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Happy National Jelly Bean Day! We ranked all 50 Jelly Belly flavors

Jelly beans are best when cinnamon- or citrus-flavored and should never, ever be allowed to imitate anything with dairy.
/ Source: TODAY

It's National Jelly Bean Day — which may seem like a jolly, innocuous holiday — but don't be fooled. It's a highly controversial day, as people are super opinionated about their favorite and least favorite flavors. Some absolutely bonkers people actually enjoy Buttered Popcorn, while others gag at the mere thought of it.

Anyone wanna play Mancala?
Anyone wanna play Mancala?Emi Boscamp / TODAY

So, to stir up a little controversy, TODAY.com editorial director Meena Duerson, aka my boss, and I decided to spend an hour (at least) ranking all 50 Jelly Belly flavors — which meant tasting, spitting out (hey! sommeliers do it, too!) and generally making ourselves sick. So, even though you won't agree with us (we didn't even agree on all of these), you should probably thank us for sacrificing our taste buds and overall happiness.

What did we learn? The best jelly beans are citrus-flavored and look exactly like what they're going to taste like. Also, jelly beans should never, ever be allowed to imitate anything with dairy. *Chills*

Here's our (read: Meena's) definitive ranking with tasting notes:

Jelly Beans
Okay, jellies, now let's get in formation.Tyler Essary/TODAY

50. Buttered Popcorn

No! You can't throw up in here! Go to the bathroom!

49. Caramel Corn

So terrible, the worst, good God these are bad.

48. A&W Root Beer

Tastes like what it is, but I hate root beer.

47. Mango

This is so sad because I love mango. Is that barf? This is a crime against mangoes. Offensive.

46. Cappuccino

Never opt into this color of jelly bean. Yuck.

45. Top Banana

Tasted this after Buttered Popcorn, so in comparison, it's amazing. It's still not good, though.

44. Strawberry Daiquiri

Gets worse the more you chew it. Too sweet. Is now a good time to tell you I don't like jelly beans?

43. Kiwi

Starts out OK then takes a turn. Awful. Offensive to kiwis. Same genre as Cantaloupe.

42. Cantaloupe

Very powerful. Wow. Awful.

41. Licorice

Surprisingly not nauseating or as terrible as all the other terrible flavors.

40. Piña Colada

Yellow is always a risk. Awful.

39. Bubble Gum

Tastes like a headache.

38. Tutti Fruitti

Tastes like Bubble Gum but a little better. Not great.

37. Raspberry

Tastes like cough syrup. Nauseating.

36. Mixed Berry Smoothie

Tastes like it has a gross yogurt coating, like something I'd feed to my baby. Gets worse as you chew.

35. Juicy Pear

Classically bad one. Reminds me of how bad Peach was. Actively bad.

34. Berry Blue

Looks like toothpaste and tastes like Crest Kids toothpaste.

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33. French Vanilla

Tastes like a scented candle. Waste of time.

32. Orange Sherbet

It's like a creamsicle, but worse. It's very flat.

31. Strawberry Jam

Fruity, not great, too sweet, like the gum in a Blow Pop.

30. Chocolate Pudding

Tastes like a very bad version of fudge.

29. Green Apple

Doesn't taste like apple or artificial apple. Unclear what that is.

28. Red Apple

Better than Green Apple but not by a lot.

27. Peach

Way too sweet. Yuck.

26. Wild Blackberry

A worse version of blueberry. Bland.

25. Island Punch

Not getting any tropical vibes from this. Is this grape? Pass.

24. A&W Cream Soda

Tastes like what it is, but even sweeter, so I wouldn't eat another one.

23. Lemon Drop

Very accurate. Tastes like the shot. It's a nice citrusy palate cleanser.

22. Very Cherry

Reminds me of a cough lozenge, which I don't mind. Not terrible.

21. Plum

Tastes like artificial purple, definitely doesn't taste like plum.

20. Blueberry

Dense. Tastes like a crayon.

19. Dr. Pepper

I don't like Dr. Pepper, so I don't think this is very good.

18. Coconut

Typically don't like tropical flavors in jelly beans but this isn't bad.

17. Strawberry Cheesecake

Tastes like strawberry yogurt, which is fine, but not great.

16. Crushed Pineapple

A better version of Piña Colada. More refreshing.

15. Sour Cherry

Standard jelly bean fare. Way better than Very Cherry.

14. Watermelon

Not as bad as I remember it. Tastes like a scented marker smells — which isn't necessarily a bad thing.

13. Cotton Candy

Not bad, though it doesn't taste like cotton candy; it's subtle and not too sweet.

12. Toasted Marshmallow

Don't hate it, surprisingly, tastes like what it is, with a little hint of cotton candy.

11. Sunkist Tangerine

I would like this if I encountered it in the wild, but I've had far too many jelly beans at this point.

10. Sunkist Lemon

More subtle than Lemon Lime but still has a good amount of citrus.

9. Lemon Lime

It's fine, tastes exactly like it's colored, which is ideal for a jelly bean. You don't ever want to be surprised by what you're eating.

8. Margarita

It's fine.

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7. Sunkist Lime

Exactly what I'd expect it to be.

6. Sunkist Orange

Tastes like the soda, very straightforward, which is the best thing a jelly bean can be.

5. Sunkist Pink Grapefruit

Subtly sweet. Best of the citrus family.

4. Pomegranate

A good baseline for what's good. It's fruity but not too sweet. Refreshing.

3. Chili Mango

So much better than original Mango, way more subtle and complex, with some nice spice.

2. Cinnamon

This is a dream jelly bean. It's like a Hot Tamale.

1. Sizzling Cinnamon

Even more intense version of a Hot Tamale. I like the tingle.