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
Beer flavored?
A mouth-watering website. Glad to see some asian candy here, they have some great looking (and sometimes tasting) candy from Hong Kong, with brilliant packaging. I’ve not seen any I’ve tried here but looking at the comprehensive list on the left I think I will soon
Sounds like the Kasugai brown sugar candies. I wonder if they are similar. I thought the Kasugai ones tasted like coffee and a little molasses-y too.
Next entry: Do Not Be Afraid
Previous entry: My Favorite Chocolate