My new favorite gummis, Haribo Ingwer-Zitrone, might be pretty hard to find, but at least they’re rather inexpensive. My other new favorite might be Kanro Pure Lemon Cola from Japan.
The pieces are little, flat hearts, about the size of a quarter.
The first flavors are definitely citrus - the bitterness of the zest is front and center on the sour coating. The gummi center is stiff and chewy and quite juicy after getting through the almost-crunchy sanding. The cola flavors are subtle, spicy and earthy with a little hint of honey and that cinnamon-cola flavor. The lemon really gives it a sparkle.
The gummi uses a few gelling agents in addition to gelatin. There’s pectin and something translated as collagen peptide. (Japanese functional foods often contain collagen, as if you can get more collagen into your skin by eating it.) So they’re just a little less bouncy and rubbery than some gummis, but not quite as sticky as most jelly candies. (Think of them as a cross between the Haribo Grapefruit Slices and Swedish Fish.)
I liked the mix of textures and flavors, and appreciated that the bag had a little zip top to keep them fresh. But 1.6 ounces is hardly a lot for the price, when the Haribo I’ve been buying is less than that for over 6 ounces. I do prefer this cola combination to the Haribo Fizzy Cola though, and I don’t need to gobble up too many to be satisfied.
The Kanro website helpfully provides dietary info about their product in pictogram form. There are no shellfish, wheat, eggs, dairy or peanuts in the product. So it sounds like they’re fine for those with nut and gluten issues ... but of course the collagen/gelatin means they’re off limits for vegetarians. There was another pictogram on the list ... but I didn’t know what it meant, it was either coffee or soy.
Related Candies
- Napoleon BonBon Cola
- Haribo Ingwer-Zitrone Gummis
- Trolli Soda Poppers
- Goody Good Stuff Sour Mix & Match
- Fresh Cola Mentos
- Haribo Saure Dinosaurier
- Ramune & Cola Bubble Ball
- Haribo Fizzy Cola
WOW.
These look insanely good.
Where did you get them? ME WANT!!!
Where did you get them??? I want to try!!!!
I actually wasn’t a tremendous fan of these. They were not cola-y enough for me.
There is another brand of cola gummies called Cola Up here in Japan that I like a little better. The mix in the package includes melon soda, regular soda, and Japanese cider flavor.
They also have Cola Halls here which I have been a bit afraid to try.
Cybele - have you had the Haribo Happy Cola Lemon Fresh? I wonder how you would compare the two. I found the Happy Cola Lemon Fresh trolling an airport terminal store in Vienna, and have had to get a friend to bring some back from Germany to get my next fix. They have a very lemony sour-sanding but a firmer chew than the other Haribo sanded gummis like the grapefruit slices or peaches. Totally addictive. I’ll have to find this candy next time I’m in at a Mitsuwa and see if it can fill the void
Oh man, I love these. The pack I got from a local Japanese market were definitely not stiff. They are very soft and chewy. The packaging is slightly different, and the candies themselves are two-tone yellow and brown. I’m guessing they reformulated them.
They also have an Apple Cider flavor that is equally fantastic.
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