Hi-Chew Hokkaido Lemon Cheesecake

parent co.: Morinaga

pkg. size: 5"x1.25"

candy size: 1.1"x.6"

weight: 1.9 oz.

quantity: 12

country: japan

description: chewy, creamy, lemon cheesecake-flavored candy

this may be the first Hi-Chew that i don't really care for. opening the wrapper, one is immediately presented with a very strong cheese smell which eventually gives way to a hint of lemon. upon popping this little bugger in my mouth i was so overwhelmed by the cheesiness of it i nearly fainted. seriously, this is a cheesy chew. while i'm not familiar with the specifics of cheesecake in japan, if i were to base it off of this candy i could only assume that they use a cheddar/swiss amalgam in their version. there's also a slight hint of cottage cheese and sour milk. not really to my liking with the lemon, but i would be interested to try the strawberry cheesecake variation. maybe the berry will do more for the cheese than the citrus did (kind of made it stinky).

rating: 2

ingredients: n/a

allergy information: n/a

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

Hi-Chew Blood Orange

i really don't think i will ever give a Hi-Chew a negative review. that being said, i was a bit skeptical the first time i tried the blood orange variety, since it seems that often when a candy is sold as "blood orange" it really just tastes like any other orange. a true blood orange flavor is sweet with a hint of raspberry. thankfully, Hi-Chew is aware of this and these chews have a distinctive flavor with a tinge of raspberry, but also i taste a bit of a floral accent. unfortunately i got these at the asian market and the package is completely in japanese, so i wasn't able to look at the ingredients to see what that might be. one of the things i love so much about Hi-Chews is that they're consistent in their texture: always chewy with a slight pull, but not enough to turn into a sticky mess. so far, not my favorite, but i will probably buy them again because i will always buy Hi-Chews again. at any time. and of any flavor.

rating: 7

Harlekijntjes Salt Licorice Drops

here in the states we have grown accustomed to the sweet licorice flavor that abounds in such candies as licorice pastilles and twists, but over in europe (especially scandinavia/germany) they enjoy a much more intense salty licorice. i found these at sunrise asian market, where they have a surprisingly large amount of european candy (mostly from holland). i love sweet licorice, and i have to admit that i did not know what i was in for when i purchased these; they are very strong, salty and a tad sour. kind of like sour milk, not sour lemons. it's definitely something that i would have to get used to, but i do enjoy them. they are chewy, but more like Jujubes than taffy. this is not for the faint-of-heart licorice fan.

rating: 6

Hi-Chew Melon

the melon-flavored Hi-Chew is one of my favorites, second only to the mango ones. again, this is one juicy candy, the melon flavor is very strong here - you can smell it while it's still in the wrapper. the perfect chewiness, the perfect melon-y flavor. there is nothing not to love about this particular candy. if you have a taste bud alive in your mouth, do it a favor and go get some of these right now. (if the7-11 doesn't have them check your local Asian food grocer).

rating: 10

Necco Chews: Strawberry Shortcake, Mint Julep, Banana Split

i don't even know what i was thinking when i bought these. perhaps it was "i hope these will taste like Hi-Chews." or maybe "these probably won't taste like salt water taffy mixed with Starbursts." it could even have been, "if this is like a Now and Later, i'm ok with that." whatever it was, i was wrong.

Strawberry Shortcake - this is the one that makes me think of a Starburst the most. the initial scent is very sweet and fruity, but as soon as it hits the tongue it's much more bland. kind of a diluted fruit chew with generic red fruit flavor. it does have a good chewiness, softer than a Now & Later, much like salt water taffy.

Mint Julep - this was weird because it really doesn't have a minty smell or taste at all. maybe a very slight hint of mint near the middle, but really it's more like a sweet fruity taste. not really lime, but there does seem to be a bit of citrus in there. not at all what i was expecting. same chewiness as the Strawberry Shortcake.

Banana Split - a little disappointing in the flavor department - artificial banana in play here, so i didn't have high hopes, but this was pretty blah. it had a slight walnut taste, but that quickly turned into more of a cardboard taste. again, the texture was nice but i'd much rather have a Hi-Chew.

overall rating: 3

The Ginger People Ginger Chews: Original, Peanut, Spicy Apple

recently i have become much more open to the idea of ginger in candies and baked goods. i was planning to review reed's ginger chews, but i saw these and figured i would give them a try as well. there were three flavors available when i bought them: original, spicy apple and peanut; but it looks like they also have a hot coffee flavor.

original - this is pretty spicy. very gingery. there's a good chewiness to it, more taffy than fruit chew. it leaves a lingering burn on the mouth, which is pretty nice. it's covered in white powder (all of them are), which i think is confectioners' sugar but i'm not positive.

rating: 6

spicy apple - this is my favorite of all, i would even buy this just because. i might even buy it again, just because. i can taste the apple here, kind of like candied apple. the ginger is still spicy. the combination of apple and ginger gives it a cider taste. the texture and chew are the same as the original.

rating: 8

peanut - shocking, absolutely shocking. i expected something like a Squirrel Nut Zipper with a gingery taste. what i got was a weird conglomeration of crumbly peanut butter and hard ginger gelatin. the flavor itself isn't so bad, it's nutty and there is some ginger flavor, but it isn't spicy at all. even with the nice flavor i can't get past the texture. where the others pulled apart in strings when you bit into them, this one breaks apart into chunks. if this were supposed to be a nougat or peanut bite maybe i would be ok with it (probably not, i'm just trying to stay objective), but i really can't get behind a ginger chew that isn't chewy.

rating: 2

Hi-Chew Mango

yes, this is a lot of candy to be reviewing in such a short time, but i have four days off and what else would i do but eat a lot of candy? Hi-Chews are probably my favorite taffy-like candy. they are similar to Mambas but come in lots of interesting flavors, a few of which are available in the states, but many more over in asia. luckily the 7-11 here carries the mango and melon flavors, which are two of the best. i have nothing but love for this candy, it has the perfect chewy texture: not too hard, like saltwater taffy or Laffy Taffy, but not too chewy (i can't think of an example of a too-chewy candy [oh, i just did: caramels. the too-chewy kind]). perhaps the best part of it all is the flavor. this candy tastes like a juicy, juicy mango. not citrus, or tropical, or orange, but mango. if i were to smell this candy i would know it was mango-flavored, that's how great the flavor is (and it's juicy. it makes my mouth water it's so juicy). they are consistently good, too. all of the Hi-Chews i've tasted are very accurate with their flavors, much like the japanese KitKats. those asians have a higher bar for their candy then we do. i suppose they have better taste buds. or maybe they already have taste bud rejuvenation there?

rating:10