Autumn is the season for nashi. I love their crisp, juicy and refreshing flavour so much that they form part of the namesake to this website. So, it goes without saying that I have a fondness for foods flavour with nashi. These Pine Nashi Cough Drops were released in September 2015, just in time, they say, for the fatigue and ailments of the upcoming autumn season into winter.
The candy uses juice from nashi pears produced in Japan. Each piece is spherical with a menthol centre, surrounded by a nashi flavoured hard candy core and a surface of sweet nashi flavoured powder.
The rich flavour of juicy nashi pear came through instantly from the sweet powder coating. As the powder dissolves, the crisper notes of fresh nashi came through from the hard candy core, with a slight hint of acidity emerging as the powder dissipates – much like the core of nashi pear, although not so strong – to balance the sweetness. About 5 minutes in, the centre releases a small amount of menthol to give a refreshing finish with the gentle taste of nashi pear. The candy continues dissolving for another 5 minutes, although the familiarity of my taste buds to candy means that the flavour tastes only slightly sweet with the barest hints of nashi. Overall, this is candy has true nashi flavour with an enjoyable complexity.
This Pine Nashi Cough Drops contained 90 g. It was produced in Japan and purchased in Minoh, Ōsaka, Japan in 2015.