When my usual candy rotation feels tired, I use this list to explore flavors from around the world at Five Below. These 10 picks make choosing an internationally inspired treat worth bringing home easy.
1. Caplico Mini Cones 10-Pack – $5.00
Tiny Japanese wafer cones make an easy tasting activity when nobody can agree on one flavor. The 10-pack includes chocolate, vanilla, and strawberry cake-filled cones, so I like it for sharing after lunch or opening at a casual movie night.
Taste: The flavors channel familiar ice cream, though the filling is soft, airy, and spongy rather than frozen. A light wafer shell supplies the crisp contrast.
Make It Better: Arrange all three flavors on a plate and let everyone sample them side by side; it feels more festive than passing around the package.
Parting Thoughts: Anyone intrigued by Japanese novelty candy should try these once, though dense-dessert devotees may find them too light.
2. Bubs™ Sour Skalle™ Lemon Raspberry 5.2oz – $3.00
For a movie-night candy bowl with some Swedish character, these skull-shaped chews bring lemon and raspberry together in one sour bite. “Skalle” means skull, making the playful shape part of the import experience rather than mere decoration.
Taste: Lemon leads with a tangy jolt before raspberry brings a sweeter, cooler finish. The texture is squishy and satisfyingly chewy, edging toward marshmallow softness.
Make It Better: Mix a few with milder candies so you can alternate sour bites with something sweet.
Parting Thoughts: Sour-candy regulars get plenty of personality for $3.00, while firm-gummy loyalists may prefer a denser chew.
3. Peelerz® Lychee Peelable Gummy Candy 3oz – $2.00
Peeling each Chinese-origin lychee gummy turns a quiet desk break or sleepover snack into a tiny activity. They are made with real fruit juice and can also be eaten whole when patience runs out.
Taste: The lychee flavor is fruity and distinctive, offering a change from the usual berry lineup. Its chewy outer layer pulls away to reveal a stickier white interior.
Make It Better: Try one peeled and one whole—the same candy feels surprisingly different depending on how you eat it.
Parting Thoughts: At $2.00, this is an approachable pick for curious fruit-candy eaters who enjoy playing with their food.
4. Beemax® Angel Hair Chocolate – $5.00
One square of this imported bar packs raspberry white chocolate, pistachio cream, and Turkish pişmaniye into a particularly unusual Belgian confection. I save it for an after-dinner tasting because the sweetness and delicate filling deserve more attention than a rushed snack.
Taste: Raspberry, creamy white chocolate, and nutty pistachio create a fruity, rich, intensely sugary combination. Wispy angel-hair strands break up the smooth chocolate and cream with an exceptionally delicate texture.
Make It Better: Break the bar open before serving so everyone can see the fine strands, then offer small pieces rather than full candy-bar portions.
Parting Thoughts: Texture adventurers will have fun here, but restrained-sweets people should probably split the bar.
5. Pocky® Matcha Biscuit Sticks 2.47oz – $3.00
Matcha lovers get a distinctly Japanese spin on the familiar coated biscuit-stick format. The clean handles make these especially handy for study sessions, game nights, or any snack break where chocolate-coated fingers would be annoying.
Taste: The creamy green-tea coating is subtly sweet, with enough matcha character to distinguish it without becoming aggressively savory. Underneath, the biscuit provides a neat, dry crunch.
Make It Better: Serve the sticks beside unsweetened tea to keep the creamy coating from feeling too sweet.
Parting Thoughts: Consider this a friendly entry point to matcha rather than a deeply bitter green-tea experience.
6. Jelly Belly® Boba Milk Tea 4.25oz – $5.00
A boba tasting becomes pocket-size with jelly beans inspired by matcha, taro, Thai milk tea, mango, and strawberry drinks from across Asia. I would bring the box to a hangout and have everyone guess each flavor before checking the mix.
Taste: The assortment moves between creamy tea-inspired notes and brighter fruit flavors while keeping the familiar sweetness of jelly beans. Every piece has the classic firm shell and chewy center rather than actual boba texture.
Make It Better: Sort the colors into small groups first, then sample each flavor separately before combining them.
Parting Thoughts: Boba drink fans will appreciate the playful flavor flight, provided they expect jelly beans rather than tapioca pearls.
7. Botan Rice Candy – $0.75
That edible wrapper is the reason I still point out this traditional Japanese rice candy to first-timers. It makes a memorable little checkout treat or an inexpensive addition to an international candy tasting.
Taste: The candy has a bright lemon-orange character and a soft, chewy center. Its rice-paper wrapper seems papery at first, then melts away on the tongue.
Make It Better: Do not unwrap the inner rice-paper layer—that dissolving wrapper is the whole trick.
Parting Thoughts: Few candies deliver such a charming first-bite surprise for $0.75.
8. Hi-Chew™ Candy 3oz – Dessert Mix – $3.00
Road-trip candy gets more interesting when Candy Apple, Strawberry Ice Cream, and Key Lime Pie replace the standard fruit assortment. Because each Japanese chew is individually wrapped, the bag is convenient for sharing or tucking into a work drawer.
Taste: Every flavor leans intensely fruity while still suggesting its namesake dessert. The signature bite is dense and exceptionally chewy, so each piece lasts longer than a soft gummy.
Make It Better: Taste the three flavors in order and keep water nearby between pieces so the dessert notes do not blur together.
Parting Thoughts: Pick this mix when ordinary fruit chews feel predictable, but skip it if prolonged chewing is not your thing.
9. Pocas Hello Mochi Dubai Style Chocolate Flavored Mochi 5.2oz – $5.00
Chewy mochi meets the Dubai-style chocolate trend in this imported Japan–Middle East fusion. It is my pick for a small dessert plate when a plain chocolate bar feels too familiar.
Taste: Chocolate flavor and nutty cream give each piece a rich, indulgent center. The chewy mochi exterior and crunchy kadaif create a layered texture that changes noticeably from the first bite to the middle.
Make It Better: Cut a piece open before serving to show off the contrasting layers, especially when sharing with someone new to mochi.
Parting Thoughts: This one earns its spot with texture alone, though traditional mochi purists may find the mashup busy.
10. Mamba® Fruit Strips Candy 6.3oz – $3.00
When I want a straightforward European import after several novelty candies, these German fruit strips reset the lineup nicely. Their flexible format works well for an afternoon treat, a road-trip bag, or dividing among friends.
Taste: The flavor is broadly fruity and sweet rather than built around one unusual note. Soft, chewy strips offer a longer bite than a small hard candy.
Make It Better: Tear the strips into smaller pieces for a shared tasting bowl instead of handing out full lengths.
Parting Thoughts: The appeal is dependable chewiness rather than shock value, which makes this a sensible closer for an adventurous candy haul.
