Hi-Chew – Strawberry Milk Smoothie

While I wouldn’t say I’m totally tapped out on Hi-Chew, I will say I’ve been following them closely enough that I wonder at what point I’ll come full circle and simply run out of items to review or try that I haven’t already. I’m already at the point where at least 1/4 of the products I see are either rehashes, reskins or re-releases of old flavours I’ve already had. It’s not always a bad thing, because let’s be real – they’ve had quite a few bangers that I wouldn’t mind having again. That being said, for me trying something new is part of the novelty, and I’m just worried I’m going to run out soon.

At this point I’m really scrapping by to find new strawberry based flavours. I’ve had normal strawberry, Umai chew, strawberry yogurt, strawberry milk and of course now, strawberry milk smoothie. I’m not fully convinced these are really that unique or distinct, and more convinced that they are simply a rebrand of some older flavour. There’s an argument to be made that doing that is a bit scummy and lazy, and I won’t fully disagree with that. Having said that, if the flavour is seasonal or hard to come by, I wouldn’t mind as much.

I couldn’t tell you how this is different from strawberry milk, quite honestly. It has the distinct strawberry flavour I’ve come to know and love, but the tart and floral notes are somewhat muted by the dairy notes from the milk component of the smoothie. It brings a more creamy component to the piece which is familiar yet welcome.

Texture is basically identical to strawberry with the added benefit of having a creamier finish both in texture and taste. I don’t know how much of that is due to the recipe itself or how much is my mind tricking itself with the flavour, but it does feel a bit smoother and creamier in the finish as I chew through the lovely taffy like texture.

Honestly this flavour is a little frustrating because it feels super lazy, but it’s also super tasty. Guess I shouldn’t expect much more out of a successful company milking (get it?) their popular lines for as much as they can. I mean hey, it works right? Look at Disney. It’s not a flavour that is always around like it’s standard fruit flavours, so I guess I am a little more forgiving that it’s essentially a reskin.