginger – really hit the spot when I was in the mood for a ginger-flavored treat.
Double Chocolate Chip – These were your standard chocolate cookie with chocolate chips.  One of my least favorites is chocolate cookies (or chocolate cakes) but these weren’t bitter or dull.  The chocolate cookie was a nice mild chocolate with the perfect amount of chocolate chips.
Orange Chocolate Chip – After having tried the chocolate bar with orange, I expected more of these cookies, but I got a very strong surprise from this cookie.  Opening up the bag, I could smell a very strong orange scent and I immediately thought of an orange essential oil.  Tasting it was even more surprising… the orange flavor was very overpowering, so when I read the ingredient label to find it was made with orange oil, I was not surprised. The orange flavored lingered long after trying it. This particular cookie was not for me, but if you like a strong orange oil, you’ll probably like these.
Fig Newmans (Fat Free) – I liked these!  A simple fig cookie and I believe these had a sweeter taste than their non-organic counterparts.  I was pleasantly surprised by these as I wouldn’t ordinarily choose fig cookies as a snack but I could see being happy to eat these cookies.

Mighty Pretzel Minis – These are a great standard snack, though nothing to set them apart from most pretzels. If you’re hooked on organic, you’ll be pleased with these pretzels.
Traditional Pretzel Thins – I think my impression of these is similar to the Minis mentioned immediately prior.

Organic Mints I have to start by saying the tins are super cute and I could see reusing these for organizing little items.

Wintergreen – one of my favorite mint flavors and these don’t disappoint.  It’s not a quick dissolving mint, so if you’re impatient, you’ll have to bite into them, but I force myself to wait it out and experience the flavor longer.  Leaves my mouth feeling fresh (whether or not my breath is fresh is undetermined since I’m not blowing in my husband’s face to check).
Cinnamon (HOT) – These are not as hot as the tin might like you to believe, but they do pack a nice punch if you bite right in.  This is another one of my all-time favorite items that I’ve tried!  If you like cinnamon, this mint is for you!
Peppermint – I am not a fan of peppermint, though the flavor of these almost reminded me of those big peppermint things that melt really easily – it’s a milder peppermint flavor.  Just like the wintergreen variety, I felt as though my breath was fresher (again, I chose not to test it by blowing in someone’s face).
Ginger – One must love ginger to enjoy this mint.  Truthfully, these were very strong and quite “hot” – not one of my favorites, but if you’re serious about your ginger, you might like these.

Are you ready to get your snack on? One lucky person will win a Prize Pack of 4 of my favorite items plus + 1 surprise item.  I wish you all luck!!  Please note: If I cannot verify individual entries, they will be disqualified! Giveaway runs 10/5/12 12:01a.m. EST until 10/14/12 12:01a.m. EST.

a Rafflecopter giveaway
Terms and Conditions
Open to US (age 18 yrs+). Void Where Prohibited. Ends 10/14/2012 at 12:01 am EST. No purchase necessary.
The winner will be chosen by and announced on rafflecopter as well as via email as soon as all entries are verified.  Winner will have 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be chosen. The number of eligible entries received determines the odds of winning.

One set of entries per person! Use of multiple accounts and duplicate entries is prohibited and will disqualify you from the giveaway.  Finally, you must remain a follower of all the accounts for the duration of the giveaway in order for your entries to count.  If I cannot verify an entry, it will not be counted.

If potential Grand Prize winner forfeits or does not claim the prize, a new winner will be chosen, at Sponsor’s sole discretion. The sponsor (Newman’s Own Organics) is responsible for shipment of the prize to the winner, NOT Ivy’s Variety.  Winner is responsible for making sure to give correct shipping/mailing address in order to ensure delivery.  Contact website owner/administrator for any further questions.

This giveaway is sponsored by the authors. This promotion is in no way sponsored, endorsed, administered by, or associated with, Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest or Google Plus. We hereby release Facebook and the above of any liability.