For a while it looked like you’d never see another non-chocolate candy review from me. I discovered that my local Japanese markets are now carrying the Mango flavor Hi-Chew that I reviewed so enthusiastically a while ago. I bought a large quantity and felt that now, my life was complete. Well, as far as non-chocolate candy goes, anyway.

But curiosity got the better of me. After all, a package only costs a buck. If the mango is so good, maybe there are other wonders that I don’t want to miss, right?

So I grabbed a Lemon and Melon at the store. And then while ordering something else from J-List, I saw a flavor called “American Cherry” and wondered what the heck that was, and it only took one click to find out, right?

Melon is interesting in that in Japan, it’s used as a flavor in ways that don’t seem to occur to Americans. We eat actual melons of all kinds, and we make things that are watermelon-flavored. But we don’t make soda and candy in the flavor of other kinds of melons like the Japanese do.

I like Japanese melon soda, so Melon Hi-Chew seemed like a good idea, but, it turned out, not so much. The picture on the front is of a cantaloupe while the flavor is more like honeydew, which is disorienting, but that’s not it. There’s just something not right about it. Maybe it’s not tart enough? I can’t complain that it tastes like melon artificial flavoring - I mean, I’m sure it does, but I’m sure the soda does too, and I like the soda.

So, I don’t know, but I will not be buying this one again. I didn’t even eat the whole little piece after biting off half of it. I am afraid that the introduction of this candy is not going to change the American mind about making non-watermelon melon flavored sweets.

In contrast, lemon is a normal flavor - in fact, lemon is only a flavor, because who eats whole lemons as a fruit? - common to both cultures. And I liked the Lemon Hi-Chew much better. It’s a good strong lemon-peely flavor like marmalade or lemon curd.

The American cherry is something of a mystery. This one is a Japanese import unlike the last two, so I can’t read most of the packaging. What I can decipher doesn’t make a darn bit of sense. So if there’s any explanation of what’s American about it, it’s lost on me.

I wondered if maybe they meant the kind of sour cherry that you get in pie, since pie is so American, but that’s the last thing this tastes like. I’m not really sure what this candy does taste like, in fact. I’m not sure I’d identify it as cherry, even, if I hadn’t read the package. And when given to a test subject who was not told what flavor was supposed to be, his guess was “Peach?”

On the bright side, it’s just as well, I won’t have to be moaning and rending my garments about yet another wonderful Japanese food I can’t get in this country. I’ve got my mango Hi-Chew and maybe that really is all I need.

• Hi-Chew Website

Buy Hi-Chew Online:

• at Jlist

Tung Toos - an interesting concept in the candy world. I remember how popular the temporary tattoos were when I was in junior high. A tattoo for your tongue - a candy tattoo for your tongue? Okay, sounds good! Or so I thought when the makers of Tung Toos offered to send me a sample for review. Unfortunately, I’ve gone down a series of disappointing steps since receiving the package.

First let me point out the positives of Tung Toos. They are visually appealing with bright colors and fun pictures that will draw any kid’s attention. I received three packages - one decidedly meant for girls and two that would be preferred by the boys. The girls’ pack has castles, crowns, magic wands, and the word Princess. The boys’ packs have sports balls - soccer, basketball, baseball, and football - and military vehicles - helicopters, jeeps, tanks, and ships. Since I have three boys and no girls, this was a good mix of Tung Toos for my family.

The idea of having a picture on your tongue - to stick out at all your friends - is, presumably, attractive to the younger set. Personally, I don’t feel the need to stick my tongue out at anyone and don’t want to see other people with their tongues wagging around either. Call me a dud, if you wish….

Now on to my actual experience with Tung Toos. I found the packages themselves extremely hard to get open. Each sheet of Tung Toos is sealed within a plastic envelope - an envelope that has not a single ‘tab’ to facilitate opening. After jerking and pulling at every potential spot, I finally had to cut the pack open. The first set we tried (the sports balls) was actually adhered to the bottom of the envelope. I had to literally rip them free, but this seems to have been a unique mistake in the packaging. The other sheets slid out easily once I cut the envelopes open.

The battle to try the Tung Toos didn’t stop once I freed the sheet of ‘ttoos. The sheet is perforated with two Tung Toos squares per section - each section is sealed in yet another plastic envelope. Oh, the agony! Fortunately, these small envelopes do have a tab that you can rather simply pull to tear open. For some reason, though, the backside of the Tung Toos (where the directions are printed) is actually attached via a light adhesive to the plastic envelope. After more tearing and dropping a very large amount of plastic waste paper onto my carpet, we could at last try the Tung Toos.

Using them isn’t hard at all. You simply lay the ‘ttoo face down on your tongue for a couple seconds and then lift off. The picture left behind is decent and looks reasonably like the picture that was on the paper. If you apply a second Tung Too, however, (and who wouldn’t?) the image is distorted and you end up with a bluish-black blob that looks exactly like you just ate a Charms Blow Pop or a handful of SweeTarts.

Okay, taste. Isn’t that the most important part of candy? Isn’t taste the entire reason we eat candy?

When I laid a Tung Too on my tongue, there was a mild tangy flavor. After I lifted the tattoo paper off and kinda licked around in my mouth, I detected a slightly sweet flavor. Within ten seconds, any hint of flavor was completely gone. Flavor is obviously not the intended drawing point of Tung Toos.

I offered Tung Toos to a 22-year-old friend of mine, who is much more hip & happ’nin’ and up-to-date with fads and being popular than I am. I figured if Tung Toos was appealing in a “youth culture” sort of way (boy, do I feel old talking like this!), he would find the appeal in it. After using one, he said (of the flavor), “That’s just a tease.”

My eight- and five-year-old sons did keep using them (would it make sense to say “eating them”?) for a couple days, but I can’t say they were ever thoroughly enamored. If you were throwing a kid’s birthday party, these would probably make good party favors. But I can’t personally imagine any kid wanting to request them on a regular basis. I figure they’d rather have Fun Dip or Smarties.

• Tung Toos Website

Everyone knows a Life Saver – the sweet, minty or fruity hard candy with the candy-with-the-hole shape. I’m no Life Savers connoisseur, but I do enjoy them. I like being able to pop one in my mouth for ten minutes of flavor enjoyment. I’m a Life Savers sucker – not a muncher.

I recently tried a different type of Life Saver, one that you almost have to chew, one that is completely different from the Life Savers I grew up loving. These are Life Savers Gummies – the gummy worm version of this iconic American candy gone modern.

What can I say about gummy candy? It’s… gummy. Beyond that, I’ll refrain from giving my personal opinion of candy gumminess. You know if you like gummies or not. Your opinion is the only one that matters since I’m not coming over to eat candy with you. (Unless you’ll be sharing some See’s Chocolate.)

Instead I’ll just clue you in on the new flavors in the Life Savers Gummies line. The package I received says “Island Fruits” and sports the flavors Strawberry Kiwi, Mango Melon, Fruit Punch, and Pineapple.

To start my sampling, I brought one of each flavor out of the package. Their colors are dark red, light red, yellow, and orange. I’m a smart girl, so I knew right away that the yellow one was pineapple. (Go, me!) After a little thought, I deduced that the orange was mango melon - but I was unsure how to figure out which was which on the two red ones without eating one.

Fortunately, Wrigley knows that some Candy Addicts have more important things to think about than the color designations of various flavors. I noticed that the package had the flavor names “coded” with a specifically-colored circle next to each name. Wow, genius! The dark red are fruit punch, and the light red are strawberry kiwi.

I thought the fruit punch was a decent flavor – a sweet Kool-Aid or Jolly Rancher style. When I tried the pineapple just a few minutes later, I was surprised that I could barely tell a difference from the fruit punch. I’m not sure if my tastes buds were overwhelmed somehow and couldn’t detect the subtle flavor differences under so much sugar or if the flavors really are quite similar.

On further sampling, I still think the various flavors are less than distinct. I doubt I could tell the difference between strawberry kiwi and fruit punch in a blind taste test. I must admit that the texture itself makes it hard for me to impartially savor any flavor. If you like fruity flavors and gummy textures, though, these would make a nice in-your-pocket candy.

• Life Savers Website

I remember that when I first lived in New Zealand I was always experiencing cultural differences that the native Kiwis failed to comprehend about American culture. I mean, they didn’t eat staples like peanut butter and questioned the point of ketchup.

But by far the one thing that drove my Kiwi friends bonkers was my love for cherry. I adore it - ice cream, candy, soda… you name it and cherry makes it better. For some unknown reason, cherry just wasn’t popular down there.

Well, it’s a good thing then that my friends didn’t attend the All Candy Expo and amble by the Gimbal’s Fine Candy booth. Gimbal’s is an interesting small candy manufacturer. They produce a variety of products from jelly beans to Lavaballs, with their factory being certified Kosher and gluten, nut, dairy, egg, soy, gelatin, and transfat free (not all of these products are vegan since some contain bee’s wax).

But of all their products, the one that blew me away the most was their Cherry Lovers. Cherry Lovers is a bag of heart-shaped chews consisting of nine different flavors of cherry. That’s right, nine! Think that’s impossible? See for yourself….

Wild Cherry: There’s a nice cherry flavor, reminiscent of the cherry piece in the original Starburst. The flavor is soft without the acid like cherry juice.

Cherry Vanilla: I never really care for vanilla, especially as a flavor in fruit chews, but I did enjoy this one immensely. The vanilla is subtle, expressing itself like it does in cream soda, meshing harmoniously with the subdued cherry.

Black Cherry: This piece has deep, robust cherry tones with a tender, woodsy quality. It’s slightly tart, bitter, and soothing, very similar to grape juice or black currant.

Chocolate Cherry: I was apprehensive about this flavor, but thought I might be surprised as I was with the vanilla piece; unfortunately, that didn’t happen. The chocolate taste is mockolate, making me feel the only thing chocolate about it is the use of cocoa. The cherry taste is also quite muted. This was my least favorite.

Cherry Cheesecake: This one is kind of like the cheesecake Jelly Belly piece. It’s completely artificial in terms of resembling the actual flavor of cheesecake, but tasty in the way cheesecake ice cream is, despite the fact it too tastes nothing like cheesecake.

Cherry Daiquiri: There’s a little sour/sweetness to it, but it only resembles the flavor of a daiquiri is in the sense of the sugary intensity, lacking the rum component to transform it to anything more than just a syrup. Still tasty, though.

Bing Cherry: The cherry is a bit more tart than in the wild or black cherry, but more traditional in the way cherry bubblegum tastes.

Cherry Cola: There’s a lovely cola taste here, with a hint of cherry at the end. It’s very much like those Haribo cola bottles, but a bit more acidic.

Kiwi Cherry: Perhaps one of Gimbal’s workers is from New Zealand, and this flavor was invented as an olive branch to get him to like cherry. The kiwi flavor is minute and so is cherry. The taste is more floral - a nice presentation of ideas of fruit with a light presence on your tongue, but no citrus, acid, or other bold flavors to make you think of any specific fruit.

So all in all, I enjoyed eight out of nine of these, with most of those being absolutely delicious. I was given a giant bag and they were all consumed within the hour. They’re also loaded with vitamin C, so I could at least pretend they were somewhat good for me. I’m not sure how a person who dislikes cherry would react, but, at least for me, this candy is just ridiculously scrumptious, and I wish I had more.

• Gimbal’s Fine Candy Website

What do you eat when you’ve just returned from the dentist? Me, I eat chocolate-covered sunflower seeds in a rainbow of colors. (My mouth is still numb, if you must know the truth. I don’t know why you must, but you Candy Addict readers are relentlessly curious. At least, I like to think so.)

So now you’re thinking three things. 1) He must have had cavities filled. 2) He won’t be able to fully experience the candy I’ve entrusted him to review for me. 3) He’s insane. Two of those three are correct, but I’m not saying which.

Okay, so I like sunflower seeds. And I like chocolate. Let’s put them together and see what we get.

Hey these are pretty tasty. The sunflower seeds are un-roasted, and have no salt. They’re good. And the coating is the right amount of chocolate, such that you get a good balance of seed and cocoa sweetness. The chocolate has cocoa butter, yum. And the coating has Titanium Dioxide, hmm. And various artificial colors. Less yum. (The Sunflower Food and Spice Co. also makes an all-natural version of these candies; I didn’t see those at World Market but I would have preferred to buy them.)

The package has a nice re-closeable lid, by the way: perfect for feeding a few candies into your mouth at a time. The package also reminds us that sunflower seeds are an excellent source of B vitamins, vitamin E and Selenium (antioxidants), Folic Acid, Zinc, protein and fiber. The seeds also have natural phytosterols (said to lower cholesterol), and no trans fat. Surround all that with chocolate and you’ve got a better treat than many I could name.

So I’m giving these a sunny thumbs up. They’re just the thing, really, to help a person recover from a trip to the dentist. Now where’s my new Sonicare?

• Sunflower Food & Spice Company Website

Perhaps it’s the attitude of people; relaxed, fun-loving and carefree. It could also be the weather; warm sun, long days, blooming flora, etc. More than likely it’s a combination of both. Whatever the cause, something about summer really gets me in the mood for fruity candy. Soft, hard, sticky, ooey, gooey, gummi – fruit flavored sweets tend to be a personal favorite during the long warm days.

This summer, I’ve been particularly interested in gummi fruit candy. Living in Munich, Germany fruit is always on my mind as I walk by the open-air fruit stands scattered abundantly throughout the city. Of course, I pass on the natural fruit – equally great in flavor and nutrition – and I head straight (bee line, really) for sugar… processed.

One candy I’ve become quite fond of is Storck’s Nimm2 Lach Gummi, a fruit flavored gummi treat with various gummi flavors to choose from – all nice for a warm summer sugar rush. Available for consumption are Joghurt (Yogurt), Frucht & Joghurt (Fruit & Yogurt), Frucht (Fruit), and Sauer (Sour).

Nimm2 Lach Gummi is a well known candy producer headquartered in Berlin. A product of August Storck KG, Nimm2 has been producing fruit flavored candy since 1962.

All Nimm2 gummies are enjoyable. However, my first encounter with the gummies I wasn’t sure. The candies seemed different… good different, perhaps, but I really couldn’t tell. So, I bought more… and ate more – an entire bag. The voracious behavior yielded an affirmative conclusion. These gummies are terrific, with my personal favorite being the Nimm2 Lach Gummi Joghurt and Nimm2 Lach Gummi Frucht & Joghurt coming in a close second.

To be sure, these are not your kid brother’s candies. On the sweetness Richter scale these register as a three (10 being the highest). The first plop in the mouth and my palette recounted scary memories as a child of the fake low-sugar candies my babysitter used to hawk so we wouldn’t trash the house in a crazed candy-induced sugar high. However, after the third or fourth piece and a little self-reflection, the flavor in these candies came out remarkably well. The moderate sugar sensation lent itself to massive quantity consumption as it behaved like a light gentle massage to my starved sugar receptors. These treats are the John Wayne of the candy world – cool and steady and in no rush to make a grand appearance.

The Lach Gummi Joghurt gummies have an extremely soft texture – each one nearly melts in your mouth. They have a pastel yogurt-like color and delightful fruit shape with corresponding flavors: cherry, orange, lemon, lime and strawberry. And, as one might believe when eating something with yogurt, these candies provide a nutritional benefit. Each 100 grams of Lach Gummi Joghurt candy contain needed daily vitamins” 30% of a person’s daily vitamin C, 87% Niacin, 103% vitamin E, 123% Pantothenic Acid, 75% vitamin B6, 100% Biotin and 110% vitamin B12. (For those of you who read my last article on Haribo Saft Goldbaeren, this seems to be a pattern…. Another potentially healthy candy?)

The Lach Gummi Frucht & Joghurt have an interesting combination. One half of each piece is gummi and the other half yogurt. They have a darker gummi color and the yogurt side is white opaque. The yogurt is firm yet soft, almost of marshmallow consistency. It isn’t overly chewy; the yogurt side nearly dissolves in your mouth while the gummi side lasts longer. All flavors available in the Joghurt are also available in the Frucht & Joghurt, and the nutritional benefit is similar; all vitamins and daily amounts are the same per 100 grams except the Frucht & Joghurt do not contain vitamin C – a strange coincidence because I would think the ones with fruit would have the Vitamin C, but this is what the package tells me.

So, for all the fellow Candy Addicts and sugar junkies looking for a swell summertime candy, Nimm2 Lach Gummi treats are a terrific fix. Each treat is sweet, flavorful, unique and – once more – healthy? Perhaps we can have our cake – or should I say lollipop – and get to eat it too.

• Nimm2 Website

At the All Candy Expo, Mike and Ike shared some of their new flavors of 2009. For those of you who are Mike and Ike fans, you might be wondering why I’m reviewing the Berry Blast flavor as new when we already reviewed it in 2007. Well, Mike and Ike have updated the Berry Blast to include some new goodies. You get the same Mike and Ike consistency and texture, just a different mix of flavors.

Blueberry: This dark blue candy has an artificial blueberry flavor that lacks the mixed sweet-tartness of a more genuine blueberry experience. Instead, the emphasis here is on sweetness.

Blue Raspberry: Not to be confused with the darker blue Mike and Ikes, the light blue candies are a blue raspberry flavor. These were the strongest flavor in the bunch - as soon as I put one in my mouth I could taste the blue raspberry before I even started chewing. The flavor here wasn’t as sweet as the blueberry, offering a little more complexity.

Strawberry: The pink strawberry candies reminded me of strawberry-flavored bubble gum. These candies started out a bit tangy but quickly became all about the sweet, artificial strawberry flavor.

Wild Berry: Since this flavor is called “wild” berry, I expected the flavor to be, if not actually wild, really strong. Instead, this purple candy was really mild, bordering on bland. It had a vague berry flavor with no outstanding characteristics.

Peach Berry: For some reason, the peach berry flavor reminded me of those peach-scented scratch-n-sniff stickers I used to play with as a kid. These orange candies were very mild, with more of an emphasis on the peach than the berry.

When I tried a bunch of the flavors all at once, I got a sweet, nonspecific berry taste. But the berry flavor ran out at the end, and I was left with a sweet, chewy candy at the finish.

Overall, these candies are an interesting change from the regular Mike and Ikes. For Mike and Ike fans, these will add some variety to their Mike and Ike experience.

• Mike and Ike Website

Buy Mike and Ike Berry Blast Online:

• at Candy Crate
• at Candy Direct
• at Amazon.com

Chocorooms do not contain mushrooms of any kind. Let’s be clear about that. Not Red Belted Polypore, not Queen Boleti, not Morel. No mushrooms at all. Instead, these are “sweet and crispy” Japanese candies that happen to look like rather small mushrooms. They have cookie-like stems, with chocolate tops.

Okay, so what do these fake fungi taste like? Let’s start at the bottom. The stems are not tasty in the least. They’re very bland, like a really boring biscuit. They remind me of fortune cookies a little bit, too. They also leave a slight film in your mouth.

The chocolate of the mushroom tops tastes cheap. Like, Nestle Quick in mushroom-shaped chocolate form. It’s okay, but very flat and rather waxy. A look at the ingredients shows lots of extraneous junk that never improves the taste of chocolate, but lessens the cost with filler.

Now, the cookie stems do allow you to chomp on the chocolate tops without getting your fingers chocolaty, but lots of candies have figured out that trick.

Bottom line: if you think candies that look like mushrooms are irresistibly cute, then Chocorooms are for you. Otherwise, I’d resist.

Really, these mushrooms should be left in the candy forest.

• Meiji Chocorooms Website
• Linda’s Review of Kinoko no Yama at Snackerrific

Tired of drinking your morning coffee? Why not eat it, surrounded by chocolate? That’s one idea for enjoying DeFranco’s Espresso Secrets, anyway. And wouldn’t that be faster, tastier, and reduce your chance of getting burned? Of course it would. And if you put a crazy amount of sugar in your coffee (like, 14g), then it’d be about the same calories, too (160). Okay, enough numbers.

Almost. This 1.3 oz/36g package contains three good-bite-sized pieces of 55% dark chocolate, with a coffee center. If you want a caffeine kick, you better eat all three. But how’s this candy taste?

Not bad at all! Bite through the pretty thick dark chocolate layer, and you hit the semi-liquid coffee center. It’s a little gooey, but doesn’t drip all over the place at room temperature. (In other words, you don’t have to throw the whole thing in your mouth at once if you’re a nibbler.) And what sets this coffee candy apart? The coffee is real, not just a flavor, and it’s just over the edge of bitter. Wow, they’re not messing around.

When I isolate the chocolate, it’s not bad, not great. A little chalky, and not much mouth feel. And if you just taste the filling, it’s like a viscous version of black diner coffee. It is not sweet. (I know the candy calls itself “espresso secrets,” but I think the secret is that it’s not espresso; the ingredient list just says “instant coffee,” and that’s what it tastes like. Rich and full-bodied this ain’t. And crema? Forget it.)

But when you taste both the dark chocolate and gelatinous diner coffee together (as you should of course), DeFranco’s Espresso Secrets is actually a nice little treat.

Start your day right.

• DeFranco’s Website

Buy DeFranco’s Espresso Secrets Online:

• at Amazon.com

I seriously love marshmallows. Maybe it’s their association with summer and autumn campfires, hot cocoa, and Rice Krispie squares. Or maybe it’s just their incredibly light, fluffy, gooey texture and delicious vanilla flavor. (Though “vanilla” is often used as a shorthand for “boring,” is there honestly anyone who doesn’t like the flavor?)

So I was totally jazzed to discover Mitchell Sweets All Natural Chocolate and Vanilla caramel-coated marshmallows at Hammond’s Candies’ All Candy Expo booth – one of the nicest-looking booths at the show, I might add – alongside an array of gorgeous handmade candy canes and lollipops. Because if there’s one thing I love more than marshmallows, it’s caramel. And chocolate. (OK, that’s two things.)

Individually wrapped in waxed paper, the rectangular marshmallows have a chunky, rustic look, bearing borders of vanilla and chocolate-flavored caramel respectively. They have the appearance of having been cut from a big log of caramel-coated marshmallow (and if you can think of a stickier, messier job than coating a log of gooey marshmallow in hot, sticky caramel, I’d like to hear it). The ingredient list is pretty simple, but not as simple as you’d expect from something bearing the name “all natural” (which, admittedly, doesn’t mean an awful lot these days). Are coconut oil, corn syrup, and invert sugar “natural” products? For that matter, is gelatin? Regular sugar? Who knows?

Vanilla: The caramel tastes like cream and sugar, just like it’s supposed to. It’s also got a little molasses edge, though there’s none listed on the ingredients. It reminds me a little of that Halloween molasses toffee in the orange wrappers.

Chocolate: This was very stuck to the waxed paper – I hope I didn’t eat too much paper with my marshmallow. It has a nice mild, slightly salty chocolate flavor that comes from chocolate liqueur, not cocoa. It’s a very different flavor and texture experience than the chocolate-covered marshmallows I’m used to – chewy rather than snappy, with a flavor that’s closer to a Tootsie Roll than real chocolate. It’s not at all bad, just different.

The marshmallow centers are firm and pillowy, a little dry on the outside, and quite chewy for marshmallow. I’m not sure if they’re supposed to be this dry or if mine have gotten stale already in the month since the All Candy Expo. This is definitely not a bad thing, though – the denseness of both the caramel and the marshmallow were a really good textural combination. I liked how substantial they felt in my mouth. (I don’t think I’m alone in this – just look at how many people won’t eat Peeps unless they’re good and stale.) They have a nice long chew for marshmallows, without being too heavy or sweet like a pure caramel.

In all these are definitely a tasty treat, and I’m really wishing I’d grabbed more than the couple of samples. If you’re a marshmallow (or caramel) junkie like me, you really owe it to yourself to give them a try.

• Hammonds’ Candies Website

Buy Hammond’s Candy Online:

• at Candy Crate
• at Amazon.com