Super Lemon

parent co.: Nobel

pkg. size: 7 1/2"x5"

candy size: 1/2" d.

weight: 3.10 oz.

quantity: 10-15

country: japan

description: a lemon hard candy with a shockingly sour first taste

my first thought about these (after, "wow, these are super cool looking with that girl on the front screaming like Super Lemon is some hero coming to save her.") was that they would taste like WarHeads. they do, but i think that they might be a touch more sour. and a little less sweet, at that. they have a much more realistic sour lemon flavor without the sugary candy aftertaste of other sour lemon candies (WarHeads, Lemonheads, etc). after the initial super-sour coating disappears these candies still maintain their sour, instead of lunging straight into sugarysweetland. each candy is individually wrapped inside the package, i'd guess to keep them from congealing into one hard, sour lemon lump, but it seems a bit wasteful (what are they, Trader Joe's?). for some reason i don't have a shot of the actual candy, which is weird, but it looks eerily similar to a Lemonhead. if you like sour candies, these are definitely worth your time. they certainly are "powerful candy."

rating: 8

ingredients: sugar, glucose syrup, lemon juice, erythritol, citric acid, artificial flavor (contains soybean), vitamin c, guar gum, xantham gum, turmeric color

allergy information: contains soy

Kit Kat Soy Sauce

parent co: Nestle

pkg. size: 3.5"x1.6"

candy size: 2.5"x1.25"

weight: .8 oz

quantity: 2 mini bars

country: japan

description: shouyu (soy sauce) flavored chocolate surrounds the classic kit kat wafer with more sweet soy sauce chocolate cream between the wafers

i can always get behind a japanese KitKat, they have awesome flavors and i love wafers. the soy sauce variation is quite a thing to behold. while it looks like white chocolate, the taste is far from that blandest of the bland-tasting chocolates. while i definitely taste the saltiness of the soy sauce, there is also the distinct taste of maple in here. i never thought soy sauce had a maple taste, but since eating this and trying real soy sauce again, i can say that i see where that would come from. it's definitely a good thing as far as the candy goes - a straight up salty soy sauce flavor would probably be too much, but taking the maple undertones in with it really gives it a robust, sweet n' salty taste. i like it. the nice thing about the limited edition flavors is that they're limited, so you're pretty much guaranteed freshness, which is important when consuming candies containing wafers - they go stale, you know.

rating: 9

ingredients: sugar, vegetable fat, lactose, wheat flour, whole milk powder, cocoa butter, soy sauce powder, processed sugar, cocoa powder, yeast, cocoa mass, salt, emulsifiers (including soybeans), caramel pigment, flavoring, food yeast, baking soda

allergy information: includes egg, soy and flour

KitKat Banana

parent co.: Nestle

pkg. size: 3.5"x1.6"

candy size: 2.5"x1.25"

weight: .8 oz

quantity: 2 mini bars

country: japan

description: brown banana flavored chocolate surrounds the classic kit kat wafer with more banana cream between the wafers

every time i tell people about japanese Kit Kats and all the fun flavors, they want to know why we don't get them over here in the states. the funny thing about Kit Kat is that in the united states it is produced by Hershey, whereas in the rest of the world it is produced by Nestle. this is all due to a licensing agreement between Hershey and Nestle that has been in effect since 1969. while this might seem trivial to the average consumer, true candy enthusiasts will know the difference between Hershey's sour milk chocolate and the much more enjoyable milk chocolate of Nestle. i don't much care for Hershey's milk chocolate (with a few exceptions, of course), but that's a personal preference; i know many americans prefer Hershey's to other brands. at any rate, that licensing agreement is why we don't get the cool flavors that Nestle produces: Hershey is lame and unimaginative. but enough of that, back to the real issue at hand: banana Kit Kats. they are delicious. banana is a tough flavor to recreate without it tasting really phony; it's often too strong whereas real bananas are subtle. while this Kit Kat does have a bit of a phony banana taste to it, it's much better than other banana candies i've tried. of course, i love banana, so this was bound to be good for me. i really love that they chose to keep the chocolate flavor in play here, often i feel it gets abandoned completely for the other flavors (which i generally have no complaints about), here it helps balance the strong banana flavor (not to mention the brown is much more appealing than a bright yellow would be). again, crispy wafers and creamy, smooth filling - another successful Kit Kat.

rating: 9

ingredients: n/a

allergy information: n/a

Kasugai Gummy Candy Mix

these are some of my favorite gummies (with the exception of the Gummy Tummies). they come in lots of flavors but this time i just grabbed the mixed bag, even though it has grape and muscat in it. the gummies are each individually packaged in the bag, with the flavor marked, so there's no chance of eating a muscat and thinking you're getting a grape. i understand that can be a big problem. as far as texture goes, these gummies get a 10 - they're chewy and stretchy; you could chew on one of these babies for at least 4 1/2 minutes. that's a big chew. as for flavor, this mixed bag contains my two least favorite flavors: grape and muscat. fortunately there is also apple in here, which (kind of) makes up for it. the apple has a similar flavor to that of the Meiji Gummy Choco. it's light and juicy, without too much of a sugary aftertaste. the grape is pretty much what you'd expect from a grape-flavored candy (gross), but if you like that sort of thing, you'd love these. and lastly we have the muscat. for those of you who aren't aware, muscat is another type of grape, which makes me wonder why both grape and muscat are in this mixed bag. i would've preferred a kiwi or orange or peach in there, but hey, what can you do? while muscat doesn't taste like traditional grape flavoring (at least not to me) it really isn't much of a step up. it has a bit of a sour taste, and it's kind of musky. it almost has a dirty flavor. i've never been too impressed with muscat, and these gummies are no exception. overall, this mixed fruit bag is a little disappointing considering how many flavors they make (kiwi, mango, strawberry, pineapple, melon, orange, litchi, etc.).

rating: 4

Meiji Gummy Choco - Apple

let me apologize immediately for the sadness of this picture. the tube is just too long. in its defense, it is one of the best candy packaging inventions ever. i buy this candy specifically because of the package (although it is a little steep for me - almost $5 at the asian market). the little *pop* it makes each time you open it, the fact that its resealable, and the high reusability factor. it doesn't hurt that the candy inside is delicious as well. while not identical, the picture on the package is a fairly good depiction of the inside: a jelly-gummy center surrounded by a thin layer of yogurt and chocolate coating. the gummi here is less like gummi bears and more akin to gumdrops, texture-wise. the apple flavor is vivid; not completely authentic, nor is it cloyingly sweet or phony. the only issue i have here is the yogurt coating, and even that is a seasonal issue: i find that during the cooler months when i have these the yogurt coating seems to be more crumbly, while in the summertime (or whenever i can keep them warmer than my cold house) it is much more smooth and creamy. i definitely prefer it to be smooth, the taste blends better with the chocolate coating, when it is completely separate it tastes too milky or powdery. i've enjoyed these in all the flavors i've had, with the exception of muscat, which i am not too fond of in general.

rating: 8

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

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

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