As we get older we undeniably lose some of our lust for super sweet confections. These selections are a mix of Western imports and old Beijing standbys easily found around town. Dig in and figure out which ones to unwrap.
Bonumee Gummi Sour Worms (RMB 10)
“Much cuter and tastier than the worms found in puppy stools.”
“Way too many of the yellow/red flavor worms, would much prefer more red/blues in here.”
“These are loaded with tartaric acid, which really dries your mouth out. Regardless, these are still a sour, chewy classic and a triumph of synthetic flavor invention.”
Kang Er Bei Suan San Se (RMB 19/kg)
“Definitely tastes like something my grandmother would eat to wake up her taste buds.”
“Featuring synthesized apple, strawberry and lemon flavors, these were an essential candy to many a Beijinger in their formative years.”
“Strawberry is by far the most sour of all the flavors, and causes the most puckered-up face action.”
Skittles Sour (RMB 8.5)
“These are sadistically sour little suckers. Not for the amateur candy consumer.”
“This is probably what battery acid covered in sugar tastes like. There is a slight burning a hole in your tongue sensation.”
“Will cause mouth numbness and an ugly puckering of disgust to your face.”
Xufu Ji Suantian Meitang (RMB 19/kg)
“This brings back terrible memories of the candies from the bottom of your Halloween bag, before you realize the truth in the old adage ‘save the best for last.’ ”
“This is your typical generic hard candy, with a slight plum flavor.”
“Definitely not sour, but very sweet and a slight caramel flavor and color.”
Madajie Huamei (RMB 16.9/kg)
“These are just candy for candy’s sake.”
“Not my favorite out of the bunch, but they are more than capable of fixing a sudden drop in glucose levels.”
“This little plum flavored candy is a tad boring, but I would still eat it after finding it in a jacket that’s been in storage all summer.”
Xufu Ji Heitang Huamei (RMB 33.9/kg)
“Kind of difficult to describe, but they’re super chewy and fantastic!”
“These would be the equivalent to a lump of gold in Candy Land. The top of the Chinese candy chain.”
“If you can imagine and materialize the perfect sweet through some sort of sorcery, this would pop up in front of you.”
VERDICT
In the end, Heitang Huamei hit our sweet spot. They more or less taste like a Chinese equivalent to a chocolate flavored Werther’s Original with a dried plum shoved in the middle. If that sounds intriguing to you it’s because they are actually very awesome and addictive. Our collective waistline would probably prefer us to erase the knowledge of these from our memory.
Read our previous forays into the tastes of Beijing or read more stories by this author here.
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Photos: Joey Guo