Wednesday, September 7, 2016
HiCHEW SoursHiCHEW are strange little candies from Japan made by Morinaga. They’re vibrantly flavored chews with a latexy texture. HiCHEW have become popular around the world since their introduction in 1975, they’re produced in several countries, including a new factory in the United States. Morinaga introduced HiCHEW Sours earlier this year. I had a hard time finding them in stores, though plenty of the shops near me carry the regular mixes (tropical, fruits and all strawberry) including Target and 7-11. Eventually I tracked them down in Little Tokyo at a store called Daiso, which is kind of like a dollar store, except most things are a dollar fifty. Currently HiCHEW Sours come in the format of individually sealed pieces in bags (not wrapped bars). The packages include random ratios of Lemon, Grapefruit and Lime. (I assume they’re random because I bought two bags and got far more lime in one bag than another.) Usually when I get a flavor mix, I find that I don’t like a fair fraction of the flavors. There are only three in this mix, but they’re all citrus flavors, so that’s an exceptionally promising start. It’s also refreshing to see the flavor lime being introduced in this day and age when apple is so usually favored. I’ll start with the star: Grapefruit. This citrus flavor is no stranger to Japanese candies, as it appears quite commonly in candies. These are packaged in pink, and like the regular HiCHEW these are two colors. This is inverted though for the sours. The outside is colored and the inside is white. The immediate scent is zesty and the flavor is both tangy and bitter. The texture of the Grapefruit starts our similar to the traditional HiCHEW, rather smooth. But it quickly becomes grainy though still very chewy with a flavor that lasts until it dissolves. Lemon smells exactly like Country Time Lemonade. It’s slightly tinny, quite tart and less zesty than I would prefer. The Lime is a rather strange green, light and minty looking. The flavor itself is a weird throwback. It tastes like the seventies to me, though I can’t put my finger on why. The limeade flavor is similar to the Lemon, but there’s more zest to it, though not the same type of bitterness that the Grapefruit had. I enjoyed all three flavors and really didn’t care by the time I got to the second bag what flavor I picked out. They were all tart enough to get my taste buds tingly, but not so acidic to blister my tongue after eating ten or so. It might be my imagination, but I feel like the chew doesn’t last as long for the sours. It could be that the sourness makes more saliva, so they dissolve quicker. But one of the great features of HiCHEW is that it’s almost like gum, the bouncy, latexy chew lasts a long time and the flavor never declines. These hold their flavor to the very end, but the texture is just not the same. Not a bad thing, just not the same thing. Related Candies
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Meticulously photographed and documented reviews of candy from around the world. And the occasional other sweet adventures. Open your mouth, expand your mind.
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Hi - So which country were the sours made in? Do they contain gelatin? I am guessing they do, which is heartbreaking to me, because grapefruit sounds phenomenal.
Hi!
Not sure if you’ve heard of them, but do try UHA Mikakuto Kororo jellies which should be available at daiso. They were made to mimic kyoho grapes and are shaped and textured similarly. I really enjoy eating those. Do give them a shot XD
I adore HiChew. The best to me are the grapefruit and a plain yogurt flavor they once had (have not seen it in years). Thanks for the tip on Daiso!
Will you be doing a Halloween rundown? I have always liked to hear your tips on places to candy shop in LA. I have been away a few years and was really disappointed in the candy selection at India Sweets and Spices recently.
I am a huge fan of any candy that is sour, but I have never heard of Hi Chews. I just went to look them up and it seems as if unless you have a dollar store like Daiso or another store that has it it is hard to track down, but plenty of online stores seem to carry it. I’ll just have to keep it in mind the next time I order something online. I haven’t ordered something online for awhile though so it may be awhile before I get to taste it. Hopefully, the consistency is nothing like mochi. I tried that and I really hated it.
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