Chews
This pretty looking package is another fun find from a Mitsuwa market visit. It was one of the few candies that actually described the candy in the name: “Lemon Chewing Candy”. Pretty straight forward, don’t you think? Especially since a lot of Japanese candy seem to name themselves after some obscure English word. Immediately this candy appealed to me for many reasons; the top two are that I love chewy things and I love lemon.
Opening the cute petite package up, the candies look like squished sugar cookies. They’re flat-ish discs that have a nice yellow color and a sanding sugar coating on them. They have cracks on the sides from pressure. My guess is some of this happened with how these candies were shipped: squished or packed too tightly.
The texture is grainy from the sugar at first, then thick and chewy. The candy gradually dissolves as you chew it, like a Skittle or Starburst. The flavor reminds me of powdered lemonade mix at first. It’s bright, tangy and tart. It has nice strong lemon flavors and a excellent sourness to it. It’s very tasty and leaves a good “tart” burn in your mouth. My only complaint is these dissolve a little too quickly for my tastes.
These are great candies for someone like me who loves the lemon yellow Starburst and could eat them all day. You have to really love lemon to enjoy these. If you are, hey, if you happen to be in an Asian mart, see if they’re in stock. You’re in for a zesty treat.
Rating: Will Eat Again
It’s not often that I get a good sampling of candy from a foreign country. Usually you find isolated samplings of them in stores, a Haribo product here, a Cadbury product there. This only give you a small sliver of their confectionery offerings, that you hardly get a good picture of the flavor preferences of that country. Ingrid’s Candy Shop is an online store that specializes in Swedish candy, and they offered me the chance to taste what Sweden has to offer. I was super excited since I really only knew of Swedish fish and they few candies you see displayed at IKEA. I selected a few candies that sounded good to me and eagerly awaited them in the mail!
Brio frukt (look like chiclets) “Square shaped fruity candy from Malaco”: These candies look like chickets, square, colorful and shiny. The come in pastel colors of green, white, yellow and pink. The texture of these is very thick and stick, like a hardened Starburst or HiChew. The green tastes like pineapple: sweet, juicy and fresh. White is sweet and tastes of green pear with delicate juicy notes. Yellow is immediately sweet and zesty of lemon. Orange is sweet and tastes of tangerine, with a very juicy edge with a hit of zest. Pink is sweet with light floral notes and hints of berry. A very “pink” flavor. I really liked these a lot, one of my favorites in the sampling.
Gelehallon “Raspberry gelee with sprinkled sugar on top 
”: They’re about the size of normal gumdrops, but they’re more vibrant and squishier. They have a nice coating of granulated sugar on them and they smell fruity. The texture is very soft and chewy, and is easy to chew. The flavor is…fruity, then it gets very bitter. It must be from all the red food coloring because it tastes very much like a cherry medicine to me. For some that’s a good thing, but for me, I’d rather not eat something that tastes like something I take when I’m sick.
Hallon lakrits skallar “This licorice head is a hybrid candy that have a mix of raspberry flavor with lakrits. Delicious sweet chewy candy!”: These are large gummis. They’re easily an inch and a half long. They’re skulls with the top half red and the bottom black. It’s raspberry/licorice flavor combination. The chew is very dense and stick, and it’s hard to eat at first. The licorice part is salty, to my surprise. You really taste the salt over the licorice and raspberry flavors. It’s disappointing since I love liquorice but the salt really dominates too much. A nice candy if you’re into that though.
Swedish Fish “The original”: The green fist tastes a generic fruity flavor at first, then I get hints of lime and pineapple. The chew is wonderful dense and thick, and isn’t too sticky so it’s easy to work with. Yellow tastes like lemon right from the start. It’s zesty, sweet, with a nice tart edge to it. Orange starts off with this strange artificial flavor similar to floor cleaner. It’s floral and bitter. I taste some notes of orange in there, but the “fake” note to it just makes it taste too chemical for me. Red is very fruity, like a mix between strawberries and raspberries. Light, sweet and refreshing.
Stora colaflaskor “Big cola bottles that are chewy & sweet” Thew chew on these is much softer and chewier. It’s a nice relief from the harder gummis. The flavor is a very mild, very flavorful cola. Complete with good accents of spice and fizz, with a rounded molasses edge to it. it’s very nice, It’s sweet and flavorful. I really liked these.
Sura körsbär “Sura körsbär is basically sour cherry’s, Now this one is one of the best sour candies that I have ever eaten, it’s a promise!”: They’re right. these are pretty awesome. They’re large gummis, and they have a very dense and compact sanding of sour sugar on them. The chew is very dense. You do have to work it some to take a piece off. The flavor is immediately sour, and it’s a nice, intense sour too. It really sits you upright in your chair, as so tp speak. The flavor is very cherry, but a bright, fruity cherry and not a thick and syrupy cherry from a medicine bottle. The gummi becomes sweet once the sugar coating wear off, and it becomes sticky to chew. I really enjoyed these.
Zoo “This one is a must in your candy bag, one of Malaco’s best sweets!” These candies are small and look like sitting moneys. So no wonder they’re called “zoo”. The texture is very plastic-y, I’m reminded of Twizzlers, but denser. The flavor is like a nice red candy strawberry. Notes of berries, but more of a “red” flavor really. Tasty, I really liked them.
Cocobat “Cocobat is mint coco with licorice” The texture of these is quite dense. It took some chewing to get them going. The inside is way more flavorful than the outside. You immediately taste the cream once you chew through the licorice exterior. it tastes…sweet? It’s hard to lay a finger on the flavors since this candy is really more about texture to me. I tired the other colored licorice tube (the ones with the green) and it tasted fruity to me. Tasty for sure!
Djungelvrål “These jungle ape’s are salt lakrits that turn sweet. Swedish licorice that top’s the list” These are very salty to start. Very salty, so they were hard for me to eat at first. Once the salt melts away you get a flavor of a nice herbal licorice with notes of anise and molasses. The chew is dense and sticky and I had to pick a lot out of my teeth. Still, for salty licorice, I liked it. The salty part will take some getting used to, but the licorice itself is very tasty.
Punschpraliner “is a swedish classic! Punch cream covered with chocolate and sprinkles.” These look like squat gumdrop sized Nestle Snowcaps: chocolate coating with white non pariels. They smell rich and sweet of the chocolate. The texture is soft and chewy and smooth from the chocolate. You get a slight crunch from the sprinkles. The flavor is very complex with notes of vanilla, butter and rum. It reminds me of rum raisins in a way, it’s a very buttery flavor. Tasty, unique.
I really enjoyed trying all these candies from Sweden. It’s rare to get some a taste of another country without actually going there yourself. It was interesting to see a pattern with the candies styles and flavors, and I felt it gave me a sense of Sweden’s candy sensibilities. The seems to love red fruit flavors, and they’re also a big fan of licorice. Both things I understand! If I had to choose a favorite it’d be the Sura körsbär. I’m usually not a fan of sour candies but these are so awesome and tasty! I extend a huge thanks to Ingrid’s Candy shop for letting me try these amazing sweets.
Rating: Will Buy Again
Links Ingrid’s Candy Shop Website
Since licorice is one of my favorite varieties of candies I’m always looking to try new kinds and brands. Licorice isn’t very popular in the USA, so it’s somewhat tricky to find a good selection. That’s why import stores have become a to-go to place, since they often the only stores where I can get my fix. This tube of VanSlooten’s Flowers & Butterflies licorice was a recent find from Cost Plus World Market, which is a store that has yet to disappoint me with their licorice selection. So far my experience has taught me that Dutch and German licorice brands are my favorites, so I was very excited about finding these since they’re Dutch.
I like the packaging. It allows for you to have some licorice and save the rest for later a lot more easily than the bag styles. Especially since certain types of licorice can go stale. These licorice candies are all covered in pretty sanded sugar, so they don’t look so intense and black like some licorice can appear. The tube smells rich and herbal, which is an aroma I love and usually is a good sign for the candy.
The shapes of these licorices are pretty cute! The light colored ones are all butterflies, and all the flowers are black. I noticed two different molds for the butterflies, or it maybe have been how the one style has been squished and shaped in the can.
Butterflies: Same as a type of licorice called “Groitten” which are licorice sugar cubes. The flavor is nice and mild and a strong flavor of molasses with a subtle edge of salt. the texture is soft and chewy and has a nice give to it.
Daisy Flower: Much chewier in texture than the others. The flavor is sweet and very mildly of licorice. Like the butterfly, it has a strong flavor of molasses, but it doesn’t have the salty kick to it. Very tasty, I’m a fan!
Sunflower: The texture here is also pretty chewy, the flavor is similar to the daisy with strong molasses notes to it and mild licorice taste.
Tulip: This one is my favorite. The texture is chewy and you immediately get a wonderful strong, sweet licorice flavor. It’s herbal, it’s sweet, and it’s just wonderful.
I really loved this collection of licorice. Each piece varies in flavor slightly so if you’re in the mood for one type you can just pick out that specific flavor. I really liked the whole selection and feel it’s a solid assortment. It was easily gone in a week. A must for any licorice lover.
Rating: Will Buy Again
I’ve heard about these Sour Punch Bits, a new type of sour candy that’s a spinoff of Sour Punch Straws. I found a box of them in a candy store called Rocket Fizz in old town Pasadena. Unlike Sour Punch Straws that come in a clear cellophane package, these new Bits come in a movie theater sized box. I’m not the biggest fan of Sour Punch Straws, but seeing these new variety I couldn’t help but want to give them a shot.
The box these Bits come in is very attractive. The box’s design isn’t too busy, it has a bright yellow background with their signature logo and Punch faces puckering. It also has colorful illustrations of strawberries and watermelon on it, so it’s vibrant and delicious looking.
Opening the box, you find a small plastic bag that takes up about half of the box inside. It’s tightly sealed and keeps the candies fresh and safe. Opening the package, I get a whiff of the candies: they smell like cardboard. Ooooh yeah.
The candies are thick little tubes, striped with color and sanded with sour sugar. They clump easily and feel slightly squishy to the touch.
The flavor is tart and fruity, but I wouldn’t call them sour. The sour sugar coating has a sour edge to it, and you really don’t taste it until the end of the candy’s flavor. Speaking of the candies flavor, it’s very…plastic, more so than the original Sour Punch straws. It starts out sweet, then the berry flavor kicks it. It’s…also just sweet. The watermelon shows up giving it a lighter fake “watermelon” taste we know so well. The flavor ends with “red” flavor akin to Twizzlers, then dissipates.
I would eat the normal Sour Punch Straws over these any day. I shared the rest of my package with friends, and they all really liked them, so what do I know. Since buying these I also seen a lemon and tangerine flavor, which, I am interested in trying despite not liking this flavor. It just goes to show that certain candies will speak to some and not others.
Rating: Might Eat Again
Links Sour Punch Website
Last but not least are the Mott’s for Tots fruit snacks. As you might guess, these are fruit snacks meant for toddlers. Not having children myself, I do have to wonder if there’s a need or even room for these in a young child’s diet. You know, since this stuff is candy. I also don’t know anything about parenting so who am I to say.
What makes these snacks “For Tots” I realized is the size. These are much smaller, at least half the size of a normal fruit snack. Which makes it easier for the toddler to chew and not choke on them is my guess. The texture is also different. These are more dense and sticky, while normal fruit snacks are chewier and don’t’ dissolve as easily.
Strawberry Banana: Very starchy and perfumy of bananas. Really tasty actually, I like it a lot.
Apple White Grape: The plain apple had grape notes to me, so I got this one confused with the other apple flavor.
Fruit Punch: The taste is similar to fake pink lemonade. I taste fruit flavors, but they’re metallic and somewhat sour. It does give off that “punch” vibe.
Apple: The plain apple had grape notes to me, so I got this one confused with the other apple flavor.
Out of all the Mott’s flavors I liked these the best since they were the most flavorful.
When I gave some of these to my boyfriend, he immediately noticed the texture difference and the more intense flavors. So it looks like it’s not just me being really picky! Out of all the Mott’s fruit snacks these are easily my favorite. I’m not saying go buy them for your toddlers since I feel weird doing that, but hey, they are tasty if you want some yourself.
Rating: Will Eat Again
Links Mott’s for Tots Webpage
