Here, we picked up the Ashikita Agricultural Co-op Kumamoto Dekopon Jelly Pure. Kumamoto Prefecture is noted for its production of dekopon, a seedless and sweet variety of mandarin orange sometimes sold under the name ‘Sumo citrus’ in the West.  Only products with a sugar level above 13°Bx and citric acid below 1.0% can be sold with the name dekopon, a name that was previously a trademark of the product from Kumamoto.

This jelly uses dekopon grown in Kumamoto and so featured Kumamon who’s holding a dekopon. Dekopon and dekopon juice are listed as the first two ingredients.

The jelly is an opaque orange colour with numerous peeled segments of the fruit within. Upon tasting, the jelly has a melting mouth softness with a bright dekopon flavour that has a deep, clear sweetness, which tastes much like freshly squeezed dekopon juice. The segments of dekopon add pops of intense sweetness and texture as the pulp cells release concentrated juice and fall apart on contact.

This Ashikita Agricultural Co-op Kumamoto Dekopon Jelly Pure contained 3 x 80 g cups. It was produced in Japan and purchased in Kumamoto, Japan in 2019.