Asian Sweet of the Week: Strawberry and Mango Hi-Chew


hi-chewReviewed this week:  Strawberry and Mango Hi-Chew, from Morinaga & Co., Japan

Ingredients (strawberry):  Glucose syrup, sugar, hydrogenated palm kernel oil, gelatin, flavors, strawberry concentrated juice, DL-malic acid, citric acid, emulsifiers, lactic acid, ascrobic acid (vitamin C), natural colors (beta-carotene, carmine) may contain traces of milk and soy bean

Package copy and appearance:  Hi-chew in big blue letters, images of fruit, and words “fruit chews.”  This candy is made by the same company that made the caramels I reviewed.  The company is old - at least 100 years.

Tasting Notes:  Each of the candies reminds me vaguely of watermelon bubble gum.  There’s a white coating surrounding the inner layer of pink or yellow candy.  The texture of this candy is unusual.  It’s a bit plastic-y, which might be a result of the oil.  It is tougher and chewier than the taffy it is described as.  The nutritional information shows that there’s a total of 4g of saturated fat per serving!  At first I wasn’t sure if the candy was a chew or gum - I wondered if there was something lost in translation.  After a while though, I found the texture of the candy to be strangely addictive.  The strawberry flavor is more on the artificial end of the scale.  Meanwhile the mango is a little more true to life - it’s tart with the slightly vanilla tones of mangoes.

Verdict:  A tasty and addictive candy.  But at 4g saturated fat a pack, I might just stick with fat free Starburst.  However, it might be worth exploring the wide variety of other unique flavors like passionfruit, grapefruit, lime, green grape, purple grape and lemon.



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December 5th, 2006
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Comment Number:
1
Written by:
Michael
Posted on:
March 20, 2007 at 11:18 pm

Just where do you get the candy wholesale in Northern California, in the US?

Comment Number:
2
Written by:
magdalena
Posted on:
August 12, 2007 at 7:04 pm

Type your comment here. I would like to know what type of Gelatin is use? Beef, Pork?

Comment Number:
3
Written by:
Jose
Posted on:
September 13, 2007 at 10:48 pm

Hi-Chew = GODDDDD
Basically when i describe it to people i have two ways of describing it….
1 (for the average person) Take Heaven, dice a sqaur mile of it up, and you get hichew

2 (for tennis players) give federer a peice of fruit have him hit it with a tennis raquet and you get hichew.

…there so damn amazing

Comment Number:
4
Written by:
amy
Posted on:
October 6, 2007 at 3:20 am

Hi-Chew aren’t made with gelatin. They have millet jelly in them. Millet is a grain like rice. You know how sticky rice can get…they figured out how to make candy with it. Really good texture. Sort of like when you start chewing Bubble Yum bubble gum. Much softer than Starburst, and not at all waxy. These are the best ever!

Comment Number:
5
Written by:
Melanie
Posted on:
June 12, 2008 at 11:16 pm

amy is incorrect in saying that Hi-Chew isn’t made with gelatin. If you look at the ingredients or go to the manufacturer’s website, it specifically states that gelatin (of pig origin) is one of the main ingredients in the candy. Sorry to burst vegans’ bubbles, but it’s true.