Hi-Chew Doubles – Grape with Apple

Grape is hands down my favourite Hi-Chew flavour. Green apple on the other hand….eh, I could do without. I totally understand why green apple is popular and it’s basically a staple in any fruit flavour variety. It’s just not for me. Apples are my go to fruit, but even then I tend to eat every variation except the ones that the flavour is based on. I guess something about the tartness is too much for me to handle? I can’t really tell you, as I’m not too sure myself. Preferences are a hard thing to pin down, especially when some of it starts at a young age. I don’t want to dig too deep, lest I hit some childhood trauma and discover I also hate something else. I can’t risk it.

Hopefully telling you all this will inform you that I am on the fence about today’s selection. It is a new product that Hi-Chew is testing out – two distinct flavours in one piece! I’ve long since realized that the two tone nature of Hi-Chew candies usually means it’s two slightly different flavours combined into one, taffy like piece. Often the outer layer is a milder version of the inner layer, and seems to be the chewier “skin” of the candy. This of course is all speculation, and it could just be a self-serving bias that my brain has put me through. All to justify the purpose of two different colours in a single piece.

Not today though readers. For this piece is confirmed to have two separate, distinct flavours! This combines an outer layer of grape with an inner layer of green apple. Being the rabid loyalist of a Hi-Chew fan, I feel I owe it to you, and myself to try this Frankenstein of a candy.

Something I’ve always admired about Hi-Chew is the ability to nail most parts of the experience, starting with the smell. Not surprisingly, there is that distinct red grape flavour smell. I can barely catch a whiff of that green apple scent. If you were to hand this piece to me blind and tell me it was grape, I would probably not have given it a second thought (or sniff). Appearance wise, everything is as advertised – the outside is purple and the center is green. My mind is racing with the possibility of how this will turn out, and I go straight in.

So there is no question about the flavours here. There’s the classic red grape, and the classic green apple. The first bite is all grape, but the subsequent chews bring out the green apple which kind of overpowers the grape. I think that’s one reason I don’t like green apple as a flavour too much, it tends to be too dominant and take over everything. The more I chew, the more the green apple comes out. While I don’t like the green apple too much, the sweetness of the grape balances out the tart from the green apple quite well, and it adds more complexity to the usual grape that is just sweet, with only mild tart or sourness to it.

That being said, I don’t think I can overcome my dislike for green apple enough to enjoy this. I’d much rather stick to my usual red grape flavour, as opposed to mixing it. I do recommend you try and find this if possible. It’s priced only slightly more than a usual stick (about 50 cents for me). Who knows, you may fall in love with the flavour combo and be disappointed later on to find out it was a limited release. Just kidding! But maybe not…