We may be sour, but we know our sweets.

Chimes Mango Ginger Chews : Boring or Yum?

Reviewed by on Jan 13, 2011 | 7 comments

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Happy new year, blah blah blah.  Let’s talk candy.  Specifically, ginger candy.  Have you tried these yet?:

I certainly hadn’t, but my last run at Cost Plus World Market inspired a purchase.  My brief history with ginger candy has been disappointing-I’ve only tried one variety, and it was mediocre.  Gingery to be sure, but kind of one-note.  I usually pass them by without a second thought.  I didn’t hold out high hopes for these, to be honest.

First, you gotta comment on the packaging.  Wait.  I mean I gotta comment on it-it’s beautiful.  Very cool looking tin stuffed precisely the same way (I bought a few tins) every time.  Very OCD.  Each piece is individually wrapped, and when opened, looks like this:

You feelin’ me?  The consistency is chewy, yet not too chewy, with a nice contrast of slight chalkiness from the sugar coating.  I might not be describing that well, cause chalk sounds disgusting, but trust me, it’s a nice contrast.

The flavor department is where these really pop.  Yes, they have that standard ginger chew taste that the “other” brand I tried had (cough cough), but the fruit flavoring sends this in a totally new direction.  I’m not sure who thought mango would pair with ginger, but wow-it’s great.

This candy isn’t super sweet…it’s definitely a more “adult” candy.  I should also note that they make flavors like orange, peppermint, and peanut butter (yes, you read that right).  They’re all good, but it was unanimous at my workplace-mango is the jam.  Fresh, different, a bit spicy, delicious.

This is a different candy-something unique.  Therefore, you must try it if you have any fondness for ginger. These would be absolutely perfect after a sushi dinner that costs $110 for 2 people (Bay Area, folks).

Sometimes you find a stinker, and sometimes you find a gem when you pick blindly. We got lucky this time. Pick them up at World Market, or from Amazon in several different flavors and packing options.

Another nice aspect? All natural ingredients, and not the bullshit “all natural” packaging lie, this is actually true:

Ingredients:

Cane Suger, Maltose, Choice Ginger, Mango Juice, Mango Flavor, Tapioca Starch.

No Additives or preservatives.

Gotta love that.

 

 


 

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  • http://www.candygurus.com Matty

    Well these certainly sound good. I love me some ginger. It started with Gilligan’s Island and I never looked back.

  • Coach

    The review captures it as I see it. At my grocer they have (plain) Ginger, Mango, Orange, and Peanut Butter. I have no resistance to the first two if the bag is open at home. Resistance must start at the grocery store. I agree with the reviewer, the Mango is the the ultimate, with plain Ginger a close second in my opinion. Orange sounds boring and Peanut Butter…yeesh…but normal-acting people seems to love them so it must be just me. I have no clue what prompted me to buy the first bag, but I don’t need all that sugar in my body, so now it’s a decision I have to make every time I go to the store. (I’m just now psyching myself up for some abstinence.)

  • matty

    Please tell me you’re Coach form Survivor. Please o h please.

  • robertthebig

    Hey, this review perked my appetite for ginger. Well done, and a lot better than that shaky video stuff. I’m goin’ out right now to buy some.

  • christa

    i’ve tried them and they’re awesome!!! a bit spicy but so tasty!

  • http://southafricanchoirgirl.blogspot.com SAChoirgirl

    I’ve been eating these for a while, but was a little baffled to discover that the ingredients listed on the larger packet of peanut ginger chews and the ingredients listed on the individual sweet wrappers are not always the same, and in fact in one packet we had several individual packs with slightly different ingredients. One of them lists “Cane suger, maltode, choice ginger, peanut butter, tapioca starch” while another lists “cane sugar, maltose, choice ginger, peanut butter, starch, vegetable oil”. Has anyone else encountered this, perhaps with different flavours? Any possible explanations?

  • http://www.candygurus.com Matty

    @SAChoirgirl…hmm. That is strange. Perhaps it’s just a small company thing, where the one marketing guy is also the one person writing package copy and sending to the printer and checking the comps etc etc. Perhaps just a mistake? On the other hand, given that people have some pretty crappy food allergies, ingredients lists aren’t to be taken too lightly. Have you sent them a note?

    http://www.chimesgourmet.com/contact_chimes.htm