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.

Iwasa Amazake Sweet Wine Candy

Although this is not the first time Candybowl has encountered an alcohol-flavored candy (for example, cabernet sauvignon candy), it still comes as a surprise every time a new one shows up. Candy and childhood seem so closely intertwined that adult candy seems wong.

There is very little wrong with this candy. It comes packaged in a relatively stark black and white wrapper -- no snorkeling dogs here. And its appearance is smooth and striated, like the delightful nama ume ame plum candies. It has the slightest point at the end, as though it was twisted off at the end like a sausage. On the tongue, it seems not so much rough (it is not smooth) as coated or frosted. All good, so far.

The initial flavor notes are as follows: sake. No surprise: zake = sake. That's it, like sipping a cold, sweet glass of sake. Maybe cheap sake (e.g., Ozeki), but this is a candy, after all. After a while the sake flavor recedes a bit, so on to the crunch test.

This is one tough candy to get a molar into. After a concerted effort, Candybowl managed to break it into several pieces. And those pieces, once crushed, re-formed into a hard and sticky lump. Loyal readers know how much Candybowl hates crud on his molars.

Elegant packaging, beautiful candy, a refined flavor, and a failed crunch test. So what's the final take? Try it yourself and see.

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.

UHA Cucu Jiyugaoka Pudding Candy

This candy, has two names. In English, it's "Cucu Pudding". In Japanese, it's自由か丘 which, according to online translation, means "Freedom Hill." (Candybowl can say for sure that "自由" means freedom.)

The package promises the flavors of "custard pudding and bitter caramel" and it delivers. The first taste will be familiar to those who fondly recall Hunt's Pudding Cup. But no hint of artificial flavor, or any of the play-doh notes that can afflict even confections made with real milk.

The excellent fracture reveals the slight bitterness promised by the package. The cube is slightly smaller than other candies but, since this is part of UHA's Cucu line, the rest of the crunch test basically writes itself. A bit of gum on the tooth, but otherwise this is a very refined candy.

One more thing. This candy contains caffeine extract.

Which all leads to the question, why "freedom hill"? Anyone?

Postscript 6/25/09

Jiyugaoka is a neighborhood in Tokyo's Meguro district. There is a theme park called the Jigukayoka Sweets Forest, from the people who brought you the Curry Museum, Osaka Noodles City and Gyoza Stadium. Sweet.

Kanro Natury Berry

Followers of the Candybowl (the blog, not the person) may be excused for thinking that far too much praise is heaped upon Kanro. Yet denizens of the Candybowl (the bowl, not the blog or the person) realize this is because their candies are so delicious. Hirano may deliver bulk, and Kasugai certainly has the distribution network. But Kanro can-do.

This is a soft candy, and the form factor will be immediately recognizable to those who chew Ice Breakers gum.

The initial taste impression, without chewing, is of light fruit perfume. Like smelling a peach (which, as an aside, would be a great title for a collaboration between the Allman Brothers and Spinal Tap). But this is a soft candy, not a boiled sweet, so pre-mastication flavor is hardly the end-game.

Biting into the candy, the perfume continues, but augmented by sour cranberry and general sweetness. This may be because the candy contains chips of dried cranberry and globs of real honey. And real cream. The finish is clean -- to quote Shelley, "nothing beside remains."

A sublime candy. Try it while they last.

Rings Vitamin C Fruit Candies

This treat comes to us from a company that is new to Candybowl, the Pine company.

According to the package, each of these candies contains 50mg of vitamin C. While that's not going to rock Linus Pauling's world, it would be a much-needed addition to a hypothetical diet of soda, pretzels, and gummy candy.

The vitamin C seems to be the small colored pellets within each candy. As you suck the candy, the pellets are exposed giving little bursts of sour. When you bite into the candy, the little sour pellets break apart and create a severe risk of pleasure. The crunch is excellent, and leaves little residue.

These candies have proven very popular among those who have tried them. They come in three flavors -- the white ones (pictured) are lychee, the pink ones peach, and the yellows are lemon.