A tastelessness of things to come…

Earlier this year major convenience store chain Lawson decided to temporarily release a handful of trial products from food and beverage makers like Calbee and Hokkaido Brewing Company. However, at that time, one product in particular seemed to raise eyebrows all over the country.

Its name is Ajinoshinai? Ame which translates to “No taste? Candy” and it’s branded as a flavorless alternative to regular hard candies. The intriguing concept came from candy-maker Kanro, and many people were interested in a candy that could keep their throats from getting dry but not fill up their face masks with a sticky saccharine fog.

We tried a bag during its trial period and found that while it did actually have a flavor of watered-down sports drink, it was still effective at minimizing candy breath.

Image: ©SoraNews24

Still, initial buzz aside, would a flavorless candy really be a viable product in the long run? To find out Lawson also held a vote of the seven trial products from late October to early November, with the top three earning a place on the chain’s permanent lineup.

▼ The full lineup of candidates

Image: Lawson

On 13 December, the results finally came in and Ajinoshinai? Ame was indeed the people’s first choice. It will join runners-up Calbee Garlic Mayonnaise Potato Chips and Toyo Beverage’s Atatamete Oishi Cafe Latte permanently on stores shelves in the near future.

Personally, I’m a little bummed that the chu-hi with 5 grams (0.2 ounces) of milk protein didn’t make the cut, because that seemed pretty wild. Overall, however, the election success of this flavor-free candy seems to have been well-received online.

“I wonder if it really doesn’t taste sweet. I’ll try it when it comes back.”
“Isn’t it more accurate to call it a flavorless-flavored candy?”
“I think it sold big out of curiosity, so will it last? It’d probably be good to prevent carsickness or help people focus though.”
“I tried it. When you eat one after eating something else it tastes like nothing but when you eat it by itself it tastes a little sweet.”
“It’s good to suck on to keep yourself awake at work.”
“It’s perfect when your mouth is dry but you don’t want to eat anything. I used to use ice, but that was really cold.”
“I can see wanting to try it once, but will there be regular buyers?”

Going by some of the comments, it does seem that people who have bought Ajinoshinai? Ame are willing to come back for more. But the question is will there be enough repeat business to support it in the long run? We’ll see next June when it makes its triumphant official release at Lawson stores across the country.

Source: Iza, Hachima Kiko
Top image: ©SoraNews24
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