Hi-Chew – Golden Pear

For those unfamiliar, across Asia there are a variety of pears that fall under a general umbrella known as Asian pears. These pears are different from the western ones like the Bartlet in that they have very distinct, crisp and juicy flesh. The flesh is so juicy in fact, that you can basically suck the pear like a vampire to get the juice. I’m not botanist or scientist, but I’d wager that have at least twice the water content of a more common green pear you would find in North America. The water content also lends itself to the pear being very crisp and having a distinct texture as you chew.

The smell of these is quite on point – they smell ever so slightly fragrant of the big round yellowish pears you find when you go to an Asian grocery store. I’m curious how to flavour will work though, because the flavour is generally very light, subtle and subdued. In Chinese there’s a phrase to refer to that kind of sweetness, an almost clear or clean sweetness. It’s also why the pear is sometimes used in soups or boiled to help with sore throats or when people are feeling feverish.

The flavour is quite possibly the hardest to nail down because of the nature of the sweetness in the fruit. A lot of it relies on water content to help make it not as sweet. If I was to take an actual pear and dehydrate it, I imagine it would taste somewhat similar to this piece. The best way I can describe the flavour is it’s like a combination of an apple, notes of pineapple, and slight earthy sweetness like a western variety pear. While it’s a bit jarring for someone who loves the actual fruit, I do have to give them credit for n ailing part of the flavour experience. The unfortunate thing is without the juiciness, it’s hard to get that flavour down pat.

Overall there’s not too much to say about the texture of the classical Hi-Chew taffy candy. What is distinct though is the tiny bits of sugar inside the inner white layer. When biting into an Asian pear, something that is noticeable other than the crisp and juicy flesh is that as you chew the combination of the skin and flesh leaves behind a somewhat gritty texture. It’s a bit hard to describe exactly what it’s like, but the somewhat gritty sensation that the chewing of this candy leaves behind actually somewhat simulates it. You know, sans all the juice and mess it potentially leaves if you bite it the wrong way or while unprepared.

Overall I enjoyed this flavour and I would get it again. I’m curious what it would be like without the gimmick of the sugar crystals, but truthfully it does add to the experience as the actual fruit is similar somewhat to that texture. Either way I hope they bring this back in some form or fashion in the future.