No Time & Black Black
You may recall a while back I got an order from Japan of candies. The last thing I wanted to share with you that came in that box are the two gums from Lotte.
Name: No Time Gum
Brand: Lotte
Place Purchased: Jbox
Price: $1.50
Type: Gum
The first is No Time, which is a little gray, dusty cube of gum. It's got a light mint flavor and is advertised as a replacement for brushing your teeth when you have no time. Handy, eh?
There are quite a few "whitening" gums on the market in the States, most have baking soda in them, so they end up tasting rather salty and soapy. No Time does not have that burning mint flavor that some freshing gums have and though it says it has some sort of scrubbers in it, it's quite smooth. The chew is a little tough, the flavor slightly medicinal. I'm not a big gum chewer, and though I found this pleasant, it's not something I would seek.
Name: Black Black
Brand: Lotte
Place Purchased: Jbox
Price: $1.40
Type: Gum
Many Americans are familiar with Black Black - especially if you frequent truck stops or college campuses. Black Black may be the original caffienated gum. "Hi Technical - Excellent Taste and Flavor."
They come in the traditional foil wrapped stick. The color is not black, but rather dark. It looks like it should taste like licorice, like a large chewable sen sen. But, it's actually flavored quite differently. It tastes like cough drops. Hall's Menthol cough drops. I don't know if that helps with the caffiene delivery or not.
Though the taste isn't necessarily enticing, the charge is definitely there. I couldn't find any info on how much caffiene is in a stick, but I can tell you from experience that I had a terrible headache about two weeks ago. I tried aspirin, then ibuprofen and finally chewed a stick of black black ... whew, sweet relief. Of course I had trouble sleeping later that night (next time, I'll try the black black first!).
It's a good thing to keep in your arsenal. Much better than drinking caffienated drinks when driving, if you ask me, because you don't need as many bathroom breaks.
Ratings - No Time - 5 out of 10
Black Black - 7 out of 10
4 Comments:
My roommate is addicted to Black Black. Although most Japanese supermarkets carry it, it's cheapest at the little market on Sawtelle, between Giant Robot and GR 2. They're also the perfect "keep me awake" treat for midnight movies.
"some sort of scrubbers in it"
Ooh! Maybe they're the soft type, like those smiling bubble people in the old detergent commercials! Or were those enzymes?
I've really got to get over to the westside to try out some of these markets. Thanks for the tip Calamari.
The best markets for finding Asian treats are in Gardena. Try the Marukai Forum (membership is totally optional, if you're not a member, they charge you a buck for a one day membership, at the register), or the Mitsuwa (Formerly Yaohan) market, both are on Western Ave. Many of the Asian markets in Gardena also cater to the area's Hawaiian population, so there are tons of Hawaiian treats to be had in Gardena as well. Marukai also has a few scattered 98 cent stores, that sometimes have good stuff, and are the best deal on quality ramen in L.A.
Also in Gardena is a Hello Kitty store that actually imports specialty H.K. items (like raw H.K. fabric, snowboards, other wierdness) from Japan. I don't know if they have any special candy there, but they might. It's the H.K. store on Redondo Beach Blvd.
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