Exotic/Disgusting Foods and Beverages Forum--Japanese Gummy Candies

     This time Wegman's supermarket provided 3 flavors of Japanese gummy candy--cola, Ramune soda, and melon.  They were all from the Puchao brand, manufactured by UHA Mikakuto Co., Ltd.
     Trying to learn more about the Mikakuto company was a little difficult at first, and simultaneously entertaining.  That's because the first company website I came across was, unsurprisingly, in Japanese.  There was a "translate page" option, but I soon found out this translation was limited. Only some passages were translated into English, and even these often used comical grammar and phrasing.  I don't want to come across as being ethnocentric--no doubt American websites translated into other languages also sometimes have stilted, awkward sentences and funny errors, too.  But I did notice this about the website, all the same.  Some of the product descriptions were a bit amusing too, possibly due to more cultural differences, or poor translations.  The ninja meat candy flavor was actually cola-flavored, and the tagline was, "You shall satisfy your hunger with hard garbage which chews up."  And one flavor was "bastard gummy yogurt."  Eventually I was able to locate another version of the company website which was a much better, and complete English language translation.  One of Mikakuto's slogans is "Deliciousness is gentleness."  With the notable exception of the "violent shigekicker extreme stimulant lemon candy," apparently.  The UHA in the company name stands for "Unique Human Adventure," and Mikakuto started back in 1949.
     But on to the ratings.  Each pack contained 10 individually-wrapped pieces, which were about 2.5 cm (about 1 inch) by 1.5 cm (about .65 inches).

1) Puchao gummy soft candy, melon flavor.  White on the outside, with a yellowish-orange center.  Very chewy gummy.  Reminded me a bit of Hi-Chew (see November 2, 2016 post), but better than that. Not that great, though, less than average.  But to be fair I'm not a bit fan of melons, or their flavors, in general.

2) Puchao gummy soft candy, Ramune soda flavor.  Continuing the soda theme, this one contained embedded "fizzy tablets" to mimic the carbonation of a soft drink.  This candy was also white on the outside, with blue stripes. The only textural difference I noted was it was even more chewy and taffy-like than the melon variety.  I didn't notice any carbonation-like effects.  It was fruity, and pretty good.

3) Puchao gummy soft candy, cola flavor.  As with the Ramune one, this kind also had the fizzy feature.  Which once again went unnoticed by me.  The candies were brown and white.  Rather like the ramune one, the cola flavor was solid, and decent.  I like cola sodas okay, so that probably helped my impression.

     Overall, then, these Puchao gummies ranged from less than average to slightly above average.  Better, certainly than their Hi-Chew neighbors, but not exceptional.  I might try other flavors of Puchao gummies, or other Mikakuto candies, but I don't think I'll buy these particular kinds again.