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Japanese snack brand Calbee has had its share of surprisingly-flavored potato chips. We've seen everything from chips flavored with natto (fermented soybeans), squid and carrots, and even ehomaki (thick sushi rolls eaten on the spring equinox festival of Setsubun).
However, their latest two flavors come so far out of left field that even the most jaded Japanese snack food lovers are sure to do a double-take: Blueberry Gum and Ume Gum Flavor Potato Chips.
That's no mistake. You saw the word Blueberry on the package. And 梅 (ume) in the package next to it, for those who aren't familiar with it, means Japanese plum.
Calbee has teamed up with Lotte Corporation to produce these unique chips that recreate the taste of their long-selling Blueberry Gum and Ume Gum, and are being sold exclusively at Don Quijote, APiTA, and Piago stores nationwide.
According to the press release, Calbee "wanted to create a product that would make customers excited and wonder what it would taste like."
Blueberry Gum Flavor Potato Chips
These chips recreate the sweet and sour taste of Lotte's popular Blueberry Gum, which has been on the market since 1982, and the refreshing aroma of blueberries.
Ume Gum Flavor Potato Chips
These chips recreate the refreshing Japanese flavor of plum and shiso from Lotte's popular Ume Gum, which has been on the market since 1976.
Each package contains 50 grams of chips and is currently set at "open price," although it is expected to be around 120 yen inclusive of tax. Quantities are limited so you can only get them while supplies last (expected to be around the end of March).
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- External Link
- https://grapee.jp/en/
10 Comments
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Robert Cikki
The person who invents such flavours must be doing some serious herbs
FizzBit
I’m a regular kind a guy, so these just gross me out. Bought a bag of reg. Calabee chips the other day and they’re terrible. Lays has the best chips IMO, and some other US smaller brands. I’ve been seeing some smaller lays bags (not Costco) and they’re made in Taiwan, but I wonder where they source the spuds from? I hope not China.
Mr Kipling
Calbee make the best chips in the world but they have lost the plot on this one.
Pukey2
fizzbit:
They could be. Oh no, you better boycott them.
FizzBit
boycott China?
cleo
No.
If I want blueberry flavour, I'll eat some blueberries.
If I want ume flavour, I'll drink some umeshu.
If I want chips, I'll put the chip pan on to heat up.
If I want thinly-sliced-and-fried-to-a-crisp potatoes in a bag, I'll buy a bag of crisps.
Preferably salted, or flavoured with cheese'n'onion.
snowymountainhell
Instead of a new flavor, @missCleo, how about more ‘air’ in Bigger sealed bags to take up more shelf space in the stores?
snowymountainhell
Understandably, its the same customer base year after year and the production machines in place are too expensive to change out. So, its more cost-effective to just change the flavors, from time to time,...not matter how bizarre.
Nothing like getting cheese chips with a little leftover ‘durian & yuzu’ from the last production run *_
FizzBit
I need to amend this. Turns out the chips are not Calabee, some koyaki something company that’s gotten away with copying the calabee bag.