Tirol Wine

Even though I know next to nothing about wine, I do know that Wine is not a very descriptive name for a flavor. From the package, it can be assumed that this is a red wine flavored Tirol, but even that doesn't add much.

My favorite red wine is Shiraz, which can have a strong bite, but there is a whole spectrum of red wines ranging from sweet to dry and beyond. The mystery Wine Tirol was purchased from napaJapan (4 for $3.29 US) just before Christmas, and limited quantities are still available.


The dark chocolate was of decent quality and had a bit of a chocolate liquor flavor to it. In terms of texture, it had a good snap and a slow melt on the tongue. The jelly in the center was thick and sticky like a fruit gem, but didn't taste like wine. This Tirol was more like grape jelly in dark chocolate, and while it was very good, there was no hint of that "luxurious aftertaste" the packaging mentioned.

Maybe they were aiming for dessert wine, but even that has more bite than this mild Tirol. There was a slight sourness at the finish, but it lacked the rich, complex end note that distinguishes sweet wine from grape juice. Even though this Tirol was tasty, it was misleading, so I have to account for that in my rating. This could be a good thing for those who don't like wine, but I wish Tirol had taken the concept just a bit further.

B+

Tirol Website

Maynards Juicy Squirts Sours

Before one of my Flickr contacts pointed it out, the thought hadn't occurred to me that "Juicy Squirts" is a funny name. It does sound a bit like something you come across online and can't unsee, but luckily, it's candy. Still, it's not something I want to search for on Google.

Maynards is part of the Cadbury family of brands, but it originated as a small family company in the United Kingdom. I have never seen the Maynards brand in the US, but over the border in Canada, they sell many kinds of gummies. For example, Sour Patch Kids are now part of the Maynards brand in Canada, but they are released by Cadbury Adams in the US (without much mention of that on the package).


Right away, I had a bit of an issue: half of the bag was cherry. There were four flavors included, but I only got 1 purple, 2 raspberry, and 3 apple. The remaining 6 or 7 gummies were all cherry. Unequal flavor distribution aside, the gummies were pretty large - about the size of my thumb. Each gummy was full of a different color (and flavor) juice, and it reminded me of the Gushers fruit snacks I loved as a kid.

Green was a slightly floral green apple, but I'm not sure what the red inner juice was supposed to taste like. Maybe some sort of red berry? In any case, the flavors went well together.

Purple was either grape or blackcurrant, but honestly, I'm not sure. It did taste a lot like fake grape, and was my favorite of the bunch. Maybe I'm just saying that because there was only purple in my bag.

Red (cherry-shaped) had a standard red, medicinal cherry flavor. My husband figures that the ingredients must be the cheapest, and that was why there were so many in this bag.

Red (raspberry-shaped) had a nice, mild raspberry flavor with a slightly sour bite to it. Again, I'm not sure what flavor the center juices were, but I enjoyed the piece.

Overall, I liked the firm, chewy texture of the gummies. My husband thought they were sour enough, but I hardly found them sour at all. Combined with the bad assortment, Juicy Squirts Sours just left me feeling disappointed.

C

These have also been reviewed at Candy Addict

Cadbury website

Meiji Juicy White Grape Pupurun

Do you peel your grapes? My sister and I liked to peel grapes when we were little, and then we would say they were eyeballs. We grew out of that (for the most part), and I like grape skin pretty well.

When my sister studied in Nagoya, Japan in 2002, she sat down with her host family for some grapes, and was surprised to see them peeling their grapes. The grapes in Japan typically have a thicker skin than the grapes in the US, but it struck me as an interesting.


I thought of this because the white grape Pupurun do an excellent job of imitating actual grapes. The texture balance of the candy involves a thicker gummy skin around a very soft gummy center, and this worked particularly well for grape.

The gummies smelled intensely of green grapes, but not in a fake way. The flavor was mildly tart, and pretty much a dead ringer for muscat. They were very enjoyable, with a solid flavor and fun texture combination. This was probably the best of the three Pupurun flavors I tried.

A-

Pupurun website

Kanro Pure Grape Gummy

Kanro Pure gummies have been a favorite of mine for a few years now. The lemon flavor got me hooked, and I've liked many other flavors I've tried in the past. My love of sour candy goes back to my childhood, and when combined with Kanro's typically authentic-tasting fruit flavors, the brand has been quite reliable.

A friend of mine from far away came to visit and brought these (and many other treats, reviews to come soon) as part of a late birthday gift. The gummies themselves are heart-shaped and coated in sour sugar, and I find them rather photogenic!


When I opened these, the smell of concord grape juice was strong, and although it was a little fake, it didn't smell too much like medicine. The first taste of the gummies is simply sour, followed by grape juice. The balance of the flavors was just about right, not too sour or too strong.

These most reminded me of grape Jolly Ranchers or the better grape popsicles. The texture of the gummy (which, according to the bag, should be like real fruit) was firm and a bit leathery, and the sour sugar was coarse and tart. Whether you chew them up right away or savor them a bit longer, these are tasty gummies.

These have also been reviewed at Pockywatch.

A-

Pure website

UHA Kyoho Grape Puccho

Today, my candy taught me some Japanese. From the packaging, I could tell that this flavor of Puccho was grape (perhaps Concord?), but I didn't know the kanji for the flavor name. After little internet searching, I found out that the kanji was read Kyoho, and means a Kyoho grape.

According to Wikipedia (linked above), Kyoho grapes are similar to Concord gapes, so I was optimistic about the flavor. Although usually not as authentic as Hi-Chew, Puccho typically provides a good combination of flavor and fun with the taffy and gummy composition.


In the wrapper, these smelled a little like cinammon, but the taste was a strong, fairly authentic Concord grape. The flavor felt natural, and the candy got juicier as I chewed. There were about 4 gummies in both of the pieces I sampled, and the gummies had an even stronger grape flavor. I got the sensation of grape skin from the gummies, which I liked.

I was pleased with these and would get them again if there weren't so many other flavors and similar candies to try. Also, Puccho is pretty quick about rotating flavors, so I doubt these will be around that long.

B+

UHA website

Puccho Dragon Fruit and Muscat

I've never had dragon fruit. I may have seen it before, but I really have no idea what it should taste like. This particular variety of Puccho was supposed to be a dragon fruit/muscat grape combo.

According to the side of the package, the green and white layers were muscat flavored, and the red gel bits that give Puccho it's famous texture were supposed to be dragon fruit flavored. In any case, the color combination was attractive.


It smelled like muscat grape with a hint of a strawberry type sweetness. The taste was definitely strongly muscat, and was fairly authentic with a nice tartness. I didn't taste much else, but as I mentioned, I don't know what dragon fruit should taste like.

The color combination was great, but the red gel candies that were supposed to be the dragon fruit really just brought texture. I did find them to be really sweet, but with something like this, I was expecting it. All in all, it was tasty, but not something I'd seek out again.

B

UHA Mikakuto website

Too Tarts Xtra Sour Goo Candy Gwape

A few years ago, my husband and I saw this candy on Unwrapped. We didn't think much of it until we saw the actual candy on the shelves at a zoo gift shop, of all places, but it must have made an impression because we were compelled to buy it. And yes, it's another one of those candies where the fruit would have looked cool in 1995. Also, why is it called Gwape? Is it supposed to sound tough?

The package says "smart choice" and, according to the back, there are only 36 calories in the entire tube. The first ingredient is water, and the second is fruit juice concentrate (apple and blueberry, pear, or strawberry). Apple puree is also listed, but (unfortunately) along with artificial flavors and sucralose (second to last on the list). Oh well, it's a pretty small tube, and that's how they keep the calories low.


The candy goo was an unappetizing brownish color (which came off looking nice and purple in my picture - don't be fooled), but I suppose you're not really supposed to look at it when you eat it. A little squirt onto my tongue, and I was immediately hit with sour. I wouldn't call it xtra sour, but it was pretty strong, especially for kids (but I would have loved it as a kid).

It definitely did taste like grape juice and not medicine. The artificial flavor and sweetener showed up as an aftertaste, but only mildly. Although the tube said it was 2 servings, neither my husband nor I can have very much of this at once. It's not bad at all, but maybe it's the sour factor. In any case, it does a decent job of killing cravings for sweet stuff, so Gwape is all right. Maybe next time, we'll try Blue Bewwy.

B

Innovative Candy Concepts website

Nestle Muscat of Alexandria KitKat

I bought this KitKat when I was in Japan about two months ago, and I've been avoiding reviewing it. My husband took one of the packs inside and I tasted a little bit, and I really, really didn't want to eat any more of it. I finally mustered up enough courage to eat and review my half of the KitKat this morning.

Grape always makes me nervous. I love grapes, and like some grape candy (purple Skittles, grape Hi-Chew), but it just doesn't seem like a flavor that goes well in chocolate. My suspicions were confirmed - this KitKat didn't work.


The KitKat is a pale green and smells strongly of muscat grapes. I guess that's good, mission accomplished. The taste was a strong muscat with a fake aftertaste that lingered for quite some time. I could only eat one of the fingers in the pouch.

This was not a good idea. Chocolate and muscat grape do not go well together, at least not here. It was okay when I couldn't taste the grape, but even then, the white chocolate was overly sweet. It was the aftertaste that really pushed me over the edge. It wasn't inedible, but it was the worst KitKat flavor I've ever tried. Funny, you'd think that title would go to soy sauce flavor. Anyhow, this KitKat was not for me. My husband liked it more than I did, and Orchid64 at Japanese Snack Reviews didn't hate it, either. Please check out her review, or ZOMG, Candy for other perspectives.

D

KitKat Website (Japanese)

Laffy Taffy

Back when I was younger, I had braces. Taffy tops the list of things you can't eat when you have braces; one of my freinds broke a bracket eating Tangy Taffy once. Whatever happened to Tangy Taffy? Anyhow, there was a time in my life when I couldn't eat taffy, so perhaps that makes me want to eat it more now.

The packaging feels like it's aimed at the 10 year old me, growing up in the 1990s. Bright colors and "cool" fruit. Just check out the sour apple guy in this picture. He looks like a beat poet! The goatee and shades are pretty cool.

Oh, and the jokes. You buy Laffy Taffy for the jokes, right? Most of them are recycled, but then credited to (presumably) a child, as if they thought it up themself. For example: Why can't a nose be 12 inches long? Because then it would be a foot. I don't think Jennifer B. in Ft. Lauderdale, FL really came up with that herself.

I still haven't gotten to the actual Taffy. As far as I know, it tastes the same as it did when I was a kid.

Sour Apple: It's an electric green color (again with the 90s marketing) and starts out tasting almost like apple, but about halfway through, there was a weird, chemical taste that I didn't enjoy. Still, the taffy was pretty juicy.

Strawberry: A bright pink color, I can't really say it tastes like straberry, but it's somewhere in the ballpark. It's a nice, sweet, berry flavor, and they managed to mask the chemical taste much better.

Grape: Considering how most artificially flavored grape candy tastes like cough syrup, these aren't too bad. They are a pale purple, and they remind me of good grape popsicles. The ones that didn't taste like Robutussin.

Banana: I've never been a fan of banana flavored things. I love actual bananas, but banana candy is its own taste. My husband loves it and I just can't stand it. These are the epitome of banana-flavored candy, and I couldn't finish it. It just reminded me of the smell of rotten bananas.

Overall, I think the pieces are too big, and it kind of felt like chewing a balloon at times. All the flavors are artificial, and it shows, but they're all right. I doubt I'd buy them again, but I mostly bought them for nostalgia anyhow.

B-

Wonka Website