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

South Korea Candy Part 1

thanks to my good friend ptwnbrwn i've had the pleasure of sampling a slew of candies from south korea. i've been slacking lately on photographing but i finally got caught up, so i'm going to cover it all in two or three posts.

Delfi Top

at the risk of starting this post off on the wrong foot, this was my least favorite by far. the package says it has milk chocolate, caramel, rice crispies, wafer, and cream. based on that list and the way it looks i was expecting something like a Star Crunch cookie mixed with a wafer. really it's more like a flavorless Rice Krispie treat covered in greasy, bland chocolate. it's so bland. i can't stop thinking about it. the texture is rather disappointing as well, not crunchy enough, kind of mushy. like when you let wafers sit out for too long and they get kind of sponge-y. the crispies add a tiny bit of crunch, but not enough to appease me. there's some sticky goo on top, which i assume to be the caramel, but i really can't taste it. as for the "milk chocolate," i'm a bit skeptical that it's really chocolate. again, no flavor. the more i try it, the less gross it is, but it's just so bland that i have a hard time recommending it to anyone. Delfi also has a strawberry version, but i'm not sure it would be any better.

rating: 2

Chocotec Hazelnuts

first of all, let me say that i already like these without even tasting them, because they look like boobs. yes, boobs. breasts. that is hilarious. i'm not actually sure about the brand on this chocolate; the package only says Hazelnuts. there is a website on the back for Chocotec, but the site is in korean, so i can only assume that they are the distributors of this candy. although this one was a step up from the Top, it seems like several of the candies i received might have been a little old, or maybe that's just the way the chocolate is in korea. at any rate it was kind of greasy, a little chalky, and pretty crumbly. the flavor wasn't bad but when i bit into the first half i was disappointed that there were no actual hazelnuts. my piece doesn't look much like theirs on the package:

luckily when i ate the other half i crunched into a hazelnut. and it was good. i do think there should have been more hazelnut in it, but as a whole the candy wasn't bad. also i feel i should point out the packaging, it says "I send you this as my appreciation to your kindness. From the bottom of my heart." sweet. keep an eye out for a review of the Chocotec Strawberry, coming soon.

rating: 4

Arcor Bon O Bon Chocolate

this was interesting. i was excited about it, since it is wafers and chocolate cream, but what was interesting is that from the second that i opened it, it smelled like peanut butter. Arcor does makes a peanut butter Bon O Bon, but this is supposed to be the chocolate version. there's no mention of peanut butter anywhere on the packaging. the outer chocolate coating here is sort of waxy, but the wafer is pretty good - thin, light and flaky. the chocolate cream filling is where it really gets crazy. that's definitely where the peanut butter is coming into play. i can't say for sure because, again, the package is all in korean, but i'd bet my legos that there are some peanuts in here. the cream itself is very thick and pasty; it almost has a peanut buttery consistency. so far this is my favorite of the wafer-esque candies in this batch. while scouring the internets for info on Bon O Bons i came across a cute commercial from argentina:

rating: 6

Lotte ChocoWafer

more greasy chocolate, the same coating that Lotte puts on the ChocoPies, which i will snack on once in awhile. yet again i'm wondering whether we're dealing with mockolate here. i do love the packages from asia, but sometimes it gets frustrating when you can't read the ingredients. this wafer is rather bland and lifeless. i wish i could say something nice about it, because generally i enjoy all wafers, no matter what. so, in that respect i do enjoy this, but really it's just kind of boring. the wafers are crunchy, not chewy as in the Top, but that's probably the ChocoWafer's only saving grace. i'm glad i got to try it, but i probably won't go looking for more.

rating: 3

Crown KicKer

obviously my initial thought is that this is just like a KitKat. in fact, i thought that it was a KitKat, but that maybe in korea they call it KicKer. then i saw the Crown logo (not to be confused with the american Crown Candy), so i knew it wasn't the real thing. as far as taste it's pretty spot on. the chocolate coating is smooth, not the greasy stuff mentioned previously, the wafers are crunchy and flaky. overall it's an excellent wafer. i don't think it has as many layers as a KitKat, there are only two wafers whereas KitKat generally has four. i've got a review of the Crown MyChew coming up as well.

rating: 6

whew, that was a mouthful. it might seem like i was a bit harsh with some of these, but i just wanted them to be better i suppose. the next batch was much more satisfying so i'll be a lot kinder.