Author Archives: Mariko

Easter Candy Review: Starburst Sour Jellybeans

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Starburst Sour Jellybeans
I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but there is a plethora of jellybean offerings on the Easter candy shelves this year. I say the more, the merrier, but not all jellybeans are created equal. I like sour candies, so I tried to determine which package of jellybeans might be the most sour. I decided upon the Starburst Sour Jellybeans because a) it clearly states SOUR on the package, and b) Starburst reliably delivers what I consider to be some tasty candies.

I was not disappointed! There are six fruity flavors in Starburst Sour Jellybeans: green apple, lemon, watermelon, tangerine, cherry, and blue raspberry (why is this flavor everywhere? I for one have never seen a blue raspberry, but maybe I am sheltered). The beans are a nice, compact size, and each is bursting with ample flavor. The exterior has a satisfying crunch, and the inner jellybean is dense and chewy. You also get a lot of jellybeans in a package, so they are a good value.

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Japanese Candy Review: Meiji Chocolat Poche in Ceylon Tea Flavor

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Chocolat Poche
When I first saw this box of mini cream puffs, I was a little frightened. On one hand I thought, yum, Ceylon tea-flavored mini cream puffs! On the other hand, I figured these would be crammed so full of preservatives that they’d taste like plastic. After all, what kind of shelf life can be expected of mini cream puffs in a box? Well, I needn’t have been scared, because these are actually a delightful surprise.

Each mini cream puff is about an inch in diameter. The shell is rather crunchy, so I guess you could say it’s more like a cookie than a cream puff (i.e., it’s not doughy). They are also a tad scorched in appearance. The innards are supposed to be like cream puff filling, I guess, but as you can imagine, it’s not like custard or whipped cream at all. It’s more like Oreo sandwich filling with a light tea flavor. The aftertaste is surprisingly reminiscent of the aftertaste of hot black tea, and it lingers for quite some time. The candy that keeps on giving!

I don’t think I’d run to the market to stockpile these Chocolat Poche, but I wouldn’t throw them away, either, and if they had other flavors, I’d be all over them.

Buy Meiji products online:

chocolate, tea, Japan, Japanese

Candy Review: Shigekix Aha! Brain Fruits Lemon

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Shigekix Aha! Brain Fruits Lemon
Leave it to the Japanese to invent candies that enhance your brain power! It may sound too good to be true, but don’t you think it’s worth having a little faith about them? After all, what Candy Addict wouldn’t love candies that make him smarter? These Shigekix hard gummi sour candies contain DHA (Docosahexaenoic acid), which is supposed to give your brain a little kick.

Our pals at Jbox were generous enough to send me a box of the Shigekix Aha! Brain Fruits Lemon to review. I must say I believe I like these Shigekix candies a lot more than Brian liked the three Shigekix flavors he reviewed two years ago.

The gummis are quite small individually, with each gummi not exceeding an inch in height. The outer coating is a crunchy, sugary one that provides a nice, crisp bite. Inside is a rather hard gummi. It won’t break your teeth, but you really have to put your jaw to work and chew with determination to soften it up. There is a definite sour sensation once you bite into candy, but it is not face-scrunchingly sour. The gummis leave a nice, citrusy aftertaste. I can’t say that my brain power felt enhanced in any way, but I do think my life is better now that I have experienced these tasty little candies!

Shigekix come in a number of flavors and incarnations, including grape, ume (Japanese plum), cola, ramune, and seaweed. Here at Candy Addict we’re all dying to know how the seaweed ones measure up… but not enough to risk it ourselves!

Buy Shigekix online:

Shigekix, gummi, sour, lemon, Japan, Japanese, ramune

Candy Review: Morinaga Matcha Caramel

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Morinaga matcha caramel

Okay, so I am hopelessly addicted to anything that is matcha flavored. Matcha is Japanese powdered green tea. It’s not like the green tea they serve you in Japanese restaurants, mind you, but more like restaurant green tea on steroids. Matcha is used in the Japanese tea ceremony and is also what you find in green tea ice cream. Lately there has been a proliferation of green tea-flavored items in the United States (matcha frappuccino, anyone?), but in Japan? Matcha is king, and holy cow, practically every edible item there comes in a matcha flavor! Woohoo!

You can imagine my glee when I opened up this box of Morinaga Matcha Caramels from Jbox. I have long been a fan of Morinaga caramels, but it was like I won the lottery when they started making them in matcha flavor. I love the look of the box – it looks very authentic and kind of retro.

Now, I have tried many a matcha-flavored candy, and not all of them are delicious. Many of them do not taste like true matcha. These Morinaga Matcha Caramels, however, do not disappoint. These little nuggets of yumminess have a strong but smooth matcha flavor, and though they are a bit on the firm side in terms of texture, a couple of good chews will soften them up enough that you won’t dislodge any dental fillings. Real matcha is loaded with caffeine, but I don’t really know how the caffeine affects candies. Perhaps I should eat an entire box and see what happens? Maybe next time…

Buy Morinaga Caramels online:

Morinaga, matcha, green tea, caramel

Mike and Ike Review Roundup – Five Varieties

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Mike and Ike candies

As a hardcore Candy Addict, I consumed a good deal of candy during my childhood. My mother even packed full-size candy bars in my sack lunches! Mysteriously, Mike and Ike candies were absent from my candy-eating repertoire. I wasn’t exactly sure why, since I did like candies in the jellybean category. Well, I recently had the honor of reviewing five selections of Mike and Ike candies, and I think I know why.

The five kinds of Mike and Ike candies included Original Fruits, Berry Blast, Tropical Typhoon, Tangy Twister, and Lemonade Blends (which is due to be released nationwide in the summer of 2008). We’ll start with the bad then work up to the good, okay?

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