Mike and Ike Tangy Twister

After the last review of Mike and Ike I did, I was hesitant to try another kind, but temptation got the best of me. On a run to the drug store (I needed a can opener in a pinch), I picked up a box of Tangy Twister.

My expectations were fairly low, but they were cheap. When I opened the inner bag, I was pleasantly surprised by a fruity smell. Maybe it's because my expectations were so low, but I was almost blown away with how good these were (okay, they weren't THAT good, but you get the idea). I'll do a run down flavor by flavor.


Apple was pale green, and tasted like the Zours green apple flavor. It was pretty good! Very sour, with hints of Granny Smith apple, but it definitely wasn't a natural taste.

Raspberry, the dark red, was much better than the raspberry flavor in the Berry Blast variety. It was tangy with a raspberry-esque zing that reminded me of more expensive candy (Jelly Belly jelly beans).

Cherry was the lighter red, and it was also a lot like the Jelly Belly Very Cherry bean. It wasn't my favorite, but it definitely wasn't a bad cherry flavor. Once again, tangier than it was sweet.

Pineapple, in yellow, was pretty cool. It tasted like punch, the kind with lemon-lime soda and pineapple juice! Very sour, and delicious. It wasn't exclusively pineapple, but I really liked this one.

Citrus Punch, the orange, was so delicious. The taste was made up of a little orange, a little lemon, and thankfully, no floor cleaner. It was super sour and tangy, and just as good as the Pineapple.

Although the citrus punch, pineapple, and green apple flavors stood out most to me, I can honestly say that there wasn't a flavor that I didn't like. They were all sour and tangy, and that's how I like my fruity candy. These really made up for how much I disliked the berry flavors!

A

Just Born website

Morinaga Shirakanba no Koeda

I've been studying Japanese for a while, but it's always nice to learn something from candy. Looking at these, I had no idea what a 白樺 (shirakanba) was, and now I know it's a Japanese white birch. So, these could be called Morinaga White Birch Twigs.

In any case, these are a special version of Koeda chocolate for winter. The box claimed they were made cashew nuts and another mystery word:　ラングドシャ (rangudosha). After some digging, I found out that it was French - Langues de Chat, which means cat tongues. Basically, they are crunchy, buttery cookies that are sort of shaped like a cat's tongue.

I don't think I've ever had to do so much research to understand a snack! It's too bad, too, because these just weren't that good. All that hype for some buttery white chocolate. The box had 12 packs with 4 sticks each, and I have only had 1 pack since I bought them a couple weeks ago.

The sticks were very rich, and the main flavors I picked out were butter and vanilla. I couldn't detect any cashew bits in these, and a little saltiness would have been nice. They were okay, but very rich; not something I'd want to eat a lot of. They were such a let down, because I really loved the matcha Koeda. At least I learned something.

B-

Morinaga Website (Japanese)

Meiji Strawberry Yogurt Kinoko no Yama

The strawberry fest continues! This pack of Kinoko no Yama came from a variety pack along with a bag of plain, and bags of plain and strawberry Takenoko no Sato. The kinoko were cuter, so I chose to review them.

Strawberry isn't even one of my favorite flavors, but it's so readily available, seemingly year round. Pink chocolate sure makes for cute snacks, so as long as the flavor is good, I don't mind.


All of the flavors of Kinoko no Yama I've tried so far have been tasty. The texture balance is great, with the crunchy cracker and the smooth chocolate. The chocolate is a little on the sweet side, but the cracker helps to nullify some of that.

The strawberry flavor was light and fruity. I didn't really get the sense of yogurt from it, but I was pleased with the taste. Yet another good Kinoko no Yama flavor! The little bag only had about 6 pieces in it, if I remember correctly, and while that's excellent portion control, I wanted more!

A-

Meiji Website (Japanese)

Meiji Fruity Strawberry Meltyblend

There is a whole lot of strawberry going on in this blog right now! I've got another strawberry candy reiview to add soon, too. But about this one...

Meiji's Meltyblend (also known as Meltykiss) is one of my favorite chocolates. Ever since a friend sent me some matcha Meltykiss a couple years ago, it's something I look forward to every year. I've reviewed a couple other kinds (Dark Rum and Matcha), so this is kind of a mini-review. Meltyblend is all about texture, and that really hasn't changed.

The most recent strawberry flavor is really delicious. It's melty, buttery chocolate with a nice strawberry taste. It reminded me of strawberry frosting, and was very tart and genuine. Also, I found 1-2 cubes to be quite satisfying. Yet another hit from Meiji.

A-

Meiji Website (Japanese)

Hershey Kisses Strawberry Creme and Cheesecake

My friends at work and I really like trying new Hershey Kisses, so when one of my friends found these at Wal-Mart and brought them in, it was an exciting day. I'm not sure if these flavors are new this year, but they are new and exciting to me! Plus, the wrappers are really cute, which is a big selling point!

When I complain about the lack of limited edition candy flavors in the United States, I always forget about the Hershey Kiss. They aren't my favorite chocolates, but they certainly keep things interesting!


This might just be the cutest foil wrapper in existence! Perfect for Valentine's Day (and for my heart-shaped candy dish), the Strawberry Creme kisses have a very strong strawberry scent. The creme in the center, while not the most authentic strawberry, is pretty good. They taste a little yogurty, and the chocolate/strawberry balance is pretty good! I liked these a lot. B+


The Cheesecake Kisses also have a cute, classy wrapper. The Kiss itself smelled buttery and had a very mild cheesecake flavor. It didn't have the slightly sour, almost-lemony bite I associate with cheesecake. Instead, it mostly tasted of sweet cream cheese. This wasn't a bad thing for me since I'm not a big fan of the bite. B

Whenever I think about all the KitKat flavors in Japan that I miss out on, it helps me to remember that I do get to try lots of different Hershey Kisses.

Hershey's Website