Jelly Drops, also known as "water you can eat," is a new hydrating treat designed by a young UK man named Lewis Hornby. He originally designed them for his grandmother, who had dementia and was having trouble getting enough water into her diet, as many elderly people and those with certain health conditions do, and he's spent years perfecting the recipe (95% water and no sugar!), which is now available to those in the UK and the US.

I've been following Jelly Drops's story since long before they were on the market (read my first blog on the topic here), and I've been waiting patiently for them to become available in the United States. I've been longing to share them with my own grandmother, who is now 80 years old and suffers from diabetes and chronic urinary tract infections, as well as a lack of appetite. And, of course, I was interested to satiate my own curiosity about them too.

Photo: Elizabeth Morey

Currently, US-based buyers can purchase a single tray of 54 drops or a larger snackpot value pack of 189 drops. The single tray contains 6 "pots," each in a different flavor (strawberry, raspberry, blackcurrant, orange, peach, and lemon), while the snackpot pack contains 21 pots in 3 berry flavors. You can save a little money on either of these options by signing up for a subscription, which you can cancel at anytime.

Jelly Drops kindly agreed to send me a free snackpot value pack to review on our blogs, and I eagerly awaited its arrival, checking on the FedEx tracking link every day. I was told it may take about a week for arrival, and that's what it ended up taking (even with a long holiday weekend thrown in there), although my estimated arrival date changed a couple of times along the way.

Photo: Elizabeth Morey

As luck would have it (good or bad, who knows?), I was sick with a stomach bug when the Jelly Drops arrived. I originally planned not to eat any of them until I'd had a chance to share them with my grandma, but since I was having trouble eating much for the next few days and needed hydration, I decided to go ahead and dig in. (Please forgive the quality of my photos since I was not feeling well when I took them.)

I found the drops to be wet to the touch and very Jello-like in consistency and texture. They were perhaps a bit easier to grip and pick up than a piece of Jello but were otherwise very similar. For those who are already fans of Jello, this treat is for you. They were incredibly easy to chew and swallow (although Jelly Drops warns that their product is not designed for people with swallowing difficulties) and were just the right size for easy snacking.

Photo: Elizabeth Morey

I opened the raspberry drops first and immediately thought they smelled candy-like and delicious, maybe a bit like a berry- or cherry-flavored Kool-Aid. The taste was less potent than the smell but still pleasant and sweet.

The strawberry drops tasted and smelled what I would call "typical" in terms of strawberry flavor - not quite like real strawberries, but similar to what you would expect for any other strawberry-flavored treat. Again, the taste was not as strong as the smell, but that may be favorable for those with appetite issues.

Photo: Elizabeth Morey

I've never tried anything blackcurrant flavored, since its not a common flavor in the US, but that was also a nice berry flavor, maybe a bit like a blackberry mixed with a plum. I think most people who like strawberry and raspberry flavors will find no issue with blackcurrant.

The little pots were easy to seal back up with my fingers, although I think elderly people with vision problems or arthritis may need assistance in making sure the pots are sealed before putting them away. I also think it's worth noting that the seals are not terribly strong after being opened and wouldn't be great for travel, but it's easy enough to put them in another container if they need to be transported half-eaten.

Photo: Elizabeth Morey

I've heard that Jelly Drops are also great refrigerated (although the website says not to freeze them), so I decided to put my three pots in the refrigerator next. I liked the flavors even better after refrigeration and found the treats more refreshing, but perhaps that's just because I'm used to consuming foods with jello-like textures cold. Either way, this method is definitely worth a try.

After a few days of recovering from my illness, I took the rest of the drops to my grandmother's nursing home. She found the pots easy to open and was able to grasp the drops on her own, despite how wet and slippery they are to the touch. She said she liked all three of the flavors I brought her, both refrigerated and at room temperature, and she said she thought the blackcurrant flavor tasted a little like blueberries.

Photo: Elizabeth Morey

I left the remaining 18 pots with Grandma to eat or to share with her friends at the nursing home. She currently keeps one pot on her bedside stand so she can pop a drop whenever her dry mouth is acting up. The use-by date on the box was October 24th, giving her nearly five months to consume them all if she so chooses.

Jelly Drops are the perfect treat for anyone with a medical condition that causes them not to drink much water or other fluids. Their benefits are numerous. They're sugar-free, gluten-free, dairy-free, soy-free, vegan, and produced in a tree nut- and peanut-free facility. They're made of 95% water, and there are 10 ounces of water in each standard tray of the treats.

Photo: Elizabeth Morey

A serving size of Jelly Drops is one pot, and each serving size contains more than 1.6 ounces of water to help supplement your water intake without added sugars or artificial ingredients. Read more about their ingredients and nutrition facts here.

If you're thinking about purchasing Jelly Drops, here are a few more details you may want to know. They're typically good for at least 6 weeks after their arrival date, although you'll want to consume each pot within a week after opening it. The water content is also likely to decrease a bit over time after the pot is opened; pots should be sealed when not in use to prevent this as much as possible. Please check with your vet before feeding Jelly Drops to your pet, as the product was designed for humans and may not be suitable for all animals.

Thank you, Jelly Drops, for the chance to review your product. I hope these treats can help people around the U.S. (and hopefully more of the world soon) stay hydrated and protect themselves from dehydration-related illnesses.