Meiji Lemon Pupurun

The second of three Pupurun flavors I bought is lemon, a flavor I usually enjoy. A few weeks ago, I saw an adorable Pupurun commercial on YouTube, but didn't realize that it was the same candy I bought.

I'm glad I didn't make the commercial connection right away, as it's harder to eat something once it's been personified. Still, I wouldn't hesitate to eat them in the future.


The scent in the bag was not nearly as overwhelming as the tropical flavor, but it still smelled sour. I was used to the texture, so I could focus on the flavor. It was quite tasty, and the lemon was fairly authentic. It was tart and slightly floral, but managed to avoid tasting like cleaner or cough drops.

I should mention the texture again, as it is what really sets Pupurun apart from other gummies. The skin is just a little tough and the center is amazingly soft and glossy. This time, I took a picture of a gummy cross-section to try and get that point across. It was the blend of those textures, coupled with the solid lemon flavor, that made these gummies another winning Pupurun variety.

A-

Pupurun website

Hageland Madagascar 32%

Finally, I've exhausted my chocolate bar supply. I put off trying the Madagascar simply because it sounded too light for my tastes, and I thought it might be too sweet. After trying my other two Hageland bars, I should have had more faith.

My husband was eagerly awaiting this bar, and when I did open it, I was really surprised just how light it was. It was a pretty caramel brown color that reminded me of the Meiji Royal Milk Tea chocolate I tried last summer.


The bar smelled rich and just a bit toasty, and from the first bite, it exceeded my expectations. It was milky and caramel-like with a smooth texture and a wonderfully chewy, sticky melt. The bar had a soft snap, but it was perfect for the mild chocolate.

The cocoa flavor was subdued and well balanced with the milk and caramel notes. The sweetness I so feared was not a problem at all. Although I'm not a milk chocolate convert, this bar was a refreshing change of pace, and I liked it much more than I would. My husband and I both thought it was delicious, and we are both very impressed with Hageland chocolate.

A-

Hageland Website

Meiji Tropical Mix Pupurun

On my recent trip to Mitsuwa near Chicago, I picked up several flavors of Meiji Pupurun gummies on clearance. The line still appears on Meiji's website, so I am not sure why they were so cheap. Perhaps new packaging is on the way? In any case, the first of the flavors up for review is Tropical Mix.

The big selling point of these gummies is that they have 1200 mg of chewable collagen. I'm fairly certain that there is no scientific evidence that ingesting collagen does anything special for your skin, but it probably helps sell products.


Upon opening the bag, I could smell pineapple and mango, but the smell reminded me of fruity quasi-boozy cocktails. The gummies were quite large st almost 20 mm in diameter. The texture was a bit weird at first, with a tougher, chewy outer layer over a soft, sticky center.

The flavor was very juicy and a little tart, with a distinctly tropical flavor. It was a lot like pineapple juice, with a splash of mango. There were both natural and artificial flavors listed on the label, as well as both agar-agar and fish collagen. No results on skin smoothness yet, but despite the gimmick, the gummies were very tasty.

B+

Pupurun website

Tirol Hot Cake

I have been waiting to try this Tirol flavor for several months, and finally found it at Mitsuwa Marketplace near Chicago. It was part of the normal strip variety packs, as the one seasonal flavor included among the standards.

Pancakes were a regular meal in my house growing up, though they were always my dad's multigrain variety. Hotcakes like the ones pictured on this Tirol were a rare treat only to be enjoyed at restaurants. No matter the type, pancakes are one of my favorite things to eat, so I was pretty excited about this chocolate.


The chocolate smelled like imitation maple syrup and white chocolate, and though the majority of the piece was plain white, there was a maple chocolate layer on the bottom. It tasted syrupy, too, as there was a bit of liquid syrup above the biscuit center.

It was definitely a lot like pancakes, only even sweeter. The crunchy layer was good, though it didn't exactly evoke the texture of pancakes. There were also buttery notes that helped the overall taste. I was glad the piece was so small, because it was quite sweet. Still, I wasn't disappointed, and I am glad I got to sample the flavor.

B

Tirol website

UHA G Fresh Cola

I do wish cola was a more common candy flavor in the US. Haribo makes some good cola gummies but they are hard to find in my area. I had never tried G Fresh gummies before, so I picked these up at the Mitsuwa in Arlington Heights, IL during my recent trip.

These gummies seemed more like vitamins than candy. They claimed to be a source of both vitamin C and GABA. I had never heard of GABA before, but a little research told me that it is gamma-aminobutyric acid, a neurotransmitter naturally produced in humans that regulates muscle tone, among other things. I highly doubt the amount in this candy has a measurable effect.


First, let me point out the over-engineering of the bag - the tear slit was located between two ridges to ensure a straight rip. On the candies themselves, the sour powder on the surface almost looked like scales! The gummies smelled like sweet cola candy and were immediately sour on the tongue. I could taste the vitamin C really well. The actual gummy part was mild in flavor, with a slightly sour, syrupy cola taste.

The texture of the gummies was very firm, and almost a little too hard. They were made with agar-agar and not gelatin, but I don't think that was the cause of the firmness. The coating was much more sour than the inside, but overall, it made for a pleasantly tart cola flavor. They were quite addictive!

B+

UHA website