There are Gummy Candy 100 by Kasugai and then there is plain Gummy Candy by Kasugai. The packaging for both is identical as is the shape and size of each piece of gummy candy, but their flavours do not overlap. The distinguishing characteristic is that Gummy Candy is not flavoured with just concentrated fruit juice like the muscat, grape and apple flavoured Gumi 100.
But does using only fruit juice make a difference? We’ll see with the Kasugai Watermelon Gumi, which is flavoured naturally and artificially.
Each piece is a domed pale pink-yellow disc with soft, powdery skin, almost an inch in diameter.
On opening the packaging, there’s the smell of artificial watermelon that’s strong enough to recall nail polish but not strong enough to be repulsive. Thankfully, this chemical smell is confined to the initial smell and doesn’t come through in the flavour, which developed from a general sweetness in the head to the distinctly sweet and lightly acidic flavour of fresh, rather than, artificial, watermelon in the body as the gummy melts through chewing. This pleasant watermelon flavour lingered lightly in the aftertaste.
Their initial artificial smell aside, these watermelon gummy candies strike a good balance in their texture – neither too soft nor too firm – while releasing juicy flavour with each chew.
This Kasugai Watermelon Gumi contained 107 grams or 24 pieces. It was produced in Japan and purchased in Sydney, Australia in 2017.