Hi Chew Mix – 4 Fruits (with Melon)

I’m not sure how other people’s brains work, but for me I tend to have a lot of links and associations between things that normally wouldn’t be so. For example, Christmas conjures up certain flavours, images and memories for me that are quite common with other people – gingerbread, trees, snow, peppermint. Then there are the admittedly odder things – like Shopper’s Drug Mart, Saturday morning cartoons, and Hi-Chew. That last one is odd, but probably not for the same reason you think.

You see, when I was younger, I spent almost every Christmas visiting family in Hong Kong. One of the things I looked forward to the most was stocking up on candy and snacks in the grocery stores. Something about the snacks in Hong Kong was just so magical compared to what we had in the North. I guess part of this was what I like to refer to as travel bias. You know, when you travel to a certain place and everything seems somehow magical because it’s so foreign or different. You would think the magic would pass as I got used to coming back every year. That or the fact that I was no longer a child, but I guess my childlike wonder never really left me when it came to snacks.

The snacks I got would often change year over year depending on what I was jamming on. One thing that remained consistent though, was Hi-Chews always found their way into the mix. In particular, the most common variety was the standard assortment pack. The four flavours are usually the same three, consisting of green apple, strawberry and grape, with a fourth, rotating flavour. I couldn’t tell you what all the flavour of the weeks were during my tenure as an experienced Hi-Chew hunter, only that the three standard flavours were pretty solid and there’s a reason they don’t rotate out. This time around, the flavour is melon.

The bag has a total of 6 apple, 6 grape, 6 melon and 4 strawberry. Is anyone else bothered by what a strange arrangement this is? I feel like a straight 6 each would have made way more sense….but I’m sure there’s a reason they did what they did. My personal preference would be 4 apple instead, but I’m sure the green apple fans would be more than happy to trample over me to silence me.

Starting off with the strawberry – the smell is very typical of what you’d see in that distinct, fake strawberry flavour. If you’ve ever had a strawberry Pocky, you know exactly what I’m talking about. You might think that based on my word choice, this is something I disparage, but alas you would be wrong. I actually like the light, floral and sweet flavour of fake strawberries. The flavour of this Hi-Chew is no different. It’s nice and light, and not too strong or overly sweet. I find it kind of odd though, that they felt the need to add what appears to be pieces to simulate strawberry seeds. I mean, it’s not like we don’t know what were getting into here. It doesn’t really add anything or detract from the experience, apart from making it look like it has measles.

Next up is green apple. I gotta level with you guys – a part of me kind of dreads reviewing green apple flavoured anything. I just don’t like the flavour of green apple when it comes to candy. It’s doubly weird when you consider how much I love actual apples of all kinds. I don’t know why I’m like this, but for science, I have to try to be as objective as possible. The green apple flavour is strong, as strong as you imagine anything green apple can be. While it’s not something I enjoy, I do see why people enjoy the combination of the sweet with the tart finish. It definitely reminds me of a slightly (and I mean only slightly) ripened green apple. For someone who enjoys that combo, this piece is a winner. Unfortunately I’m not a part of that crew, so personally I would pass on this.

Red grape is up next. It might just be my bias and frame of reference, but among my social circles, grape is unanimously touted as the best Hi-Chew flavour. While the debate over whether the green variety or the red variety is superior, we seem to mostly agree that grape in general is the superior flavour to all the others. I won’t go into too much detail, but suffice to say that this flavour is basically the same one I reviewed way back when. It has just the right balance of floral, sweet and a mild tart finish, all coming together to create a pretty accurate mouth impression of a Japanese grape. As always, grape is the lynch pin in any variety it shows up in, so regardless how little I may like the other flavours, I can always count on the grape saving the others. I’m not saying the other flavours in this mix require redeeming, but grape definitely elevates it.

And so we come to the final flavour. The new kid on the block, the one with something to prove. Given that they rotate the flavour every few months, I can’t say that melon has a good shot of becoming a main stay. Tradition is tradition for a reason, right? But at the very least I can give it the benefit of the doubt and pretend like it has a chance at tenure. I wouldn’t be able to tell you specifically what kind of melon this is, other than it is some sort of muskmelon, and based on the colour and packaging is some sort of honeydew. If you’ve ever had the pleasure of trying a Melona bar, this taste exactly like it. It’s got a very nice, rounded sweetness to it, but also has a very nice clean finish to it, leaving you kind of refreshed. It also has a somewhat dairy quality to it, like there’s a milk flavour to it which is giving it the clean, flavour. Based on past experience I would say that the odds of this flavour being added to the main line up are slim to none, but I like this enough that I would argue it should replace green apple.

As always, here’s a quick rundown of how I’m feeling about this mix. Obviously, mileage may vary:

1. Melon
2. Grape
3. Strawberry
4. Green Apple

I put melon before grape, mostly because I don’t get enough melons as it is, so the novelty and newness of this fresh flavour puts it at one. As is surprising to no one who knows me or has read my other reviews, green apple is the bottom, not because it’s bad or poorly done. It’s just a matter of preference and I don’t like green apple as a flavour.

All this being said, there is a reason that they keep cranking out this standard 3 flavour mix with the fourth as a rotating flavour. They have been around long enough to know what works, and what doesn’t. While my disdain for green apple is amply clear at this point, I still have to admit the assortment is on point, and I don’t see it changing any time soon. Since this isn’t a limited release per se, I feel comfortable saying take your time looking for it.

And with that, I will say a good day to you and Merry Christmas. If you don’t celebrate Christmas….then have a great day? Please don’t sue me.