Candy Review: Chelsea “Wa” Caramels

Tuesday, June 12, 2007 - by Sera

I have always seen Chelsea caramels on the shelves at my local Asian Mart and I admit I never really knew what they were. When I saw this particular package sporting the traditional Japanese flavors (which is what the “wa” means) of Green Tea, Black Sugar and Azuki Beans, I knew the time to try them had finally come. When I opened the package, I wasn’t sure what to expect. Would they be soft caramels? Hard? Chewy? Are they really caramels to begin with? After first squeezing each of the individually wrapped packets and then finally tasting them, I found my answer. They are not caramels at all, but rather very creamy hard candies. Here’s how they taste:

Green Tea Milk: rectangular/oval shape. The taste is delightfully grassy, creamy and sweet. Like eating a matcha latte. The milky notes have a yogurty tang to it, which really balances out the tea and sweetness.

Azuki Milk: Same shape with a nice maroon bright color. It tastes SO much like the sweet, starchy, and robust flavor of azuki beans. It’s amazing. You immediately taste the starchiness of azuki beans. The “milky” part isn’t noticeable here at all, just a sweetness that balances out the strong bean taste. So good!

Black Sugar Milk: Dark brown coloring, you could easily mistake it for chocolate! The flavor is coffee-like, strong, earthy. The “milky” here is very noticeable, fully sweet and mild. The whole flavor reminds me of a cafe latte.

Overall I was very pleased with these. The flavors were complex and represented each flavor accurately. The texture was smooth and had a wonderful creamy flavor. I definitely recommend them and I look forward to trying the other varieties of Chelsea Caramels in the near future.

• Chelsea Caramels Webpage (Japanese)

Buy Chelsea Caramels online:

• at Jbox.com