Lucas Gusano (History, Varieties & Marketing)

There are some really amazing chamoy candies out there, and made in Mexico. Lucas Gusano is one of the products made by the former Lucas Mexican Candy company, which is now called Mars. This is a liquid candy product that comes in a little squeeze bottle. If you loved the crazy and zany liquid candy treats that were popular in the US in the 90s, then this is the right snack for you.

Lucas Gusano is one of the snacks that are so common in Mexico but not as common in the US. Liquid candies are always considered more of a kid’s treat in the US, but in Mexico, that is not the case. You can find lots of really yummy little liquid candies in Mexico, and this is one of the most well-known among these treats. Known for being really spicy, this candy is often added to all kinds of foods, or it can
be consumed on its own as well.

History

Lucas Gusano is made by a company that used to be called the Lucas company, but today it is called the Mars company. The company makes a lot of other more standard products like Salsagheti and Skwinkles, along with other kinds of sour and spicy candies. They also make some really popular sweets that are some of the best-known in Mexico, and among them is the really unique Lucas Gusano.

Lucas Gusano also makes powdered flavorings that are used to season food. One of the early products that were made by the company after the name change to Mars and which has enjoyed great success is the Lucas Limon powder. This treat can be combined with the spicier Lucas Gusano for a really spicy and flavorful taste experience that uses all of the most popular of the company’s products at once.

Lucas Gusano is technically considered a “hot” liquid candy, which means that it is pretty spicy. The flavor is salty, sweet, and sour all at once, mixed with spicy hot chiles to create some heat. The product is actually meant to be a topper for fresh fruit or potato chips or even nuts.

If you don’t know what chamoy flavoring is, that’s okay! This is not a flavoring that is used in many countries but which is common in Mexico. The flavor is really unique, and it is always intended to be a combination of spicy, sour, sweet, and spicy. It is offered in ice cream shops in Mexico to pair with your cone of ice cream or by street vendors for things like roasted corn and more.

Considering the spicy nature of this candy treat, you need to be aware of the way that you will be changing the flavor of the item that you are adding it to! Many people are surprised at the level of spice in this candy and might not have realized that it would challenge their tastebuds so much. Even if you love spicy food, there is a strong note of added sourness to this sweet treat that makes it a bit more potent than simple spice alone.

Lucas Gusano also makes a chamoy-flavored powdered candy and also a candy product that is not liquid or a powder with the same flavoring. These have been added to the lineup, but they are not as popular as the original liquid product. Some people use this flavoring for all kinds of foods, and getting it in both the powdered and the liquid form is a requirement. Other people only really like the candy version and don’t buy the flavoring style of this product.

There is also a version of this candy that is Tamarind flavored, which is another really common flavoring in Mexico when it comes to candy and other kinds of sweet products. This is a fruity and spicy experience, with the fruit coming to the top a bit more. People are more likely to eat the tamarind version of this treat by itself rather than using it to dress up other foods. This is still a really spicy product, and you might not be able to eat it all by itself, but for the brave folks out there, this is a fun
challenge to try out.

Other Mexican products which cannot be sold in most of the US and Europe due to lead contamination are Chaca Chaca, Vero Mango, Super Lucas, and Bolorindo. These products can have as much as 12 micrograms per piece. While some of the products sold by these companies are lead-free, many of the powdered or the liquid candies are usually the violators of the no-lead laws in other countries.

Mars products can be found in specialty stores in the US and Canada but will not be likely to be on the shelves of the grocery store. If you want to see if you can grab a flat of Lucas Gusano, you will need to make sure that you pop into a locally-owned grocer or just go ahead and shop online. When you buy online, you will likely need to buy an entire flat of these little treats, but you can share them with friends
and family if you want!

Livery

This product is sold in a ribbed squeeze bottle that is topped with a little yellow cap. The product name is indicated in bright yellow, bubbly letters, and you will find a description of the product flavoring under the title of the product. The bottles are fairly small, and you can get an entire flat of them if you want.

There is limited fanfare with all of the products that are made by this company, and practicality is the name of the game for the design of these items.

The US likes to make really exciting and colorful product designs for marketing purposes, but this is not as common in other countries. You will find that this more sedate and matter-of-fact product styling is really common in Mexico, especially. In some cases, it might be due to the fact that the market for these products is less saturated in Mexico than in the US. Catchy marketing is less important in some countries than it is in the US, and word of mouth advertises more effectively for some products in these places.

Some of the bottles have a cartoon-style duck on the front of the bottle as well. This is not universal, but you could get bottles that appear with this kind of livery.

This is one of the things that people usually remember the most about the design of the livery, and they are a bit disappointed when their product does not show this design.

Logo

Lucas Gusano Controversy

Some of the products from this company that have been sold in the US were tested and found to have lead in them. This can be a common issue when it comes to products that are imported to other countries. Numerous candy products have been prohibited from being sold in the US from time to time until the lead levels have been corrected to meet the standards that are set forth in US markets. You
might not be able to find this candy locally due to these issues, but you can usually order it online and have it sent to you in the US or Europe.

Make sure that you read the fine print if you are trying to have this candy sent to you in a country that no longer sells Lucas Gusano due to the ingredients being tested positive for lead. You might find that you cannot get your candy products delivered to you as you were expecting due to this issue.

The lead-free versions of these products are still sold in 50 states and 7 Canadian provinces, but there is always the chance that your favorite product might be pulled from the market due to these issues in the future. Tamarind candies are already well-known to be toxic in large amounts due to this issue, which is why tamarind-flavored products are not very common in the US and other European markets.

Ingredients:

From the H.E.B. entry:

• Water
• Iodized Salt
• Citric Acid
• Modified Corn Starch
• Chili Powder
• Xanthan Gum
• Sodium Benzoate and Potassium Sorbate as Preservatives
• Color FD&C Red 40
• Artificial Flavor
• Sucralose

The company also states that the product could pose a choking hazard. This is because of the plastic squeeze bottle but not because of the product itself.

Nutrition

Serving Size:	1.00 package(36g)	% Daily Value*
Amount Per Serving
Calories	10
Calories from Fat	0
Total Fat	0g	0%
Saturated Fat	0g	0%
Trans Fat	0g
Cholesterol	0mg	0%
Sodium	790mg	33%
Total Carbohydrate	3g	1%
Dietary Fiber	0g	0%
Sugars	1g
Protein	0g
Vitamin A		4%
Vitamin C		15%
Calcium		0%
Iron		0%

• *Percentage Daily values are based on a 2,000-calorie diet. Your Daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs

Varieties:

• Chamoy
• Tamarind
• Sour

The sour version is supposedly very strong, so you need to be prepared for this kind of hot and spicy flavor along with a very sour note. This is not the way that sour candies are usually made in other countries, so you might not like this version of the product as much as you expect.

Pictures

Ads and videos:

A tasting review:

Another taste test:

An unboxing so you can see the bottles: