Kanro Changing? Candy

Leave it to the candy geniuses at Kanro to come up with such an unconventional boiled sweet. This changing candy offers three flavors -- grape, apple, or soda flavor followed by a plunge into unknown flavor territory.

Starting within the realm of the knowable, the apple candy tasted initially like apple. Not totally realistic apple flavor, but close enough and without some of the chemical notes that can afflict some artificial apple flavorings. Upon sucking, another fruit flavor, slightly more realistic, melted through. Candybowl will not say what it is, for it would then no longer be a surprise.

This morsel has a slightly rough appearance, but is smooth on the tongue. The crunch yielded no surprises, and left an acceptable amount of residue on the tooth. Having waited for the second flavor to come through on the sucking, Candybowl discerned no additional flavors in the center.

A fine offering from Kanro. Try one and see where it leads you.

Senjaku White Soda Candy

With Japanese candies, form and flavor are not exactly life partners. Sometimes a very clever package holds a so-so candy, and vice-versa. Not so here -- this confection is wonderful inside and out.

The outer package and candy wrappers are alluring, adorned with shimmering blue and gold foil. The label boasts "three kinds of white soda flavors," white soda, grape and apple. (Although Candybowl denies that "white soda" can be a "kind of white soda flavor" this is not the place for such pedantry.)

The beauty carries through to the candy itself, which has a nice, smooth outer surface with a bit of powder coating. Unlike recent offerings, it is smooth on the tongue.

Candybowl doesn't like artificial apple, so naturally tried the apple flavor. Initial flavor notes include bubblegum, celery soda, urinal cookie and apple. Not artificial apple, but real red delicious apple. Unfortunately, the other flavor notes mask the apple flavor.

The crunch is as good as any candy reviewed here. Although this candy, like the Kasugai fruit sweets, contains baking soda, that is not apparent in the crunch. Nevertheless, this candy fractures wonderfully and leaves very little residue.

A fine effort from Senjaku Candy.

Chikuho Fruits Candy

This bag of mixed fruit boiled sweets has four flavors -- apple, lemon, strawberry, and ume (plum). Candybowl tried the strawberry and the ume.

The strawberry flavor gives off initial flavor notes of strawberry. Not real strawberry, but not totally artificial and actually quite pleasant. The outer surface is not perfectly smooth, but is pleasant on the tongue. So far so good.

Ume tastes inscrutable and mysterious. Not like a plum. Not like salted plum. Not plum. What is it? Try and see.

The crunch is acceptable, with the candy fracturing into small pieces that quickly deteriorate into a grainy mess that leaves too much gum on the molar. The flavors remain the same, a bit more intense, but notthing much to blog about.

A conventional effort from Candybowl debutante Chikuho.

Lotte Drink Mix Candy

Candybowl first encountered Korean snack company Lotte in the early 1990's. They specialize in making knock-offs of famous candies, crackers, and cookies. It is therefore fitting that Lotte should be the ones to manufacture (apparently licensed) candies based on famous Japanese soft drinks.

Candybowl tried the CC Lemon, Bikkle, and Dekavita flavors.

CC Lemon should taste sour and lemony. But the candy version lacked real lemon flavor, and had an off note that Candybowl could not identify. Abrasive cleanser? Lemon Joy? Not good. And not sour, either.

Bikkle is a yogurt drink, The sweet's initial flavor, however, is of cotton candy. And although there was a slight sourness suggestive of yogurt, every time Candybowl tried to think of yogurt, memories of cotton candy rushed to the fore. The yogurt flavor did make a strong showing during the crunch test.

Dekavita had a nice citrus tone to it, but more off notes. Further citrus-scented household products came to mind. But the flavor was pleasant enough, and had a kind of sparkle on the tongue that compensated for some of the strange flavor notes.

None of the candies fared well in the crunch test. These boiled sweets fractured nicely, but then left an excessive amount of goo on the tooth.

These sweets have received good reviews from certain eaters, but Candybowl is not feeling a whole Lotte love.