This is the Morinaga Hi-Chew Premium Ehime Setoka, made with juice from setoka, a citrus from Ehime Prefecture created by cross-breeding kiyomi with encore and murcott, both known for their high sugar content.

The candy was elongated and spherical, about 1.5 cm in diameter, with a light pastel orange hue. It featured an external coating infused with setoka juice powder around a taffy interior, emitting a sweet, mellow mandarin aroma.

Upon tasting, the powdered coating provided a cool sensation on the palate, alongside a fresh, aromatic initial sourness. Biting through yielded to the taffy centre, which carried the majority of the setoka flavour, offering its fragrant sweetness. Each chew released an increasingly juicy richness, while the powdered coating continued to dissolve, adding a subtle hint of acidity to enhance the citrus profile. Similar to regular Hi-Chew, these did not stick to the teeth and, as a citrus-flavoured candy, they avoided the numbing sensation that can result from the use of oils, focusing instead on juice. Overall, the intense yet authentic fresh flavours and juicy textures made these candies highly satisfying, with a refined depth of flavour that made them worth repurchasing.

This Morinaga Hi-Chew Premium Ehime Setoka contained 35 g. It was produced in Japan and purchased in Sydney, Australia in 2024.