Name: Super Lemon Candy
Brand: Santa Trading Co.
Place Purchased: Mitsuwa Marketplace (Little Tokyo, LA)
Price: $1.49
Size: 2.64 oz
Type: Hard Candy (Sour)

Of course I’m a sucker for packaging. How could you resist this sassy lady with her cherry lips and surprised expression heralding “It’s So Wonderful Candy!”

What’s even better are the pictographic description on the back:

And is it ever sour. Taking them out of the individual packet, you’ll find a little round ball, about the size of a marble, distinctly yellow with a powdery dusting on it. Pop it in your mouth and you’re gonna definitely feel that “Oh! Super Candy” feeling. It’s sour. I’m serious. It’s painfully, numbingly sour.

After the salty, toxic waste sourness dissolves away, you’ve got a lemon drop. It’s a good lemon drop, smooth and without too many airgaps. It’s got good essense flavor to it, too. If you like the megasours that have been on the market for years without the novelty that goes with them, this is a solidly good sour lemon ball.

I’m unable to find much about the company that makes it, though it’s a common import and obviously packaged for the overseas market as much of the package is in English.

Other reviews: Super Lemon has Awesome Power & Candy Critic.

Rating: 8 out of 10

Name: Asahi Kinu Kokuto
Brand: Asahi
Place Purchased: Mitsuwa Marketplace (Little Tokyo, Los Angeles)
Price: $2.49
Size: 3.59 oz
Calories per ounce: 100
Type: Hard Candy

I wasn’t quite sure what these were when I purchased them. I knew they were hard candy and I read over the ingredients, which are: Corn Syrup, Sugar, Brown Sugar, High Fructose Corn Syrup, Artificial Flavoring, Caramel Coloring.

As far as I could figure, they were brown sugar drops. They’re better than that, I think they’re black coffee drops. Instead of those creamy drops (Coffee Rio) that are a bit like taffy, these are a smooth if sweet hard candy. Instead of being crackly with little air gaps like regular hard candy, these are dense.

They do have a tangy bit of molasses to them, I’m guessing because of the brown sugar. I have no idea what the flavoring is beyond that. I’ve searched the web for any info on them and I can’t seem to figure out what they’re even supposed to be called in English. The name up there is from the receipt.

If I can find these reliably, I will continue to buy them. They’re in little sealed packets and they last on the tongue for a quite a while without any of those sharp edges you sometimes get when there’s an air bubble in regular hard candies. The real drawback is that they’re rather expensive.

Rating: 8 out of 10

Name: Meiji Chocolate “Mild Bitter”
Brand: Meiji
Place Purchased: Little Tokyo (Los Angeles)
Price: $1.89
Size: 1.97 oz
Calories per Ounce: 150
Type: Chocolate

My mother and I purchased quite an assortment of chocolates and candies on our last trip to Little Tokyo. The Meiji Chocolate is similar in its packaging to the Hi-CROWN. It looks like a little box of European cigarettes. These little sticks of chocolate are narrower than the Hi-CROWN, but of equal quality.

The dark chocolate rivals those that I’ve gotten from the Europeans. It is very smooth, though starts a little waxy and dense, it mellows on the tongue with a good dry finish. They’re a little pricy per ounce, but I like the packaging which allows you to only open enough for one at a time. I like the fine deluxe bars that have turned up lately, but breaking them off can be quite messy and I never seem to finish a bar quickly enough so it starts to look unappealing when I get towards the end.

Rating: 8 out of 10

Name: Hi-CROWN Chocolate
Brand: Morinaga
Place Purchased: Little Tokyo (Los Angeles)
Price: $2.69
Size: ~ 2 oz.
Type: Chocolate (Dark)

I was attracted by the European cigarette box styling of this and expected to open it and have a wave of clove scent wash over me. However, inside was much more delightful. There were six chocolate wafers, each individually wrapped about the size of a thick stick of gum. They were scored in the middle, so you could break them in half.

The chocolate is smooth, buttery and very strong. Not too sweet though just a tad waxy to the mouth before it melts. Not at all bitter, but with a good solid acidic kick to it.

The price is quite appropriate for other types of premium chocolates and I will purchase this again. In fact, as a stocking stuffer, I would certainly prefer this to one of those chocolate oranges. The packaging is lovely and really sells the product. It’s protective and quite a conversation starter.

Rating: 8 out of 10

Name: Super Butter Caramel
Place Purchased: Little Tokyo (Los Angeles)
Price: $1.29
Size: ~2 oz.
Type: Caramel

I’ve never had better caramels than my grandmother’s and for commercially produced ones I’ve usually opted for See’s. However, I loved this package. The fat little cows just made me laugh.

Inside the package is a tray that fits two caramels across, tiny little cubes that resemble chicken bullion more than candy. They’re a bit grainy but definitely have the super-butter element to their credit.

When I went back to the same store, I couldn’t find them there on the shelf. As far as recommendation goes, if they were sitting around, I’d eat them.

Rating: 5 out of 10