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Soda. It’s a term that we don’t often use here in the UK - people generally prefer to say ‘fizzy drinks’ or even ‘pop’ or if you’re that way inclined. Since gaining an appreciation for international sodas, however, the term ‘soda’ has definitely made its way into my vocabulary with increasing frequency. Many of my British friends consider this an almost traitorous act of Americanisation, but I personally think it’s just a more convenient term. Soda allows us to describe a lot of things and to be honest the word just sounds better than any other term for it that I’ve heard. It also allows me to conveniently categorize ‘fizzy drink flavoured’ candy as ‘soda candy’, which comes in handy when discussing Japan’s broad selection of ‘ramune’ and ‘cola’ flavoured treats.
As well as a whole plethora of plushies, the Tofu Cute online shop has recently gained a lot of new candy that falls firmly within that category - delicious sweets based on ‘fizzy drinks’. As a known appreciator of sodas, I’m always keen to see how they try and fit the flavour into unique new sweets.
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Okay, so if I’m being honest, I don’t know that the classic Japanese beverage Calpis actually counts as a soda at all in its most basic form. But calling this blog post a ‘NEW Soda & Other beverage flavoured snack review’ definitely doesn’t have the same ring to it. So I thought I’d best get it out of the way now and review these candies first. They’re unique hard-boiled sweets based on the flavour of the Calpis drink, which if you didn’t know is a kind of sweet yoghurt-y beverage that is pretty popular in Asia.
Despite it being what I would consider an ‘acquired taste’, I do really like Calpis. There is even a ‘soda’ version of Calpis that is more carbonated and more sweet, and I think this candy reminded me more of the ‘soda’ version than the classic version in some ways, because it has a slight ‘fizz’ in the centre. It has a smooth outer shell which has that nice creamy sweet ‘dairy’ flavour, but as you get closer to the centre, the ‘fizz’ starts to emerge.
This is a really good attempt at getting Calpis flavour into a candy form, and I think it’s well worth a try if you’re already a fan of that drink. If not, it’s a really unique flavour that you’re not going to find in any other hard candies, so I think it’s worth picking up if you’re curious. I’d personally give it a strong 7.5 out 10.
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We all know that Hi-Chew is a certified classic in the pantheon of Japanese sweets, but how do these new soda flavours hold up? This pack introduces three new types of soda-themed hi-chew sweets: ramune soda, cola and grape soda. Hi-Chew normally comes in fruit flavours, so I was excited to see how well it’d work when moving into this bold new realm of soda flavours.
The standard ramune flavour is almost exactly as expected, with the signature citrus-y fizzy taste permeating from the centre of this chewy blue and white sweet. If you already know what ramune generally tastes like in other candies, you know what you’re gonna get with this one. It’s good!
The cola flavour is also fairly predictable, but I do think it works a little better with Hi-Chew’s signature ‘extremely-chewy’ texture. It’s so chewy that it almost feels like it’s gum, but it’s not - you can swallow these sweets.
The most surprising flavour of the bunch was the grape soda, which is sufficiently zesty in both flavour and how unique this particular flavour tasted to me. If you fused standard grape flavour Hi-Chew with the ramune kind, this is exactly what you’d get. I LOVED this flavour!
Overall, this mix of candy is well worth your time! I give it an 8 out of 10.
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This is a unique new variant on the classic Ramune Candy Ball Bottle that has been available on the online shop for a while. This time, the crunchy balls are in both melon soda and ramune flavours. As you pour each of the small balls from the bottle in a way that is pretty amusing, you never really know which flavour you’re going to get, as they’re quite visually similar. Without close examination you’re going to be alternating between the two flavours without realising it.
They compliment each other well! There’s something to be said about how subtle the melon flavour is compared to more intense melon flavoured candies that I have tried. The ramune ‘sharidama’ flavour has an additional bit of texture to it making it somewhat crunchier, whilst the melon flavour dissolves a bit more easily in the mouth. The combo works together pretty excellently, even if the overall texture of this candy isn’t my favourite. I give it a 6.9 out of 10!
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I’m not too sure what’s particularly ‘retro’ about these gummies - maybe it’s the bottle shape and fine dusting of sugar which makes it more reminiscent of classic ‘cola bottle’ sweets that you might be familiar with. Whether you agree with the retro label or not, I can confirm that these gummies are at least delicious.
Once again, this sweet relies heavily on the tried and tested combo of cola and ramune flavours. The texture of these gummies are an excellent fit for this type of sweet - not too firm and not too soft. The powdered sugar is certain to get on your hands, but it also adds an extra ‘kick’ to the gummy that some candies of a similar type can be lacking. These sweets aren’t anything revolutionary, but I think that’s what makes them so good - if you’re just looking for something simple that tastes sweet and fizzy, this is exactly what you need. 9 out of 10.
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| That's all for this edition of the snack review here on the Tofu Cute Blog, but be sure to stay following our social media for updates on all of the latest in the world of cute plushies, Japanese candy and beyond throughout this holiday season. There will be more wild and wacky things here on the blog soon, too, so be sure to stop by again. |
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Soda. It’s a term that we don’t often use here in the UK - people generally prefer to say ‘fizzy drinks’ or even ‘pop’ or if you’re that way inclined. Since gaining an appreciation for international sodas, however, the term ‘soda’ has definitely made its way into my vocabulary with increasing frequency. Many of my British friends consider this an almost traitorous act of Americanisation, but I personally think it’s just a more convenient term. Soda allows us to describe a lot of things and to be honest the word just sounds better than any other term for it that I’ve heard. It also allows me to conveniently categorize ‘fizzy drink flavoured’ candy as ‘soda candy’, which comes in handy when discussing Japan’s broad selection of ‘ramune’ and ‘cola’ flavoured treats.
As well as a whole plethora of plushies, the Tofu Cute online shop has recently gained a lot of new candy that falls firmly within that category - delicious sweets based on ‘fizzy drinks’. As a known appreciator of sodas, I’m always keen to see how they try and fit the flavour into unique new sweets.
|
|
|
Okay, so if I’m being honest, I don’t know that the classic Japanese beverage Calpis actually counts as a soda at all in its most basic form. But calling this blog post a ‘NEW Soda & Other beverage flavoured snack review’ definitely doesn’t have the same ring to it. So I thought I’d best get it out of the way now and review these candies first. They’re unique hard-boiled sweets based on the flavour of the Calpis drink, which if you didn’t know is a kind of sweet yoghurt-y beverage that is pretty popular in Asia.
Despite it being what I would consider an ‘acquired taste’, I do really like Calpis. There is even a ‘soda’ version of Calpis that is more carbonated and more sweet, and I think this candy reminded me more of the ‘soda’ version than the classic version in some ways, because it has a slight ‘fizz’ in the centre. It has a smooth outer shell which has that nice creamy sweet ‘dairy’ flavour, but as you get closer to the centre, the ‘fizz’ starts to emerge.
This is a really good attempt at getting Calpis flavour into a candy form, and I think it’s well worth a try if you’re already a fan of that drink. If not, it’s a really unique flavour that you’re not going to find in any other hard candies, so I think it’s worth picking up if you’re curious. I’d personally give it a strong 7.5 out 10.
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We all know that Hi-Chew is a certified classic in the pantheon of Japanese sweets, but how do these new soda flavours hold up? This pack introduces three new types of soda-themed hi-chew sweets: ramune soda, cola and grape soda. Hi-Chew normally comes in fruit flavours, so I was excited to see how well it’d work when moving into this bold new realm of soda flavours.
The standard ramune flavour is almost exactly as expected, with the signature citrus-y fizzy taste permeating from the centre of this chewy blue and white sweet. If you already know what ramune generally tastes like in other candies, you know what you’re gonna get with this one. It’s good!
The cola flavour is also fairly predictable, but I do think it works a little better with Hi-Chew’s signature ‘extremely-chewy’ texture. It’s so chewy that it almost feels like it’s gum, but it’s not - you can swallow these sweets.
The most surprising flavour of the bunch was the grape soda, which is sufficiently zesty in both flavour and how unique this particular flavour tasted to me. If you fused standard grape flavour Hi-Chew with the ramune kind, this is exactly what you’d get. I LOVED this flavour!
Overall, this mix of candy is well worth your time! I give it an 8 out of 10.
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This is a unique new variant on the classic Ramune Candy Ball Bottle that has been available on the online shop for a while. This time, the crunchy balls are in both melon soda and ramune flavours. As you pour each of the small balls from the bottle in a way that is pretty amusing, you never really know which flavour you’re going to get, as they’re quite visually similar. Without close examination you’re going to be alternating between the two flavours without realising it.
They compliment each other well! There’s something to be said about how subtle the melon flavour is compared to more intense melon flavoured candies that I have tried. The ramune ‘sharidama’ flavour has an additional bit of texture to it making it somewhat crunchier, whilst the melon flavour dissolves a bit more easily in the mouth. The combo works together pretty excellently, even if the overall texture of this candy isn’t my favourite. I give it a 6.9 out of 10!
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I’m not too sure what’s particularly ‘retro’ about these gummies - maybe it’s the bottle shape and fine dusting of sugar which makes it more reminiscent of classic ‘cola bottle’ sweets that you might be familiar with. Whether you agree with the retro label or not, I can confirm that these gummies are at least delicious.
Once again, this sweet relies heavily on the tried and tested combo of cola and ramune flavours. The texture of these gummies are an excellent fit for this type of sweet - not too firm and not too soft. The powdered sugar is certain to get on your hands, but it also adds an extra ‘kick’ to the gummy that some candies of a similar type can be lacking. These sweets aren’t anything revolutionary, but I think that’s what makes them so good - if you’re just looking for something simple that tastes sweet and fizzy, this is exactly what you need. 9 out of 10.
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| That's all for this edition of the snack review here on the Tofu Cute Blog, but be sure to stay following our social media for updates on all of the latest in the world of cute plushies, Japanese candy and beyond throughout this holiday season. There will be more wild and wacky things here on the blog soon, too, so be sure to stop by again. |
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