Hi-Chew Premium - White Grape review

Hi-Chew premium is a fun line of high quality Hi-Chew in a bag. The bag is also resealable, for easy snacking. The flavor I am reviewing today is white grape. It comes in a 40g bag that contains 140 calories. I bought the candy for $1.32 from Candysan.

The back of the bag contains all the product information.

The total number of candies. Each candy is about the size of a nickle, but much, much thicker.

Taste

The initial taste is just slightly sweet. I let it sit in my mouth for a moment and it didn't taste like anything or melt. If you lick it, it does taste sweet and reminiscent of grapes or muscat. Sucking on it really brings out a sweeter flavor, but still not strong. Chewing it brings forth the most flavor. The flavor of the candy actually isn't very strong. It is kind of light and sophisticated. Not too sweet, but sweet enough. It is not as strong as other, regular Hi-Chew flavors, but more refined, I suppose.

Scent and Texture

There is not really any scent to this product. The texture is interesting. I licked it, and the candy was rough. The candy is surrounded by a semi-soft shell, which wraps the soft, center, chewy candy. I let it sit in my mouth, and it didn't melt. Chewing it gets rid of this shell and I was left with a very chewy candy. I'm not sure if they are chewier than regular Hi-Chews. I don't think these last as long. Chewy, but not so chewy they stick to my teeth. That's good!

Repurchase?

Yes, I'd buy these again, but probably not as many as the regular rolls of Hi-Chew. I like the resealable package, as it is slightly less waste compared to the rolls, but the rolls are much easier to take along and share.

Overall

7/10. I love Hi-Chew, and these were good, but most of the rolls of Hi-Chew have tastier flavor. I'm not really certain what is so "premium" about these because I don't see any improvement over the regular Hi-Chew. In fact, there may be a slight downgrade in the flavor department. They are interesting and very tasty, but not the best I've had.

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OyatsuBox July 2014 Review & Spoilers!

I've been obsessed with subscription boxes for the better part of the past four years. They're just so... incredibly fun. So, when I discovered OyatsuBox, I just had to sign up! Every month, you get a box full of Japanese candies/snacks delivered to your door - straight from Japan! The cost is $25, which is pretty good! I was prepared to pay that much because I love subscription boxes and I love Japanese snacks. Seems like a no brainer to me!

Rilakkuma Honey Butter Pretzel Sticks - These are super good pretzel sticks. My daughter ate them right away, so uh, I only got a few and can't review them individually.

Dragonball Heroes Gummy and Collectable Card - Dragonball Heroes is an arcade game exclusive to Japan. This package contained 1 gummy candy and 1 card. The card is to be used in the arcade game, but if you live outside Japan, you're out of luck and it does nothing but look pretty.

Koikeya Scon - Japanese BBQ Corn twist - OMG, these are so good. I've had them before. They're not as strong and sweeter than American BBQ flavored stuff. It was a huge bag, with several servings, and I ate it in one sitting. I'd blame my daughter for eating them all, but she's 2, so it's like, she only ate 1 or two chips. So, yes, I'm just that fat. But really, try these.

LOTTE japanese drink candy mix - I've always wanted these, but never wanted to order from JBox or Napa Japan to get them. I'm not sure why. xD But anyway, I'm SO HAPPY these are in here! That alone keeps my subscribed. XD They're just so cute! I love the idea of candies flavored like popular soft drinks.

Yamoto sushi restaurant style miso soup - I am not big on miso soup, but I will eat this. There are 3 servings in the package. I've tried it already. There is a miso packet plus a packet of vegetables for each serving. There's a TON of vegetables in each serving, and I was pretty impressed. I do love me some seaweed, so I was actually happy with the soup, even if I wouldn't buy it due to my non-love for miso. Don't get me wrong, miso is alright, but I'd rather eat other stuff.

Umaibo Premium - Camembert cheese and Mentaiko  - I LOVE UMAIBO!! I'm sure everyone does. I'm so super happy to have gotten these. Oh, they're premium!

Hi-Chew Premium Grape - I wasted no time with this, as you can tell. :p

Koala no March - Strawberry - Lotte, you need to start selling the peanut butter flavor in the United States again. 20 years ago, as a kid, I would get the peanut butter "Koala's March" from the grocery store! I dunno what ever happened to them, but I assume they just stopped selling them in the US. I wish I could get them again! I remember loving them! I like the strawberry.

One thing to try: put them in the fridge! They're really good cold.

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As you can probably tell, this is a fantastic, fun box. I highly recommend signing up if you love Japanese snacks!

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Maxim Patissiena - Café Choco Parfait Instant Coffee Review

Maxim Patissienma is a brand of fancy "cafe" coffee drinks. I say fancy, but they're not too fancy considering they come in stick form. Also, the picture on the front makes the drink look much, much better than it really is. You do not get that much delicious foam and the chunks are kinda gross, unlike the picture.

Each box has 4 sticks. Each stick is mixed with about 150ml of hot water and has around 80 calories per drink.

It fills up a 6oz bodum double-walled glass. There isn't a lot of foam. At least, this isn't "real" foam, like on a cappuccino. For comparison, this is what my usual drinks look like:

So, you can probably guess I wasn't impressed by the appearance of the drink. :p

Taste

When mixed with the proper concentration of hot water, the beverage is very rich and chocolaty. It does not really taste like coffee. I can only pick up the chocolate taste. It tastes slightly better than the run-of-the-mill hot chocolate in the US, like Swiss Miss, but not as good as higher priced hot chocolates, like Bellagio or Ghiredelli. For a cheap, instant drink, it is quite good, but it makes a very small cup - about 6 oz. I

Scent and Texture

I pick up a light cocoa scent. The texture of this is kinda weird. There are small chocolate bits throughout the drink. They are soggy. They kinda taste like soggy Cocoa Krispie cereal. I'm uncertain if they are pleasant or not. I don't think they add anything positive to the drink. I don't mind them, but I can see how they might weird some people out. If you don't like soggy cereal, I'd definitely avoid this drink, because with every sip, you'll get some soggy cocoa bits. It would be a lot better if it were actual chocolate, like chocolate chunks or something similar.

Repurchase?

No, I'd probably not buy this flavor again. I don't think the soggy cereal bits added too much to this drink. I own a Nespresso, so it is quite easy for me to make a decent coffee drink at home, so these sticks just weren't very impressive. I'd imagine even if you didn't have a fancy coffee machine, you'd still probably wouldn't want to buy them a second time, because there are plenty of chocolate drink options out there that are better and can be purchased at your local grocery store.

Overall

5/10. It is better than low quality hot cocoa, but it still has some points deducted for the weird, soggy bits that add nothing to the drink. It also makes a really small cup, 6oz or so. It also doesn't have good foam. I like foam. If you like foam, you will be sad.

If you do want it, Candysan currently sells them.

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Site Updates!

I'm just giving a little bit of an update, mostly just ranting to myself and making myself feel important!

I'm doing a few slight chances:

This blog layout is not working. I need to change it. It looks really good if you're not flipping through pages, but if you press "next" and go to the next page of the front page, you'll see nothing but gigantic images. This is a problem. Whoever coded this layout did a poor job. XD Time to search for a new one!

I'm doing a slight name change --- Kawaii Kami to Cute Chew! Maybe someday I'll buy a domain. But nobody visits this blog, so it is pointless to buy a domain right now!

I need to create some pages with basic info. That will come when I actually find a functioning design for the blog. o.o

That's it for now!

<3 Manah

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Glico Collon - "Funassyi" Pear Review

This flavor of Collon features the Funassyi mascot. I do not know very much about Funassyi, but I think it is similar to Domo. If you wanna know more about the cute face on this package, you can read up about it here at Wikipedia.

This limited edition Collon is pear flavored, which is suppose to represent Funassyi.

This is the back of the package. Very cute.

The opened package.

The actual cookies.

Taste

These are really interesting. I'm sure you've tried Collon before, and these have the usual texture of Collon, but the center is super sweet and fruity. I'm not sure it really tastes like pear, but it does resemble fruit. The fruit taste is light and the cream is well, creamy. It's super pleasant and these might be my favorite flavor of Collon.

Scent & Texture

The scent was the first thing I noticed. It is really strong and fruity. The texture is nice and the cookies just melted in my mouth. I enjoyed the texture a lot. They are crunchy, but creamy and soft at the same time.

Repurchase?

Oh yes, I would buy these again! They taste really good and have such a lovely scent and texture.

Overall

8/10. While not the best cookies in the world, they are really enjoyable. I enjoyed the fruit flavor and the texture, along with the scent. If they stick around, I would buy them in the future.

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Candysan Haul Post #1 - Candysan Review

I've ordered from Candysan before, but I wanted to start posting about my hauls so you could get an idea of how they ship and pack the orders. :D

I ordered this particular package of candies on July 1st. It shipped on July 5th and I got them on July 16th. That's very fast! It came in a small box which was packed tight, so nothing could roll around and the chance for damage was minimal. Candysan is the cheapest place to import Japanese candies and food, so I usually try to order from them.

Look for future single post reviews for each product I ordered!

Pretz Pie Pear - $1.27 Each  - I did not know these had package variations, but aren't they cute? Pretz don't tend to be my favorite Japanese snacks, but I was really interested in these. They are suppose to be pear flavored sticks. Nothing too fancy here!

Pucchito Muscat - $1.13 each - I swear, Kracie has the best candies. I've actually already eaten one of these and it was totally amazing and I wish I had ordered more. These are little gummy candies shaped like grapes with sections. You can pull apart the sections and have a little fun eating them. That's not what was important, though. What was important was the taste and these were so amazing. Buy them! Yes, this flavor. You will not regret it.

Hi-Chew Premium - $1.32 each - Yes, I bought a lot of hi-chew in this order, because I'm absolutely in love with Hi-Chew or anything like Hi-Chew. I'm so addicted. I'm almost as addicted to Hi-Chew as I am to espresso. I think my diet may be 50% espresso, 25% Hi-Chew, 25% everything else.

Hi-Chew and Pucho - varies price points - I still don't think I bought enough to substain myself, though. I'll have to buy more really soon. Like now, maybe. But anyway, if you don't know what Pucho are, they are like Hi-Chew, but with gummies in the center. They add a little spice to my Hi-Chew diet.

Melon Pan Cookies - $1.96 Each - I had to buy them. They're totally adorbs. I make melon pan about once per month. I really like melon pan (who doesn't?), but I couldn't resist buying these cookies because of the cuteness factor. The boy version of the cookie tastes like a regular melon pan crust, and the girl version tastes like honeydew melon. :D It's really good! It makes me wonder if I can make honeydew flavored melon pan next time? I guess I'll try!


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So, I'll say, go visit Candysan and get some candy! There's really not much more fun than getting a package of Japanese candies. Seriously! I have a good time opening and eating the goodies. Let's hope I don't get too fat. XD

The only con about ordering from Candysan: they have never once responded to an email I sent them. I've sent them a few messages, but I've never gotten a response. This is sort of bad customer service, however, I've always gotten my packages quickly, so I don't know. Just don't expect them to be very responsive.

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UFO Yakisoba Instant Noodles Review

I have an obsession with Yakisoba Noodles. My absolute favorite instant yakisoba is the Ippei-chan with the mayo packet. I just love these and could eat them for every meal. Since I love yakisoba so much, I decided to order several bows of the UFO noodles. They looked really good, so why not?

Each package is around 600 calories, which is quite a bit, but pretty normal for pre-packaged yakisoba. Like most instant yakisoba, it has a little spout for draining the water. The directions are something like this:

1. Peel back the bottom of the foil to the line (labeled "2")
2. Fill with hot water.
3. Wait 3 minutes (I like to wait 5-10)
4. Pull back the drain foil, labeled "3"
5. Drain the noodles through the holes.
6. Add the sauce packet! Mix it up real good.
7. Sprinkle with the last packet and enjoy the noodles!

So, you can see, these are pretty foolproof noodles.

I like that there are some little bits inside of the package, like cabbage. It adds a little flavor.

The finished product looks quite lovely for an instant noodle bowl!

Taste

It tastes like yakisoba. If you don't know what yakisoba tastes like, well... It tastes like an instant fried noodle. The sauce is somewhat fruity, yet savory. It is kinda hard for me to the describe the flavor other than fruity/savory. It is not overpowering and the flavors meld perfectly. The flavor of this one is actually a little weaker than the Ippei-chan, so I'd say go for this one if you are uncertain if you enjoy the fruity flavor profile of yakisoba. 

Scent and Texture

I didn't notice much of a scent. I really need to start really sniffing the food I try. The texture is as you would expect - the noodles are soft and... um, noodles. If you let them sit longer, they'll get softer. I enjoyed the texture of the little protein pieces in there.

Repurchase?

Yes! I'd buy these again and just add some wasabi mayo on top.

Overall

8/10. They aren't perfect, but they're convenient and delicious. The noodles are tasty and only take a few minutes to make, so it's great to have them on hand for when I really want some yakisoba, though I'll always buy the Ippei-chan noodles first, I'll buy the UFO ones for a change. 

These can be purchased on eBay, from Candysan and Oyatsu Cafe.

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Calorie Mate Chocolate Nutrition Snack Bars Review

Calorie Mate is a brand of nutritional bars in Japan, made popular in the United States and elsewhere in the world by Metal Gear Solid. Each box contains four bars, divided into two packets. The entire box is 400 calories, or 100 calories per stick. There are many flavors available, including cheese and maple. This review is for the chocolate flavor.

I like how the bars are divided into two 2-bar packs. This makes it really easy to snack!

These cookies look like shortbread, don't they? Each one is actually about the length and width of a Walker's Shortbread Stick, but they are much taller and thick.

Taste

They aren't sweet at all and don't have a strong flavor. They just lightly taste of chocolate. There isn't very much flavor to these bars. They kinda remind me of shortbread, minus the buttery flavor. So, very bland chocolate shortbread. They're not bad, just not super tasty. A pretty sub-par nutrition bar.

Scent and Texture

The texture is dry. That's the best way I can describe it. I really needed a drink with these bars. They take awhile to eat just because of the dry texture. They aren't crumbly at all, even though they are dry. Easy to eat, but not fund and the texture is kinda boring. I mentioned they are like shortbread, but they are also drier than any shortbread I've had. They don't really have a scent.

Repurchase?

No, I would not buy it again. It was fun to try. There are plenty of other nutrition bars out there that are pretty amazing, so I wouldn't buy these again.

Overall

5/10. They were interesting and certainly not bad, but they aren't really good either. I'd say they are pretty mediocre. They are closer to a cookie than a nutrition bar, but they are a pretty bland cookie.

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Petit - Choco Chips (Matcha) Minature Green Tea Cookies Review

Petit is a brand in Japan that has a variety of different snacks that come in long tubes, like shown below. The flavor I'm reviewing today is the Green Tea Chocolate Chip ones, which I'm quite addicted to! I actually managed to snag some on eBay several years ago and I devoured them. So, I was really happy to see these in stock at Candysan!

I actually started eating these while taking pictures. I wasn't going to eat more than one, but the above happened before I got my picture of the actual product.

The cookies come in a little plastic tray, neatly lined up in the package!

Taste

These cookies have a highly addictive matcha flavor. It has a pretty strong green tea flavor. Paired with the chocolate chips, it is super delicious. Think of them as tasting like a green tea flavored Chips Ahoy cookie. This is what they taste like to me, but slightly less sweet.

Scent and Texture

The cookies are very, very crunchy. They are not soft or chewy at all. The texture is pleasant and once you start chewing, they sorta begin melting in your mouth. It's pretty awesome and highly addictive! The cookies don't have much of a scent.

Repurchase?

Yes!! I love these cookies. The packaging is cute and I'm somewhat addicted to the flavor and texture. These cookies are awesome for prepackaged cookies.

Overall

9/10. These aren't perfect, but they are addictive and taste good. Plus, they're pretty cheap. You can get these at Candysan for $1.18. There are 24 mini cookies per package, so it is a pretty good deal.

 I look forward to trying more Petit products! :D

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Meiji Karu Stick Potato Snack - Curry Flavor Review

Meiji Karu Sticks are flavored potato snack sticks. From what I've seen, all the flavors have been curry related. This was my first purchase of the snack and I bought them from CandySan for around $1.50.

The snacks come in the container, shown above. Mine was a little dented, but it didn't matter because most of the sticks inside were whole and none of them were crushed. It's a pretty sturdy cardboard package.

This is the top view of the container. It just shows basic information of the product.

I know I didn't get a picture of the nutrition information, but these are about 250-300 calories for 51g of snacks. That's quite high.

The opened package is above! :D There's quite a few sticks on here, but they are light. You can see that they are somewhat hollow, but thick.

These sticks are pretty yellow, probably from the curry spices. They also are quite long!

Taste

The first taste of these was somewhat spicy. I was disappointed, though, because I thought they would have a stronger curry flavor. The taste is rather weak and just slightly spicy. They aren't even all that spicy. It was not what I was expecting. I love curry, especially strong curries, so I was sad to taste them because they really are lacking in flavor.

Scent & Texture

These are very thick potato chips. They're very crunchy and, hm, just taste thick? xD I dunno. They're an interesting potato stick texture. It's very hard to describe. Since I'm not a food expert, I'm at a loss of words. I like the texture a lot, but the flavor was not too good. If they had more flavor, they'd be a very nice potato snack. I didn't really notice a scent, other than vague curry spices.

Repurchase?

No, I would not buy these again. The flavor was too weak and the calorie count was too high considering they didn't taste amazing.

Overall

I would give these a 4/10. I can buy much better potato snacks locally, so I was not impressed. I would not purchase them again even if they were easy to get.

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Ippon Manzoku Bar - Matcha Green Tea Review - Japanese Nutrition Snack Bar

Ippon Mazoku is a brand of nutrition bars from Japan. They come in a variety of flavors, including cheesecake and Matcha, which is the one I am reviewing today!

If you search on YouTube, you can find some crazy commercials for these. Apparently, these are targeted toward office workers.

The back of the package is pretty boring. I know you can't see the nutrition information, but these are around 190 calories per bar.

This is what the bar looks like unwrapped. It has a thick matcha flavored layer with a cookie crust.

You can see that there some white chocolate chips throughout the bar, which add sweetness!

Taste

The first bite of this bar, the matcha is really apparent. It has a light, but noticeable matcha flavor, but as I took more bites of the bar, the green tea flavor was drowned out by the overall sweetness of the bar. It isn't as sweet as American nutrition bars, but it still has a lot of sugar in it. Thankfully, the bottom cookie crust helps to balance it out a bit. The cookie crust isn't sweet, only the green part of the bar is really sweet. After several bites, it no longer tastes of matcha when chewed, though there still is a matcha aftertaste!

Scent & Texture

It smells like a faint, sweet cookie. There isn't much of a scent. It doesn't smell like matcha. I like the texture of this bar a lot. It is crumbly in the mouth, but fairly dry. It is best to drink this with tea or water, maybe even milk. I feel like milk would pair well with it, which would make it a good, quick breakfast.

Repurchase?

Yes! I actually really like this bar. I don't know, but the texture of the bar makes me want to eat more of them. I don't think I can really explain it, but I'll be ordering more of these.

Overall

7/10. While not the best nutrition bar I've ever had, it is quite tasty. It tastes more like a cookie bar than a nutrition bar. It does somewhat lack in nutrition, as it has only 3g of protein. Most bars I purchase have around 10g, so this wasn't very filling. I had to deduct some points for that.


If you're interested in this bar, you can find it at CandySan. Just look in the snacks section!

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Lotte Pokemon World Cup Strawberry Sandwich Cakes Review

This package of Pokemon cakes were made to celebrate the World Cup in 2014. This box contains six individually wrapped cakes. Each cake is 109 calories and is filled with vanilla cream with a strawberry center.

When you open up the box, there are lots of colorful pictures of Pikachu everywhere! Each pack having a different picture adds a little bit more fun to this box of cakes.

I picked this cake. It's cute, isn't it? :D

The cake looks really tasty and is about two inches across. It is actually a rather nice size considering the calorie count is low. Though, the two cake pieces aren't as fluffy as the picture on the box makes them look!

Taste

A fluffy cake with a light texture. There wasn't a lot of strawberry in the center, but when I did get a taste of strawberry, it was good. The cake isn't very sweet, but it has a nice vanilla and strawberry flavor. It tastes like a golden cake with a hint of strawberry jam.

Scent & Texture

The texture of these is best described as a light and fluffy cake. The cream filling is smooth. There isn't much of a scent - just slightly sweet.

Repurchase?

If I could reliably find these, I would buy them again. They are quite good.

Overall

8/10. Very tasty little cakes that pair well with a cup of tea. 

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