Sakuma Lemon Koritto

This lemon candy is understated, with its unassuming cellophane twist package. However, it ranks among the finest confections Candybowl has encountered.

It has an attractive triangular form, and is adorned with an "S," presumably for Sakuma. According to the diagram on the package, the outside is lemon flavor and the inside is "saku saku milk." (Before the mind starts racing, Candybowl would like to point out that online translation of sakusaku is "crispy.") It is mottled yellow because of its white filling.

This sweet is smooth on the tongue, releasing a pleasant, mild lemon flavor that reminds Candybowl of lemon italian ice. There are no odd notes, just natural lemon. Which is unsurprising, considering that one of the ingredients is lemon juice.

The candy crunches beautifully, releasing a burst of milky flavor. Although crispy milk usually is a sign of problems, in this case it completes a very nice candy. The added flavor note is not fresh milk; perhaps powdered or condensed would be a better analogy. A tiny but very stubborn lump on Candybowl's molar is the only thing keeping this candy from perfection.

An excellent debut from candymaker Sakuma.

Kishiri C Lemon Candy

The Japanese can be a tad obsessive about vitamin C. Head into 7-Eleven or Lawsons and you might find dozens of soft drinks, gum, and candy containing the stuff. So it should come as no surprise that the Candybowl came across another novel Japanese Vitamin C candy.

This treat comes to us from the candy superheroes at Kanro. Although the packages say VC3000, this candy is neither a mouth-puckering 3-gram lump of ascorbic acid, nor a harbinger of Vietnam's tri-millenial plan for world domination. Instead, it refers to the total quantity of vitamin C, in milligrams, in the entire bag of candies.

Each morsel is comprised of two layers. The outer ring is lemon candy, a simple boiled sweet. The center (labeled "Kishiri C Candy" -- anyone?) is a bit more chalky and has a slight medicinal flavor.

The initial taste impression is sweet lemon, followed by a flavor reminiscent of Halls lozenges. It's a very suckable candy, and Candybowl really didn't want to bite into it. But duty calls. The boiled sweet breaks away first, leaving little residue. The center is not so easy on the teeth. Meessage to readers: suck it!

One more good thing about this candy; no high fructose corn syrup. It's mainly millet jelly and palatinose, with some xylitol and lemon juice mixed in for good measure. And some herb extract, which may account for the medicinal flavor.

Kanro has done it again. Candybowl is unsurprised, but deeply impressed.