Meito Manuka Honey Throat Candy

Nodo ame — literally “throat candy” — is a category so established in Japan that every convenience store and drugstore devotes a shelf to it.

These are not medicines but confections designed around comfort: soothing flavors, gentle sweetness, something to keep the throat feeling moistened through a dry office afternoon or a long winter commute.

Meito’s entry into the category reaches for a distinctly premium ingredient at a distinctly modest price.

That ingredient is manuka honey from New Zealand, the honey gathered from the flowers of the manuka tree and prized worldwide for its depth and rarity.

Meito specifies honey rated NPA10 — a grading of the honey’s characteristic activity — which is the kind of detail usually found on jars costing many times what this bag does.

In Japan, where manuka honey has built a devoted health-conscious following, finding it in a hundred-yen-shelf throat candy caused reviewers genuine surprise.

The honey is joined by a blend of 21 herb extracts, and the balance is the point.

Japanese reviewers consistently describe the same experience: the distinctive sharpness of raw manuka honey is absent, the herbs stay politely in the background, and what remains is a rounded, mellow honey sweetness with the faintest cooling touch at the finish.

This is the rare throat candy that people who dislike medicinal-tasting drops can enjoy simply as candy.

Meito, based in Nagoya, is a maker with roots stretching back over a century, best known in Japan for its Alpha-bet chocolate and cocoa powders.

On Japan’s shareview review site, this quiet little bag holds the number-one overall rating in the entire candy and throat-candy category — driven above all by disbelief at how much it delivers for its price.

Each piece is individually wrapped in the Japanese style, made with no major allergens, at about 15 calories per candy.

About this item
Item Name : Manuka Honey Throat Candy
Brand : Meito
Item Form : Candy
Number of Items : 51g (Pack of 1)