Kasugai Fruit Gummy Candies have a reputation for being the best-tasting gummies available anywhere. The hype surrounding these is incredible (they contain real fruit juice), so I’ve wanted to try them for some time. I recently purchased a bag of their lychee-flavored gummies. The lychee is a Chinese fruit with a rough outer skin and a soft, juicy interior. Simultaneously tart and sweet, the lychee sort of tastes like a mixture between a pear and an orange, with a strong undertone of rose. Yes, the flower.
I opened the bag up and was nearly overwhelmed by the smell of acetone, i.e. nail polish remover. It only partially resembled the gentle, fragrant scent of a fresh lychee, and I started to second-guess my choice. Maybe I should have picked up the apple or the peach instead? Each gummy was individually wrapped, and I did really like the pastel purple color of the wrapper. When I popped the first one into my mouth, the fresh flavor of lychee burst onto my tongue. The gummy texture isn’t too chewy or too soft. It’s (to borrow a phrase from Goldilocks) just right. The taste fared even better when I just let the candy linger against my cheek without chewing on it. It was like eating a mouthful of actual lychee fruit. I was very impressed!
Was I blinded by the hype surrounding Kasugai gummies and my love for lychee? I offered one to my boyfriend (who isn’t a lychee fan) and he dutifully ate one, even though he was turned off by the smell. His verdict: “I can honestly say, I could have lived my entire life without having this taste in my mouth.” Still, he was brave enough to finish the candy without spitting it out.
I guess lychee is an acquired taste, but these candies do taste a lot like their real life counterparts, and at around $2.50 a bag (or less, depending on where you purchase it from), they’re not a bad deal at all. They’re a perfect introduction to Japanese candies, and they come in a wide variety of flavors: lychee, lemon, kiwi, pineapple, grape, melon, strawberry, apple, mango, and orange.
Buy Kasugai Gummy Candies online:
- At Asian Food Grocer (they also have all the other flavors besides lychee)
