Morinaga Hi-Chew Strawberry

If Hi-Chew Grape is the bold statement, Hi-Chew Strawberry is the original argument. This is the flavour that built the reputation, the one that has been converting unsuspecting first-timers into dedicated Hi-Chew consumers since before most of the other flavours existed. The strawberry here is sweet, bright, and unapologetically artificial in the best possible sense, delivering a flavour that captures everything enjoyable about strawberry and removes all the inconvenience of an actual piece of fruit.

The chew is, as always, the main event. That signature Hi-Chew texture, soft and yielding at first bite, gradually revealing a sustained chewiness that keeps the flavour going considerably longer than seems reasonable for something this small. Each individually wrapped piece presents itself as a modest, self-contained treat. The bag tells a different story. Hi-Chew Strawberry is the gateway flavour, the one people point to when explaining how they ended up with four different Hi-Chew varieties in their shopping basket when they only went in for milk. Morinaga made this one first and made it so well that everything that followed has been living in its considerable shadow ever since.