Tsubu Tsubu Orange Hi-Chew

Hi-Chew, like most Japanese candies, undergoes more flavor changes and makeovers than Ru Paul and frequently keeps updating its line of limited edition and regional candy flavors. Needless to say, it can be difficult for a food blogger to keep up with the trends, especially with the high overseas shipping prices it costs to import them. But every so often, my local Asian grocery will have a few new flavors for me to try out.

This flavor plays off the idea of using Japanese onomotopoeia as a textural component. In this case, "tsubu tsubu" refers to the sensation of chewing little bits of something hard within something soft, similar to bubble tea or in this case, fruit rind bits. The candy is made up of a soft, chewy orange center and cream-based outer later studded with pieces of orange rind or imitation rind.If you've had Hi-Chew, you're familiar with the alluringly unique texture. It starts out rock hard and tough to chew, and then melts away into a creamy, taffy-like sweet that lasts for about a minute before you're able to swallow it. The pieces of rind don't interrupt the smoothness of the candy at all, rather, they meld quite nicely into the overall experience.The flavor is mainly orange and cream, like a slightly more intense creamsicle, but with a hint of mint at the end that reminds me of the short-lived Crest orange toothpaste with a much better execution. The little pieces of orange rind provided a slightly bitter counterpart to the sweetness of the candy and gave a nice bite to the chew. I definitely enjoyed these. They weren't the most unique or unusual Hi-Chew flavor I've tried but offered an authentic and satisfying taste.