Long ago (2001-2003), I lived in rural Japan and taught English at a junior high school.  One day at school, one of the kids asked me I like Hi-Chew.  At first I thought the kid meant Chu-hai (Japan’s version of wine coolers, but better – and yes, I like it), but I got clarification and learned that it’s a “soft candy.”  I bought some after school.  It reminded me a bit of Starburst but with some added deliciousness.  I usually prefer chocolate nutty candy (Snickers, Twix) rather than fruity candies, but I got hooked on Hi-Chew.  For years, I’ve been wondering what it is that makes Hi-Chew so much more delicious than other fruit candies.

Fast forward to last week.  I visited my local 7-11 to buy a Peanut Butter Twix, but found Hi-Chew right next to the register.  I ate half of the pack of the Mango Hi-Chew on the walk home.  It has a much better mouth feel than Starburst.  I looked at the ingredients on the label. What makes it so good?  Is it the hydrogenated palm kernal oil? The paprika and carotene for color?  The traces of milk and soy from the factory in Taiwan?

I pondered these ingredients for a while and then decided to let my fingers do the walking.  I found hichew.com and checked the FAQs.  I now suspect that the je ne sais quoi is the gelatin made from pig hide.  I’m not a vegetarian so I’m not really opposed to eating pork products in candy and to be honest, it’s nice to have the mystery solved.  There is something special in Hi-Chew and it’s pork.  But vegetarians may want to avoid American Hi-Chew.  Six flavors of Hi-Chew are available in the U.S. – melon (new!), mango, orange, grape, green apple and strawberry.  My local 7-11 sells mango, green apple and strawberry.

The Green Apple Hi-Chew tastes quite artificial to me.  I found it a bit too sweet because I’m always thinking that Green Apple will be more tart and Granny Smith-esque than it is in Japanese products. It’s not a bad candy though and I was able to finish the package because Hi-Chew is ridiculously addicting. 3/5

The Mango Hi-Chew is very tropical and yummy.  It has a strong mango flavor without any of the bitter aftertaste often present in actual mangos.  The texture is great.  Mango seems a bit more exotic and upscale than your typical convenience store candies. Seems like a real bargain for $.99! 5/5

Note: Photos in this post are provided by the author/photographer and copyrighted to her. Do not reproduce without written permission from the author/photographer.

When Candy Blog reviewed Morinaga’s limited edition 祭りのハイチュウ (festival Hi-Chew) in りんご飴 (candy apple) and わたがし (cotton candy), I was more then intrigued because when Cybele gives 10 out of 10 you know it’s going to be good. My only concern was that I had only seen the candy apple in stores, and even those quantities were dwindling. Could all of Japan have been sold out of cotton candy? I shrugged off this disturbing thought so I could go buy toilet paper. I went for the first time to a certain grocery store near my home, and was pleasantly surprised by their selection of candy and snacks. Sitting next to the register were both candy apple and cotton candy Hi-Chew, for only 60 yen apiece. I skipped the candy apple and bought two packages of the cotton candy.

The package is bold yellow and blue with a light blue poof of cotton candy and a festival vendor on the front. The matsuri flavors only come with seven candies instead of the usual ten. The candy is a creamy white with bits of yellowish sugar embedded throughout. It has a soft burnt sugar smell with a little vanilla, and something vaguely fruity or floral. I absolutely love the smell because it is exactly the same as a cotton candy flavored gum I used to buy when I was a kid. Hi-Chew are often compared to Starburst, but Hi-Chew are much bouncier, have a softer chew, and are less sticky. The sugar bits in the cotton candy flavor take some getting used to, but add a nice variety of texture and crunch. I think I’d like to see them in other Hi-Chew flavors. The cotton candy flavor is extremely creamy with hints of vanilla and burnt sugar, and there isn’t a weird aftertaste.

I’m giving this 4/5 because they’re awesome, but I don’t really feel like stocking up for when they go off the market.

Buy Watagashi Hi-Chew from J-List.