Honestly, it’s hard to believe what we’re seeing: Maui is on fire, which is something that feels like it just doesn’t happen. But it is happening, more and more, in fact it happened when I was there with my family in June, trapping my wife and son on the wild side of the island for the better part of 6 hours. But that’s nothing compared to what’s happening now. I don’t know how they’re going to rebound from this, so I’m not even gonna go into that. I just hope things get back to normal there as soon as possible and for no one else to get hurt.
This post was supposed to be about Li Hing Mui candy-or specifically, Li Hing Mui powder, which is a sweet, tangy, spicy, sour and bitter umami explosion that islanders love to put on…well, a lot of things. Most notably, gummy candy. While there, I had to get find the “best” option. And trust me, I tried a lot.
The predominant brand on Maui at least, is Obachans.
I picked up about 4 bags from Obachans- these pineapple belts, gummy bears, then a few more hardcore varieties: “old school lemon rind” and then a less intense version of that, shredded lemon rind. The big ding on Obachans are the sketchy ingredients — there are artificial sweeteners and things that just don’t need to be in there. And frankly, the old school lemon rind can burn in hell.
It was inedible to me and my friends, and I’d like to think I have a very open palette. The shredded lemon rind though was really tasty! Lemon, sour, a bit sweet. Nice. By far, these pineapple belts were the best (haven’t tried the gummy bears yet). I really liked the fact that they weren’t sticky, like some other Li Hing mui candy I’ve tried. Sour pineapple belts with attitude: tangy, sour, bright….it just adds a really excellent edge.
However, I’m here today to tell you about something new I found. Likely annoying the fine people at Obachans, there’s a new brand of re-packaged mainstream candies in Li Hing mui-called Noms. Absolutely gorgeous packaging!
I saw these but didn’t dwell on them, until I saw them yet again, and really looked at the package — Nerds Berry? Loaded with lemon peel & Li Hing mui? Yes please. Check out the photo of the actual peel inside:
One thing I love about these Noms is the feel- the candies are completely non sticky, not wet and there’s actually not a lot of stuff flaking off the candies; they did a good job here. And the taste? Holy shit. Outstanding. It takes an already tasty candy and adds a layer of surprise and novelty and frankly, better flavor. I love them.
And they don’t make just nerds. Hell no. They make sour strips, sour belts, dinosaur eggs (wtf?), 2 kinds of nerds, peach rings, gushers, and I’m sure more varieties. The size of the pouch is also dope-not too big, but big enough to share, reseal, and take with you.
Would ya believe they’re on amazon?
I HIGHLY recommend these to fans of big flavor, as they hit the mark.
Big love to everyone on Maui, stay safe.
If you would like to help victims of the Maui wildfires, here are a few places:
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