Tuesday, August 29, 2006

HiCHEW Grapefruit

I’ve been a little depressed lately and I figured the thing to cheer me up would be some bouncy candy. So I headed down to Little Tokyo over the weekend to buy myself some candy. I was lucky enough to find the Juntsuyu that I love so much (they were out the last time I was in there) so I bought two packages. I also scoured the aisles for something new to lift my spirits.

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I enjoyed the Strawberry Hi-CHEW I had last year and a friend at the office recently gave me some green apple ones that were equally lifting. I found a new variety I hadn’t seen before, Grapefruit!

Flavored with real grapefruit juice, I figured I couldn’t go wrong. They’d be like a super soft version of the Pampelmousse Mentos.

These did not disappoint. The chew is soft and smooth and has a sort of pleasant rubbery quality that I can only report as ‘bounce’. The flavor is complex, with sweet and tart notes and some of the grapefruit oil essence in there, too.

If you’re ever confused about Japanese candy, so far I can say that the Morinaga brand is one that doesn’t disappoint. The candy has always been of high quality, the flavors good and the packaging is great. So if you’re standing in front of a big display of Japanese candy, try something Morinaga. (I like Meiji, too.)

If you wanted to try the Pink Grapefruit Mentos but you’re a vegetarian, you’ll be happy to hear that there is no gelatin in Hi-CHEW, it’s all vegatable ingredients in there!

Name: Grapefruit Hi-CHEW
    RATING:
  • 10 SUPERB
  • 9 YUMMY
  • 8 TASTY
  • 7 WORTH IT
  • 6 TEMPTING
  • 5 PLEASANT
  • 4 BENIGN
  • 3 UNAPPEALING
  • 2 APPALLING
  • 1 INEDIBLE
Brand: Morinaga
Place Purchased: Mitsuwa (Little Tokyo, LA)
Price: $.99
Size: 2.0 ounces
Calories per ounce: 110
Categories: Chew, Japan, Morinaga

POSTED BY Cybele AT 6:14 am Tracker Pixel for Entry    

Comments
  1. Thanks for the Japanese candy tips. It’s good to know it works for depression, too!

    Comment by Russ on 8/29/06 at 6:32 am #
  2. I thought only chocolate could cheer you up, now I’ll try these, I love grapefruit candies. Sorry you were depressed, I hope you feel better soon.

    Comment by Elizabeth on 8/29/06 at 7:23 am #
  3. I absolutely love Hi-chew. My favourites are the Litchi & yoghurt varieties, the grape ones are very good too.

    Comment by GTO on 8/29/06 at 8:00 am #
  4. I love Hi-Chew… the grape is my favorite.  The strawberry and grape remind of how Bonkers used to be before they returned as crap.

    Comment by Tara on 8/29/06 at 8:28 am #
  5. I love Hi-Chew so much. We have some lychee and cherry ones here right now. Yum.

    Comment by Grace on 8/29/06 at 9:40 am #
  6. I bought the yogurt flavor last month and just finished off the pack.  For some reason I thought it was gum (yogurt gum, hmmm…must try) but was pleasantly surprised when it dissolved in my mouth.

    Comment by cindy on 8/29/06 at 1:00 pm #
  7. Hi,I highly suggest the mango and the passion fruit flavored Hi-Chew if you can find them! They’re just as satisfying!

    Comment by christine on 8/29/06 at 2:45 pm #
  8. Try the Lotte brand gum called “Sweetie”.  It’s a similar (excellent) grapefruit flavor.  They also make a Blueberry gum that’s super tasty, too.  The only disappointment is that the flavor doesn’t last at all.  There’s the added comic benefit that some of the pieces have “Yes, chewing” on them in English.  It kind of reminds me of the “Chewing” magazine that Calvin subscribed to in Calvin & Hobbes.

    Comment by Dave on 8/29/06 at 7:36 pm #
  9. I love Hi Chew! I haven’t had this flavor yet (I thought it was lemon at first!) but I sure hope to fix that soon!

    I hope you feel better! smile

    Comment by Sera on 8/30/06 at 2:34 am #
  10. These sound really good. For some reason I’ve been craving grapefruit candy lately. I’ll have to try and find some.

    Comment by g on 8/30/06 at 2:38 am #
  11. Cybele's avatar

    Russ - I can’t attest how succesful the actual candy is at relieving the blues.

    Elizabeth - I read somewhere that the scent of grapefruit makes people feel trusting of others. It has nothing to do with depression, just something I associate with grapefruits now.

    GTO & Tara - I was actually looking for the grape ones when I was there and didn’t see them.

    Dave - I completely overlooked the gum section, now I’ll pay more attention next time.

    Sera - I thought it was lemon too and had to double check because they had those as well.

    g - what do you think it means when you crave grapefruit. I was wondering if it’s a potassium thing or something.

    Cindy - I was kind of afraid of the yogurt ones. I tried the Chelsea Yogurt Scotch and found it a little too odd for me.

    Christine - I’ve never had a “good” mango candy, but I’m willing to give it a try.

    Comment by Cybele on 8/30/06 at 12:55 pm #
  12. I’ve yet to have a bad Hi Chew, probably because I’ve steered well clear of the plain yoghurt flavour and stuck to the plain fruit flavours. Grace mentioned the lychee, and those are simply amazing. Sadly they don’t seem to be making those anymore. I scored a mix bag with lychees in them at the downtown Mitsuwa a few weeks back, but I don’t know how long they’re going to have those.

    Hm. I see a trip to Nijiya in my near future…

    Comment by Bruce on 8/30/06 at 7:58 pm #
  13. Must.  Find.  Grapefruit.

    I love Hi-Chew… love it.  I want to take a bath in it.  My favorite flavors are yoghurt, mango, lychee, grape, strawberry, green apple, lemon, and cola (cola is awesome!! you’ve gotta try it if you haven’t already).  But I’ve never tried grapefruit - I didn’t even know it existed.  I’m so excited to go find it - thanks!

    Comment by Colleen Cuisine on 9/01/06 at 2:19 am #
  14. I love Hi-Chew as well!!
    I know a lot of my friends don’t really like the rubberyness but I love it!
    I loveee yogurt grape and green apple flavors!
    yum

    Comment by Jamie on 9/01/06 at 9:52 pm #
  15. I LOVE Hi Chews!!! The texture is just so unique, and the flavor is awesome. I buy them whenever I’m in Taiwan becuase they’re so much cheaper there (everything is- a bottle drink (20 fl. oz. or even over is on average 25 NTD (new Taiwan dollar) which is the equivalent of approximately 75 cents in US dollars. Yes, I said 75 cents.) I tend to favor the original fruit flavors over the yogurt- namely grape and orange- sometimes strawberry. I’ve never seen the grapefruit ones- I really want to try those, as I love grapefruit candy. The plus side of the yogurt ones is that the package is bigger (bigger sized candies, and I think more). Actually, I’ve had the peach yogurt ones, since there weren’t any regular peaches and they were good. Not too much yogurt flavor.

    Comment by Trish on 11/04/06 at 8:08 pm #
  16. Oops. Taiwan packaging is different than the Japanese packaging. The packaging you’ll find in Chinatown is the same as the kind you’ll find in Taiwan. The difference between the two is that the japanese version has bigger packs. Seriously, they are huge compared to the Taiwan packs. So I meant that the Taiwan regular hi chew packs are smaller than the Taiwan yogurt hi chew packs.

    Comment by Trish on 11/04/06 at 8:13 pm #
  17. Oh, and to add to the price thing in my first comment, in Taiwan, a pack of hi chews is 10 NTD, which amounts to about 30 cents.

    (And, the best kind of mango candy is dried mango. The good kind that has a sweet sugary coating if you suck on a blade like strip- I think it’s the fruit’s natural sugar)

    Comment by Trish on 11/04/06 at 8:18 pm #
  18. I have had the luck of finding ORANGE hi chews..VERY nice..
    they are somewhat grapefruit /tart orange flavoured with defintely a hint of peel to liven the mix.
    I also had mango hi chews(our china town is a candy lovers haven..lol)
    Very good too.
    But so far the lemon is my fav, followed by green apple, orange , and finally grape(or blueberry as it is unclear which exact fruit gives the flavour) ..all yummy!

    Comment by Mary on 5/03/07 at 1:56 pm #
  19. They do contain gelatin now!! I use to love eating them but now I can’t and I’ve just bought 3 various flavors.

    Comment by Helen on 8/07/07 at 6:25 pm #
  20. Ummm….How much favors are there? and how much limited favors are there? im doing a report on it and i needa no..n i love hi chew!!

    Comment by Marco Lui on 10/02/07 at 7:45 am #
  21. Does anyone know how or where I can purchase the grapefruit flavor. I have had other flavors, but the grapefruit is my favorite.
    I live close to Philly; as a matter of fact, I was in chinatown last night and could not find the grapefruit. Merchants had other flavors, but no grapefruit. Please help. I need a location close to philly or a web address. Thanks!

    Comment by Donna on 6/18/08 at 5:03 am #
  22. Question- since this post have you ever seen pink grapefruit Hi-Chew again?  I cannot find it anywhere.  The last time I had it was in Japan and that seems a bit extreme of a trip just for Hi-Chew.

    Comment by Elizabeth on 7/23/08 at 12:03 pm #
  23. Hi Elizabeth,
    No, I have not found it. I have searched extensively on line but to no avail. I’m wondering if they have stopped making it.
    Does any know?
    Donna

    Comment by Donna on 7/24/08 at 1:29 am #
  24. What a bummer. I just ordered a bunch of flavours from Japan and all contain gelatine. :(

    Comment by bzzh on 8/31/08 at 10:22 pm #
  25. I love Hi-CHEW,I’m in a Japanese Culture club and every so often someone brings in Japanese candy and one of the ones we tried was Hi-CHEW (though not grapefruit) and I really enjoy the texture…

    Comment by Sara Em on 10/28/08 at 9:20 pm #
  26. I LOVE HI CHEW!!! I WENT ON A TRIP OVER THERE AND IT WAS AMAZING!! I STAYED IN SHIMUKKAPPU FOR 2 WEEKS AND IT WAS SUPER!!! ALSO, IF YOU WOULD LIKE SOMETHING ELSE THAT WAS REALLY GOOD IS E-MA…MMMM THOSE ARE WORTH WASTING MONEY ON!!!!

    Comment by Sara Leah on 11/05/08 at 12:05 pm #
  27. There is definitely gelatin in Hi-chew.

    Comment by Merry on 1/05/13 at 2:46 pm #
  28. Cybele's avatar

    Merry - there is gelatin listed in the HiCHEW available currently. This is a review of a product that is no longer available from more than 6 years ago.

    Comment by Cybele on 1/05/13 at 3:02 pm #
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