Gustaf's Wine Gums, 2.2 Pound Bags (Pack of 3)

I would like to add my comments because I have been purchasing these for years. When I first found Gustaf's wine gums about 5 or 6 years ago they were the best gummy candy that i had ever had. I quickly adopted a tradition of giving packs of them to family members as Christmas gifts and they were universally loved. My personal favorite has always been the currant flavored one. The texture was soft but a bit chewy and the flavors were great and not quite as sweet most other gummy offerings. Then sometime within the past two years they did change the recipe and to my dismay the change was for the worst. So what changed? Well the flavors seem to be pretty close to the originals, although I must admit that non from the original bags survived so this was not a side by side comparison.. but the big thing for me was that the texture was completely different. The "new recipe" is tougher to chew. That does not sound so bad but it does leave me wondering why they would change something so good. The shapes changed too but that did not bother me. Anyway the change sent me on a search for a better option so I started buying every brand wine gum that I could find. The results of this search left me wanting. These Gustaf's Wine Gums are still the best that i can find which is why a feel obligated to give them four stars and I still purchase them, enjoy them and give them as gifts but inevitably someone who receives them asks why they are not the same and I regret to tell them that "I don't know". I will come back to this review and change it to five stars if any of my future purchases seem to go back to that original recipe but for now I just chew a little harder. EDIT: I have continue to buy these wine gums 1 or 2 times a year and they are a favorite gift for family and friends. I have recently ordered the packaged version called Gustaf's Gumbilees based on some suggestions to my original review. I had both this 2.2lb bag and the packaged Gumbilees version side by side and I can confirm that they are the same in every way. In fact the big bag ones are a big softer which is what I prefer. I have come to the conclusion that the difference in texture is a result of the freshness and as they sit longer they become a bit more chewy. I don't really have any proof of that it just seems like the most likely cause of the difference from bag to bag. Either way they are delicious and after trying a few other brands I always come back to these Gustaf ones.