Chimes Ginger Chews - Marshall's - Marlton, NJ
One of the things Cybele and I mentioned on Candyology101 this year was trying to overcome our dislike of certain flavored sweets. She is trying to overcome her dislike of cherry, and I've been trying to warm up to ginger. So far, it's been going pretty well. I really liked Super Ginger, and I've been drinking more ginger-based beverages and sodas. I used to feel like the strong flavoring was similar to a cleaning product, but now I've come to really appreciate it's unique spiciness.
Since I'm trying more ginger products, and I'm a sucker for a pretty package, I couldn't resist picking these up when I was at Marshall's.(Where I still can't find any jeans that fit me and aren't flares. I swear, I will burn the women's clothing section to the ground.)
This is yet another case of me walking down the snack aisle and going, "Ooo! This is pretty," and tossing it into my cart. The design has these intricate patterns, which remind me of Moroccan murals and Aztec sun stones, but it's mixed with paper textures and modern illustration. When I looked at the product and it's history, it seems that Chimes has Indonesian roots, but I don't see much of that being reflected in this design. (Although I'm no expert on Indonesian art, so I could be missing something.)
Even though there's so much going on here, I don't feel like it's overwhelming or busy thanks to the simple color palette which keeps everything cohesive. I just love this bag and everything about it. It seems modern, yet old-world-y, and it has that matte-plastic finish that I love photographing. (Apparently I'm not the only one infatuated with this packaging. It's been written about in design books, and blogs as well.)
So it's got a pretty package, but what about the candies inside?
The ginger chews are each individually wrapped with little instructions on where and how to open them.Even though the chews are relatively tiny, roughly the size of a piece of bubble gum, the tiny wrappers still have no much detailing! I just can't get over this packaging! (Okay, gotta stop and focus on the candy.)
Chimes may have shown me where to open the package, and how, but getting my ginger candy out of there was still a bit of a struggle. This little chewy candy was really stiff, but sticky. It's almost like a piece of bubble gum, but with the consistency of stiff licorice. It was stuck inside my wrapper pretty good, but I was able to get it free with minimal warping.
Once it's free, it looks like a oblong piece of amber with a cornstarch-like coating, and it smells like candied ginger.
I took a bite and the consistency is really interesting! It's soft, but stiff, kind of like a Jujube, but softer, and it gets stickier and softer the more you chew it.
As far as flavoring, woo! This is even more spicy and intense than Super Ginger! The initial flavoring starts out sweet, almost molasses-like, with a bit of spiciness, but as you chew the ginger-y burn gets stronger and stronger. After a few seconds you get this really spicy burn towards the back of your tongue, and that spiciness lingers long after you've chewed this stuff up. I'm super impressed! It's so spicy that you'd think there was chili powder or something else in there, but it's all ginger!
I think ginger finally won me over, because I really love these! I took a few with me to work and when I felt a bit sluggish and unfocused at my desk, it helped me perk up and make it through the day. It didn't give me a Sonic the Hedgehog-like boost of energy, but it did perk me up, which is hard to do on a Monday.(Gotta go fast.)
Chimes ginger chews are pretty intense and spicy, and they aren't for everyone. My sister hated them, my mother can't deal with spicy food at all, and several friends tried it, but weren't too thrilled about it. If you like chili and mango flavored sweets, spicy food, or ginger (obviously), these are a beautifully packaged, but spicy product you're sure to love. For everyone else, it might be an acquired taste.
© Maria Smith http://poison-and-antidote.net
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