Hi-Chew – Banana Strawberry Condensed Milk

I wonder at which point the strawberry fatigue will kick in. It’s no shock that strawberry is a popular flavour for Hi-Chew. What sells makes money, and what makes money is what they will sell. At this point there aren’t too many strawberry combinations to still try without doing overlap, but thankfully this is banana as well. A flavour that I don’t mind, but is definitely nowhere near as popular. Oddly enough I don’t mind banana flavoured things, but the fruit itself scarred me as a kid, so it’s a weird relationship with the fruit.

Condensed milk is a distinct, noticeable flavour. So too are banana and strawberry, and Hi-Chew has proven they can do both quite well. It can serve as a sweet, dairy-like syrup substitute for sugar, mostly because there’s so much sugar in it. It’s why it goes well in so many things like desserts, drinks, candies and much more.

The strawberry starts off with the distinct floral, sweet, powerful berry flavour that I’ve come to know and love, but something seems different. Ever so slightly different. The sweet dairy notes of the condensed milk are somewhat subtle in comparison to the strong strawberry flavour, but it’s there and more noticeable in the after taste. The combination reminds me of a milkshake in some ways.

The banana is in a similar boat in that the fruit flavour is quite strong, but the dairy quality of the condensed milk makes itself known more through the after taste and the creamy quality that it adds to the flavour. Somehow, the addition of the condense milk makes the banana a really nice flavour, and while I still get flashbacks to banana cough syrup (which I sort of liked as a kid), something about the addition of the milk flavour elevates it to something I would prefer over the banana flavour on it’s own.

I usually prefer strawberry flavours, but the banana is a great accompaniment to condense milk so it takes the edge between the two. I’d say I enjoy both of these equally, but the edge goes to banana simply because at this point I feel like I’ve tried all the strawberry flavours there are, and it’s not quite as unique or exciting. In terms of texture, shockingly there is not difference between the two – at this point I am more looking for when they stray from their tried and true classic winning formula, and alas these do not. The chewy taffy, bouncy like texture from using gelatin in their candy makes it un-vegan friendly, but by gosh does it make for an amazing chew. It’s about as close as you get to a chewing gum without having to spit out later.

I would do this again, mostly because I enjoy the combination of condensed milk and the two specific fruits they used here. While not the top choice if I had to make a run for Hi-Chew at my local specialty store, this would definitely be up for serious consideration.