Kasugai Kuro Ame Kokuto Candy (Okinawan Black Sugar Hard Candy)

There is a particular kind of sweetness that only comes from black sugar — deeper, darker, and far more interesting than ordinary refined sugar, with a warmth that lingers and a complexity that rewards slow eating. Kasugai’s kuro ame, on the market since 1980 and the bestselling black sugar candy in Japan, is built entirely around that flavor, and delivers it with a clarity and depth that keeps people coming back year after year. The black sugar at the heart of each candy comes from Okinawa — Japan’s southernmost prefecture, where the sugarcane grows in the warm subtropical climate and the black sugar produced there is prized across the country for its distinctive character. Among all Okinawan black sugars, Kasugai uses only those of the highest quality, selecting for the particular richness and nuance that sets the best apart from the rest. What transforms that raw ingredient into something special is the jikabi-daki process — direct-fire cooking — in which the candy mixture is placed directly over an open flame and slowly reduced, with the water driven off gradually as the heat builds. This is an older, more demanding method than modern indirect heating, but it produces something that other techniques cannot: an aromatic, toasty depth that develops only when sugar meets direct flame, a complexity of flavor that is roasted and rich and faintly caramelized, yet never burned or harsh. The result is a candy that tastes genuinely of black sugar at its most expressive — not simply sweet, but layered and satisfying in a way that feels almost more like a traditional confection than a mass-produced candy. Each piece is wrapped in Kasugai’s distinctive hineri — a twist-wrap that opens with a gentle pull rather than requiring force, a small but considered detail that has remained unchanged since the candy’s earliest days, and one that makes it accessible and pleasant to open for people of all ages. Smooth on the tongue, warm in flavor, and quietly impossible to stop at one — kuro ame is the kind of candy that earns its long history. About this item Item Name : Kuro Ame Brand : Kasugai Item Form : Candy Number of Items : 134g (Pack of 1)