South Korea Candy Part 2

ok, it's been a little longer than i had planned for the second batch of the south korea candy, but here it is.

Mentos Fuji Apple

let's start things off right this time: this is the most amazing piece of candy i have ever eaten. well, that might be a bit of an exaggeration, but after all of the disappointing chocolate/wafer candies, this was like a breath of fresh fuji apple air. i've always been a fan of Mentos, but really just the fruity ones, not so much the mint. and of course i've always wished there were more flavors available, so thank you Mentos god, for hearing my prayers and choosing to answer them with these delightful little chews. they have a spectacularly realistic flavor, not too sugary-sweet or phony, and much more subtle than i had expected. i have to say that i hadn't really thought about Mentos in awhile, but now that i've been made aware of the many flavors available in other countries, i'll be on the lookout for the original licorice and all the other flavors i can get my hands on.

rating: 10

Hi-Chew Strawberry

hooray for Hi-Chew! i don't really think i have to say much more than that. these strawberry chews are unexpectedly great. not that i don't like strawberry, but more often than not it is too sweet, too fake, or too generic. not so with the always-authentic Hi-Chew, these taste like you're biting into a sweet, juicy strawberry. delicious!

rating: 9

Hi-Chew Grape

i knew that my obsession with Hi-Chew would have to end sometime, and i thought that this grape was going to be it. i hate grape candy. it never tastes like a real grape, it tastes like a sugary, purple piece of crap. i can't even place what the flavor is, it's just some concentrated grape juice with all the grape taken out of it. occasionally one will come across a grape candy that does actually taste like grape, but in these rare instances the grape is almost too real, to the point of being forced and, therefore, fake. but here, again, Hi-Chew has exceeded all expectations. these chewies taste like a nice refreshing sip of grape juice (not from concentrate, mind you). while i still don't think that grape juice necessarily tastes like real grapes, i much prefer the taste of it to that of grape-crap-flavored candy. hence my rating of this grape candy as so-so, and not revolting.

rating: 5

Crown MyChew Strawberry

what is up with this Crown company? it's like they've taken all the good candies that exist, made sub-par replicas, and then given them names that are similar enough that people might mistake them for the name brand and buy it on accident. KicKer, KitKat? Hi-Chews, MyChews? they're either complete morons or absolute geniuses, i really can't decide. either way, they've definitely stepped it up from the KicKer here. honestly, i almost couldn't tell the difference between these and the actual strawberry Hi-Chews in a blind taste test. i say almost because there was a slightly waxy aftertaste here that i never notice with Hi-Chews. still, that isn't enough to deter me from trying more of these if i ever find them. i don't know what the average candy price is in south korea, but if these were any cheaper than Hi-Chews, i would definitely grab them more often.

rating: 8

Crown Minishell

i'm not really sure exactly what this is supposed to be. we're taking a step back here into choco-land, and yes, it is the greasy, tasteless concoction we have come to recognize. these are really cute, but they just don't do it for me. the inside is where this candy has me confounded.

it is, i believe, some kind of strawberry creme, but it's hard and crumbly, so it doesn't really seem to be logical to call it a creme. you can see how firm and almost brittle it is. it reminds me a bit of an Aero bar. i call it strawberry because it is pink, but don't let that fool you into thinking that it has a strawberry flavor. or any flavor at all for that matter. i tried this one twice, thinking that maybe i was missing out on the subtleties of it, but it tasted just as dull the second time.

rating: 3

Chocotec Strawberry

another strange confection from the mysterious Chocotec. i didn't take a picture of the actual candy here, because, sadly, this one does not look like boobs. it does have a nice saying on it, though it's not as friendly as the hazelnut version: "A strawberry is a small red fruit which is soft and juicy and has tiny yellow seeds on its skin." still a nice description. at least this one actually tastes like strawberry. what we have here is basically a glob of strawberry yogurt-y stuff with actual bits of strawberry inside. it's not very good. the yogurt part is waxy and has a very milky taste; the strawberries just seem more like seeds, kind of a nuisance. i don't think i like Chocotec and its no-name candies, even if they do have nice greeting card messages and informative fruit descriptions on the packages.

rating: 3