So, I live in the US and this candy is fairly hard to find here unless you know about it or encounter it in the candy section of your world market.But I happened on it at a family run homestyle Japanese restaurant and it is really unusual but amazingly yummy. AND USEFUL for someone looking for a fun way to produce natural saliva from a good but tangy flavor.First know, I am not normally a candy guy, but I found the taste and texture of this so unusual and yummy I wanted others outside of Japan or other countries where it is widely sold and marketed to know about it. It comes packaged like a pack of chewing gum in blocks. But it is not gum. though its texture is like that of gum initially, really flavorful classic Grape Kool aid flavor gum. It is also chewey like gum though it does over time get softer and softer and it is meant to be swallowed. But what really makes its so neat is that one the flavor is reminiscent of that childhood perfect candy grape flavor and where it is sweet and tangy and makes your mouth water. Also it chews just like gum except the flavor does not get less and less like gum. it stays pungent with a nice mix of sweet and tangy Grape flavor until it gets so soft you just swallow it or you can let it slowly dissolve in your mouth. I have had to be on some medications that can cause my mouth to get really dry and very few things can move my latent salivary glands to produce more saliva. And while this product does have sugar in it. it is still the best way I have found to produce my own moisture. Also one or two pieces can really be satisfying and you have a nice flavor in your mouth and you do not need to keep eating the candy. I have never seen another item like this where the texture starts out like a bubble gum block and then you chew on it to get this explosion of Grape Kool aide flavor that never lessens until you swallow it. its like the gum you always wanted but never got in that the flavor stays and you can swallow it when you are done chewing. Grape is by far and away my favorite flavor though I have tried strawberry and Pear with friends and some like the strawberry better. None of the flavors taste bad. in fact that is the other cool thing is that the whole theme of their flavor variety is a sweet and tangy take on natural fruit flavors. I have given a piece to many unsuspecting people at this point and almost every time, they either immediately say "WOW! what is this stuff?" or they come back and make a point to ask me about it later. I even gave it to a guy in my neighborhood grocery store and he ran up to me the next time I came in the store and took down all the information on what the candy was and how and where he can get it. Other than Amazon where they charge a fair price for a full case of the stuff -- usually around 11 dollars. You might find the candy in single form for about a dollar and some change a package -- the case comes with ten packs and I cannot stress how fun and good this is. If anyone who is reading this is looking for a great way to occasionally pop a treat in their mouth that will produce a ton of their own moisture, its great for that too, You just chew it a bit then let it sort of sit there like candy gum and it will just gush out its flavor. If I had to bet which would be the most popular flavor I would say it would be grape. But then I always had a weakness for certain childhood flavors of good kool-aid. if you wanted to put a sweet tangy grape taste in your mouth that you could chew on like gum for a while and then either just suck on it and let it shed its flavor just like it was new or to chew it till it was so hot, chewed and soft that you could swallow it. This is your candy. I could have used the taffy texture for this but it really is not sticky until the very end when one might be prone to swallow it. -- of course coming through Amazon, it came quickly well packaged and ready to go. totally fun thing to have around the house to put in a travel bag for something sweet to have as a change from sugar free gum which i also carry. and a fun treat that will totally mesmerize western kids of all ages. if you look at the individual piece it even has neat detailing as the outside is a milky white but in the center there is purple center for grape, red for strawberry and so forth. Very reminiscent of Jelly Bellies. if someone eats healthy most of the time but are looking for fun treats that can satisfy for a while with just a piece or two and are unique -- I would definitely try this candy out. It is very Japanese with its focus on details. and that the texture of the candy is as cool as the taste. and the grape taste is clean is that makes any sense. no super gross chemical aftertaste. If you know your taste is different then perhaps you can try something other than Grape but for me Grape is the best and it seems to have the most universal appeal. I wanted to check out and see if they had a mango or orange flavor too. I would love to give these out on halloween if they had a smaller pack to give out. In my opinion its a cannot miss. maybe you will love it maybe you will just like it, but I would be shocked if you did not at least really like it. And all this from a guy who is not into candy and usually only has sugar free spearmint gum.
