Hi-Chew Doubles – Precious Strawberries

Japan is home to some real creative (or crazy, depending on how you look at it) fruits and produce. I’m sure a few fruits instantly jump to mind, like square watermelons, super expensive yet tasty grapes and melons, and giant strawberries. When people ask why Japanese fruits can be so expensive, it’s important to remember that most of the fruits aren’t factory farmed and don’t have the same level of scale or production that the more common fruits get. I won’t get too much into the debate of value and whether it’s worth such a big multiplier, but I will say that it’s important to try at least once in your life to get some perspective. Just maybe don’t make it a usual thing, huh?

Today’s flavour of Hi-Chew is actually the blend of two unique Japanese regional specialty strawberries. It’s the combination of the Amaou strawberry, and the white strawberry. I’m not sure about this, but I think this particular white strawberry is based on the White Jewel, probably the most well-known variety of white strawberry to come out of Japan. I don’t know a whole lot about it, apart from them being super expensive and supposedly tasting like pineapple more than the traditional strawberry. Amaou strawberries are more like the typical grocery store strawberries, but on steroids – they are typically larger (palm size almost) and they have very little tart or sourness to it. Just that sweet, juicy strawberry flavour. They’re also super expensive.

When people who have never had very specific breeds of fruits like concord grapes, typical grape flavours may seem very divorced from the flavour of grapes most often found in grocery stores and the cheaper, more widely available types. I bring this up because I get the impression that Amaou strawberries suffer from the same issue. It’s no surprise that Japanese strawberry flavours have a distinct taste to them. But if you’ve never had an Amaou strawberry, it’s perfectly normal to think that the flavour in strawberry sweets are fake and overly artificial. If you’ve tried Amaou strawberries though, you’ll realize that there are some strawberries that actually do taste that sweet and floral. Also, Amaou strawberries are pretty big, and actually fairly common as they export to other regions in Asia. I still remember the first time I had one…what a magical experience.

I’m starting to feel kind of bad doing so many limited edition reviews. Not because overtime it’s costing me an arm and a leg, but because there’s good odds that neither you nor I will ever be able to try them again. I guess in that way this serves as more of a historical archive, for people to look back on and think “that sounds like a good idea, maybe they should bring it back”. Unlike paying for a remake or a reboot of a film franchise, I’d be down for that.

I can’t tell if the problem is I’m an uncultured swine, or my taste buds just aren’t advanced enough. I like to think that I have a pretty sensitive palette though, but maybe I don’t have enough experience with these premium strawberry types. An alternative explanation is that the OG strawberry flavour is already based on the Amaou strawberry, which I think makes perfect sense. They base their OG grape flavour on the Kyoho grape, so it wouldn’t be that much of a stretch.

The flavour is very similar to the OG strawberry, with not much noticeable difference (for me at least). According to the label, out of the strawberry juice used in this flavour, 34% is from the white strawberry, while 56% is from the Amaou. I guess in the end the actual flavour of the strawberries is hard to pin down, given that fruit flavours are rarely just from the juice itself. If you’ve ever had a really good fresh fruit, you’ll understand what I’m getting at. It’s the combination of a lot of factors, not just the juice.

The end result of this piece is that it ends up tasting almost identical to the OG strawberry flavour. There’s nothing much for me to distinguish this from the normal flavour. This one is a little less floral than I remember the original being, and has a more rounded sweetness, with almost no tartness to it. Another noticeable difference is that there is no aftertaste for this one. It finishes clean, and doesn’t leave that distinct floral strawberry aftertaste. This is actually a pretty big deal for me, hence why I call it out. I generally don’t like candies that leave a lingering after taste, and it’s why I tend to avoid strong citrus flavours. None of that here. Once you’re done with the piece, it will almost be like you never had it. Which I guess could be good or bad, depending on your preference. For me, it’s all good. Ironic when you consider what a sentimental person I am.

In typical Hi-Chew fashion, the texture is the perfect combination of chewy, bouncy taffy like gold. Being a strawberry flavour, I was kind of expecting there to be little seeds similar to their original flavour, but there’s none of that. Not that I mind, I like the nice bouncy, smooth chew. Also in typical Hi-Chew fashion, I am disappointed that unlike chewing gum, this one melts away eventually and I’m left wanting more.

It’s no secret I love Hi-Chew. At this point I’m almost on the prowl for a bad Hi-Chew flavour, because I’m tired of being a slave to them. This flavour is good, there’s no doubt. But it’s not different enough (for me) to warrant scavenging for this. I honestly feel like it’s more marketing than anything. If like me, you won’t notice the small differences, save the time and effort and go and get the Japanese version of their strawberry flavour. It’s just as good, and probably much easier to find. Though probably not much cheaper…I won’t lie and say the non-Japanese strawberry versions will be as good, but they would still probably be superior to the other brands of strawberry chewy candy.