This is the Kanro Jururu nankō ume. It uses juice from nanko-ume from Kishu in Wakayama Prefecture where the fruit is allowed to fully ripen and naturally fall. The fruit is regarded as being of the highest quality due to its thin skin, small seed and soft flesh.
These candies are individually sealed, each with a hard exterior and a chewy centre.
The candy was a deep pink colour and around 1.5 cm in diameter. Upon tasting, the flavour of the ume was immediate yet faded somewhat as the hard exterior shell melted on the palate before returning bolder and brighter on reaching the chewy centre. Whereas the exterior shell focused on the rich, apricot-like aromatic sweetness with a mellow acidity, the chewy centre amplified the tart fruity flavour as it melted. By the end of the candy, the ume flavour came full circle as the clearer sweetness of the exterior meldeds with the tart fruitiness of the interior. These were delicious candies.
This Kanro Jururu Nako Ume contained 65 g. It was produced in Japan and purchased in Sydney, Australia in 2022.