YBC Vanilla Sandwich

 

 If it weren't for the letters YBC, I would have
never known what these are called

The Attraction

These cookies / crackers remind me very much or these Japanese Ritz flavored cookies, I've had before, but there's no sign of "Ritz" or "Nabisco" on the packaging, so when these became a new resident on the shelves of the grocery store I frequent, I wondered if they were as good. You know what I must do. "Must" be the operable word. 

The Review:
This is a mystery. I started seeing these YBC crackers everywhere where I used to see the Ritz Custard Crackers I reviewed previously. What was odd was that it wasn't like they were competing for customers because seemingly one week the Ritz versions of the crackers were there and the next week, these YBC versions of the same type of cookies seem to take it's place. I've never seen a store have both and as of recent, I've only seen these. No more of the Ritz versions.Are these knockoffs? Did Nabisco yank their name off the product? Maybe I will never know unless I'm in Japan...and as much as I want to know the dillyo, that's a long way to go to get to the bottom of this snacking situation.

Don't call me the "R" word

As you may have already noticed, the packaging is very similar, but will it taste the same? I've had the custard-flavored version before of these (or the original Ritz version) and was rather fond of it, but this product just produced more questions; would it taste as good? Is custard and vanilla flavors that different? If this was a competitor trying to create a similar product, would it taste inferior? Worst yet, if these were the new "Ritz" sandwich, did they lose the recipe as well as the name? All of this could be solved with a bite.

Sweet and salty goodness

Like the Nabisco version, each package comes with two individually wrapped rolls of cookies / crackers. I pull out a "sandwich" and dig in.

Then all of a sudden, it's like a movie. The savory cracker flavor of a Ritz hits my tough first and as I pull away, the crisp, slightly dull snap of the cracker screams out, "Hey, I'm a Ritz, remember me!?"

As the familiar Ritz cracker movie plays out, there is a surprise twist to this snack I've eaten dozens of times; there is a sweet cream component that cuts-in between the tango my taste buds are having with this savory cracker.

"How rude?!", instinctively I first think, almost like a reflex, however like a smooth foreign spy, it woos me and convinces me it means no harm and rather......it's better this way.....and you know what...he wouldn't be totally wrong.

The savory flavor of the crackers sandwiching the sweet vanilla cream in between compliments each other rather than competing for flavor real estate. A flavor tango indeed.

The Sweet:
These things are amazingly tasty. Scratch both the savory and sweet itch at the same time.

The Bitter:
Umm...so do these replace the Ritz version or are these a knockoff?

Conclusion:
I really enjoy these crackers, but it bugs me that I can't tell if these have replaced the Ritz version I've seen before or are these an impostor, albeit a tasty one at that.

Either way, should I come across these, I will have to proceed with caution as I've become all to aware of how quickly a package of these can disappear when within my possession.

Video of the Week

I'm not even this cool now.

I really hate when in the movies they do that cliche thing where older white people pretend to be into hip hop like here and here. In the case of this week's video, I don't think he's pretending. He looks to be living the lifestyle.

Calbee Takoyaki Ball Cookies

 Mini-baked potatoes?

The Attraction

Last week I hit a H-Mart around my way after not stopping in for awhile. I was greeted with a bounty of new and interesting snacks....these Takoyaki Ball Cookies being one of them. Wait, did I just say Takoyaki-Ball Cookies? I have to try these.

The Review:
I first had Takoyaki about 7-8 years ago with a friend down in the East Village. What initially drew me to them were the octopus chunks inside the balls themselves. I really enjoy squid and octopus, so I was game to give them a shot.  I liked them, but it was the kind of dish that I could take or leave. Interesting and tasty, but not a eating absolute eating necessity. I've since had takoyaki after that on occasion, but never really ranked them high on the "must have" list. Even at that, what would a snack "chip" or ball version, in this case, taste like?

I excitedly open the bag and inhale deeply. Sure enough, somehow these balls do exude a scent that reminds me of takoyaki, but I was still skeptical. As I take the bag away from my face, I notice that Calbee makes these balls.

Well, at least they are round like a real takoyaki

You may know Calbee from some of my other snack reviews like their Honey Butter Chip and Hot and Spicy Potato Chips. Based on my experience with their products, seeing their name on the packaging brought some comfort. For the most part, I've always found Calbee snacks to be good.

I pick a lucky ball out of the pile and take a quick look. It resembles a short tater-tot or maybe even a small hush-puppy. (the food, not the shoes). I put a takoyaki ball in my mouth and it's like a flavor explosion, literally. At first I was overwhelmed with all the flavors going on; savory, smokey, seafood-ish, then sweet. "Cookies" also isn't a very accurate term in this case These are more like corn-puffed spheres. It's hard to believe these balls have so much going on in them. Something strange happened after I had one; I wanted another.

After having several, I could distinguish the fishy/smokiness of what was supposed to be the benito flakes and then the sweetness of the mayo and takoyaki sauce. It was remarkable how much they were able to capture the flavor of takoyaki in a prepackaged dry snack.

"No, I am not a tater-tot"

The Sweet:
Captures the flavor of eating takoyaki.

The Bitter:
There's a lot of flavor in these balls, maybe too much for some.

Conclusion:
Look, these things are good. I wish I could put it in a more eloquent way and stretch out my review, but Calbee just flat-out did a great job of capturing the flavor-essence of eating takoyaki. I had my doubts before trying these, but in the end, the spot on flavor was incredibly satisfying...and dare I say addicting.

Video of the Week

Don't you have enough of my money already?

In case you have been under a rock this week, Nintendo has released a new video showcasing their new gaming system, "Switch". If you are wondering what on earth could Nintendo bring to the gaming console world at this point, watch the video and begin to imagine hours of your life slip away from you even when you are away from home. Oh and don't forget about the awesome lines you'll have to stand in to get one. Yay.

Royce Baton Cookies Coconut

What is a "baton cookie" exactly?

The Attraction

This week I was invited to the opening of the new Toto showroom in NYC. In case you aren't familiar with Toto, they are the Japanese manufacturers of cool toilets, washlets, sinks and faucets. In addition to having a showroom full of cool bathroom stuff, they also had some Japanese treats for visitors to enjoy...one being these Royce Baton Cookies. 

The Review:
I didn't really think anything was special about these cookies when I first saw them laid out on a plate inside a mock bathroom in the Toto showroom, but then two of my colleagues ran over and said,  "Royce!? These must be good!" Apparently after some research, it turned out that Royce is a pretty well known and respected confectionery originally from Hokkaido, Japan.

OK, so now I really have to try one.

I open an individually sealed cookie and immediately catch a whiff of the coconut portion of the baton cookie. It's pretty coconut smelling. Personally, I have a very complicated relationship with coconuts; I enjoy the flavor and bits of  coconut here and there, but I've never been a fan of any cake or pastry that highlights a lot of coconut shavings. It was just too coconut-ty for me...so when I smelled the coconut from the cookie...I was a bit apprehensive.

My under carriage hides a chocolate delight 

As I slide the cookie out of it's plastic wrapper, I notice the chocolate coating on the bottom of the cookie. That is a good sign as I previously had some Royce chocolate and it was very smooth. I had no doubt that the chocolate on these cookies would be equally as good.

I take a bite and as I go several chews into the snack, I realize how clever Royce was to dip the underside in it's delicious chocolate. It serves as the gateway flavor to the cookie itself, but more importantly it helps the snacker gently ease into the coconut flavor within the cookie itself. The Baton Cookie strikes a nice balance between the chocolate side and the coconut essence throughout the rest of the snack, but even with that....it redlines my coconut meter.

"Oh, don't forget my coconut flavor, baby!"

The Sweet:
Royce chocolate is tasty!

The Bitter:
...but you still got to like coconut

Conclusion:
There's no doubt that Royce put some care and thought into these cookies. They are well made and the chocolate that is partnered with the coconut is very smooth and delicious, but for me, it's still more coconut than I care for.

If you are a fan of Almond Joy or Mounds (both contain shredded coconut), this might be right up your alley, but as the guy that avoids those mini bars in a mixed Halloween bag like the plague, my love for Royce Baton Cookies Coconut was never meant to be.

Video of the Week

Can you transform the poop that just

formed in my pants into something cool?

In the future when these things try take over the world and wipe us off the face of the earth, we now have another kind of robot that we can use to protect us and save human kind....but it would help tremendously if they could transform a little faster and actually do something useful other than change from one thing to another.

Bonchi French Dressing Fried Rice Crackers (Tsuna Age Arare)

 
Yeah, try to figure out what this is
if you don't read Japanese

The Attraction

This package had little to no English on it. I just hope it doesn't taste like shrimp crackers.

The Review:
I'm usually not in the habit of buying random snacks with no understanding of what's inside, but somehow I just felt this might be worth a shot. Even though the "twists" look very much like shrimp crackers, there was no indication of shrimps or anything seafood-ish about it. So what flavor must this be?

A quick turn of the bag reveals an import label in English that reads, "Cracker (Tsuna Age Dressing)" If you are like me, then I know what you are thinking, "I love tsuna age dressing!". OK, maybe more like what the frig is Tsuna Age Dressing. After spending some time on "The Google" I discovered that Tsuna Age Dressing, at least in context to this snack, means French dressing. That helped, but I still couldn't quite put my finger on what french dressing chips would taste like. Easily solved.

Looks like a shrimp cracker

I open the bag and detect a smell. A smell that was hard to describe. French dressing? Not good, nor bad, just something I'm not able to determine the smell of. A slightly salty smell is about as much as I can offer. I pick up a "twist" and indulge. As if it wasn't hard enough to describe the smell, it was even harder to describe the flavor. It was savory, lightly salted, yet not as harsh or persistent as just plain salt. At first it seemed very underwhelming, but as I had more, I became intrigued as to the flavor that I couldn't quite put my finger on. Although labeled "French Dressing", I'm quite certain this was something I have never tasted the flavor of before.

Hmm..doesn't taste like a shrimp cracker

The Sweet:
A nice shrimp-cracker-like-crunch with a deceptively tasty flavor

The Bitter:
What exactly is french dressing flavor?

Conclusion:
Bonchi's French Dressing Fried Rice Crackers doesn't come at you with a bunch of flair or fanfare (at least not based on the packaging I couldn't read), but oddly enough, the relatively nondescript packaging mirrors the flavors that await for you inside. It's not super...anything, but somehow it stealthily delivers it's flavor and leaves you wanting for more.With a nice find like this, maybe I should try more mysterious snacks from now on.

Video of the Week

The audio sounds different from what you might expect

I've fallen off the hip-hop game for awhile, but occasionally I come across a track that catches my attention. Enter Rich Chigga. He throws in some lighthearted visuals in his video, but the music doesn't sound so different from anything else you might come across the radio these days.....but it's the contrast between what your eyes see and what your ears hear that makes this the video the of the week.

Yamayoshi Hokkaido Rich Butter Potato Chips

 Hokkaido butter better than "regular" butter?

The Attraction

For awhile there, a post of mine that received a lot of traffic was a very early review I did of a D-Plus Hokkiado Cream bun. I'm not sure why, but it was up there in hits for awhile. Out of curiosity, I wondered if people out there just had a fascination with Hokkaido cream or anything related to Hokkaido. Now is my chance to find out.

The Review:
Aside from this experiment to see how much interest another Hokkaido flavored product would generate, this snack didn't jump out at me. I've already gone through my honey-butter phase (Calbee, Haitai, Calbee and Haitai), and although these chips don't advertise honey, they certainly let you know it's all about the butter...Hokkaido butter to be exact.

What's the big deal, you say? Apparently it is in Japan. Don't believe me, see here.

So with that pretext in mind, I was now super curious to see what these chips were about. Was it about the fans of butter in Japan or is this just a late comer to the S. Korean "butter" fad of last year?

Looks like regular chips

I open the bag of chips and there is no distinguishable scent or odor that presents itself. Perhaps a slight buttery smell, but hardly enough to notice. Like the other chips I mentioned earlier, these chips are not as oily as American made potato chips seem to be.

Chip meets mouth and it's a very casual affair. If not for the advertised flavor on the bag, it would not be clear what flavor exactly would these chips be. It's neither savory nor sweet or rather it's both, but subtly at the same time. The "Hokkaido butter" flavor of these chips does not grab you by the hand and says, "Lets dance!", but it prefers to talk to you while it slowly bobs it's head and the next thing you know you are surrounding by other people on the dance floor bouncing to the music.

In this case, I think adding "Hokkaido" to the butter description, is for marketing purposes as Hokkaido doesn't seem to create butter than has any substantial distinguishable flavor difference from conventional butter. I liken it to saying, "Wisconsin Cheese". So much for a new "flavor".

I'm no clearer what Hokkaido butter is

The Sweet:
Subtle sweet /savory flavor interplay.

The Bitter:
Maybe too subtle for snack lovers that like a definitive savory stance

Conclusion:
I can now see why / how the "honey" aspect of the honey-butter craze of recent memory was an important addition. It pushed those products closer to the sweet side and it set the expectation that the snacks would have some "sweet" elements to it. These Yamayoshi Hokkaido Rich Butter Potato Chips without the added honey are more agnostic in it's flavor. Like butter itself, it doesn't firmly set its foot down as savory or sweet, but rather it seems to thrive happily living somewhere in the middle.

Video of the Week 

This is not at all what I imagined it would be like

You like rice, I like rice, over half the world loves eating rice....but did you ever stop to think about how it's grown? Those poor ladies in the muddy fields slowly planting each rice plant by hand, day after day, all day long while the blazing sun is shining down upon them. Well, you are living in another century like I was, my friend. Welcome to the new world. Stay awhile.

Kasugai Pineapple Gummy Candy

 Can the Japanese improve upon another idea?

The Attraction

Last week I reviewed gummies from a company originating from Germany. It got me thinking, what would a Japanese version of gummy candy taste like? Let's see!

The Review:
OK, ok, so I have to 'fess up. It's not like I've never had Japanese gummy candy before. I've had several Kasugai gummy flavors prior to this review, but I've never put pen to paper (or finger to keyboard) to write a review about it. Sure there are other tasty flavors available, but I have never tried the pineapple flavor, so I thought this review should at least be about a flavor I've not had prior.

I open the packaging and peer inside to see all the gummies individually wrapped. I have mixed feelings about this. It's not environmentally friendly and in my mind, if it means less product in the bag, then I can forego the double-freshness factor.

Seriously hygienic, for the OCD crowd

Oddly enough, when I open the bag, there's a strong scent of plastic or glue. Almost like Shrinky Dinks from back in the day. That was off-putting, but I must solder on in the name of snack review.

I pickup a gummy, unwrap it and give it a gentle squeeze. It already feels less firm than the Haribo variety, which is neither good nor bad. I take a whiff and there is a slight pineapple scent. I take a bite and the gummy gives way fairly easily. If biting into a Haribo cola gummy requires 8 out of 10 gummy bite strength, these pineapple gummies require about 6 out of 10 on the same scale. Flavor-wise, it's a relatively mild compared to dried pineapple itself. Best of all, as with many Japanese snacks, it's not too sweet.

It's healthy because it looks like a

dried apricot, right?

The Sweet:
Nice soft gummy texture with a mild pineapple taste.

The Bitter:
If you like a "gummier" snack, you may find that these yield too easily to your bite. Should be for a pineapple flavor fan.

Conclusion:
If you are a gummy fan, you will enjoy this snack.You will also have to be a fan of the taste of pineapple also. It's not necessarily on everyone's top 3 favorite fruit flavors. Even with that, it didn't take much time to make short work of the remaining gummies in the bag. If you really want to make a bag of gummies disappear, try the Mango, Grape or Lychee flavors.

Video of the Week 

Cause we all need to do our part

In case you haven't figured this out, I'm a fan of food, so when I heard there was a pizzeria that started making a pizza box made out of pizza, I was intrigued. The only question now is how will you keep your pizza pizza-box warm? Build another pizza box...and then so on and so forth....( I hope you really like pizza).

Oreo Chocolate Cake Strawberry

 What? Another Oreo product?

The Attraction

It said Oreo on it.

The Review:
As of late, I've been reviewing quite a bit of Oreo branded treats like this Milka Chocolate bar or these Red Velvet Oreos, so I took a break. Then I saw these at my local Asian grocer and my plans went out the window.

My best guess as to what Oreo Japan's new offering is their answer to the very popular Choco Pies in Asia. Maybe they are looking to hone in on some of that hot choco pie action. Let's see how they do with that.

I open the package and within, I see 6 individually wrapped Oreo Chocolate Pies. That seems to be a common practice with many snacks in Asia and I dig it. It keeps the snacks nice and fresh. I open up one of the packs and pull out an Oreo Chocolate Pie. As you can see below, it's oddly plastic-looking. It strongly resembles a plastic Oreo chew toy for a dog or a fake Oreo cookie novelty. Not sure how I feel about it, but I do catch a whiff of that signature strawberry smell that all Asian snacks that have strawberry flavor seems to have. Good to know that even the plastic looking shell couldn't contain that fruity aroma.

They look like a plastic Oreo chew toy

I bring it up to my mouth and finally take a bite. The texture reminds me less of a choco pie and more of a Mallomars. It has a great marshmallow-like chewy texture. However as I get lost in the texture of the bite, it dawns on me that what is also lost is the flavor. I taste a hint of strawberry, a little chocolate, but no signature flavor of an actual Oreo. It's really odd, because as I take another bite, I can barely taste much of anything; that includes strawberry, chocolate or cream.

Now, I've previously mentioned that I've noticed that snacks that originate from Asia tend to be milder due to different flavor preferences, but these...these almost literally have no flavor at all.

..and they almost taste like it

The Sweet:
I really enjoyed that marshmallow-chewy texture.

The Bitter:
Surprisingly, didn't taste particularly much like anything, must notably, an Oreo.

Conclusion:
It was only a matter of time before Oreo's review win streak would come to an end. I really didn't think this would be the product that would end it's streak. They got the texture right, but the one thing they've been doing so well up to this point was getting the flavor of the new combinations right. Surprisingly this product has very little resemblance of anything that I've come to know about the Oreo brand. Forget Oreo flavor, just flavor period was missing from this product and I for one will be happy to hopefully never see a domestic release of this item.

Video of the Week 

"Teaching stick?"

I love Conan O'Brien, even more so when he travels to new and foreign lands to learn more about different cultures. Previously I've brought you a clip when he traveled to Cuba. This week, it's Conan in Korea. In this clip, he's taking a Korean language class with a very stern instructor....but he doesn't seem to mind too much.

Bonchi Rice Cracker Sweet

"Eat me meow!"

The Attraction

Maybe it was the cute cat looking cartoon artwork on the outside or maybe the idea that this bag of goodies came to us via Japan, but whatever the reason, it casually found it's way into our shopping cart. Can this unassuming snack capture our snack heart?  

The Review:
I had no idea what the deal was with these "rice crackers". I just knew they are made of rice and probably crispy. I would probably venture to guess that these are also sweet, but I'm not sure. (This was before I read the english translation on the label stuck on the back of the bag.) Either way, a surprise is waiting for me inside or so I hope.

I was unable to open the bag as usual, so I was forced to tear the bag open. I hate that. I'm not sure why, but maybe cause I feel like I won't be able to close the bag again? Well, anyway, as the bag opens, I take a deep inhale and smell an oily-fried smell. Yes, maybe not the most welcoming smell, but there it was. I peer in and see these sexy little cubes of rice crackers with a slight glaze that catches the light just so to make it look even more appetizing.

Don't we just look so sexy

This is confusing; the smell wasn't so great, yet the visuals are pretty awesome, but as we all know, it always boils down to the taste.

I take a cube and bite into it. There'a serious crunch to these. That at least semi-justifies the oily smell. Flavor-wise, there is something very familiar about it. After having another 2 pieces, I finally can pin it down; it taste like kettle corn! I do like kettle corn and these are crunchier, which I do like, but why pay a premium to have something that taste like something else that is much cheaper? Maybe that's my frugal snack side coming through.  Let me look at the cat on the bag again to make me feel better.....ommmmm.

Down the hatch you go!

The Sweet:
Good crunch and light sweet flavor

The Bitter:
Taste like kettle corn, so why not save a few bucks and just get kettlecorn?

Conclusion:
You know, my only complaint, if you want to call it that, is that these Bonchi Rice Crackers taste pretty much like a crunchier version of kettle corn. Now, if you are fan of kettle corn, but always wanted them crunchier, well, your ship has come in and it's on a boat call Bonchi Rice Cracker Sweet. For me, even though they taste fine, they barely register on the snack quake scale. I'm looking for something that will at least break a few dishes and knock some pictures off the wall. Unfortunately, this comes off more like a truck rumbling by your house.

Video of the Week 

Working on it!

Sakuraya Strawberry Daifuku

Who doesn't love a good daifuku?

The Attraction

I've hopped in and out of many a Chinese, Japanese and Korean grocery stores in my day and have seen several variations of daifuku. There are some great local variations, but one commercial brand I have seen over and over again in this neck of the woods is this Sakuraya brand. There must be something to this right?

The Review:
I'm no stranger to daifuku. One of my favorite things about it is the wonderfully chewy mochi or glutinous rice exterior. I like that aspect so much, the filling almost isn't even a factor. Is there anway I wouldn't enjoy these? I've had some locally made versions before, but I have yet to try Sakuraya's version. Let's hope they don't ruin this me.

"Ahh, nice and squishy"

I take my nice package of 4 daifuku balls home and crack it open. In addition to the red hue, the slight smell of strawberries gives away what flavor awaits inside. As I pick one up, I give it a slight squeeze; the texture is firm, yet soft. That's a good sign. Daifuku any other way just isn't daifuku to me.  

I bring the mochi up to my mouth and take a nice size bite. The texture and mouth feel is as what I would have guessed from with my "squeeze" test; a firm, chewy exterior that gives way to a milky strawberry filling. The mochi flavor itself is rather mild. Slightly sweet, but when you hit the filling, the familiar artificial strawberry flavor that you commonly associate with Asian snacks appears. I've come to accept this with Asian snacks, but thankfully Sakuraya was wise enough to tone it a few notches to not overwhelm the more subtle mochi flavor all together.

Three more to look forward to

The Sweet:
All the great things about daifuku! Great texture and chewiness

The Bitter:
Artificial strawberry flavor, but they all have that to an extent

Conclusion:
Honestly, this review may have been a bit of a "gimme", but like that hypothesis about how a women can identify a man she would like to be romantic with within seconds and its the man's job to not say anything stupid to mess it up, Sakuraya let it's daifuku do just enough of the talking to ensure everyone ends up a winner tonight. 

Video of the Week 
Anyone that loves sushi probably has ambitions to one day to go to Japan and watch the tuna auctions and then have a chance to sample some of the winnings for that day. Though it may be a while before I can do that, here's a video of some English blokes doing just that.

 "Is it me or does it smell like fish in here?"

Tao Kae Noi Hi Tempura Seaweed Spicy Flavor

Aside for the fried and salted part,
does this qualify as a healthy snack?

The Attraction

I've seen this on the shelf several times before, but never compelled to buy it. Then recently a friend of the Little Lady's was kind enough to buy me a bag after I asked her what she enjoys snacking on. Consider my horizons expanded.

The Review:
I stared at the bag for a bit as I was initially not super excited to try these, but I had to know what this gal was talking about. I open the bag and the smell of seaweed comes to greet me. OK, no mistaken what this snack is about. Its seaweed and it wants you to know it's in town for the weekend.

I pick up a curious looking piece of seaweed which somehow they manage to dip into tempura. I'm not sure how someone would think of it, but the seaweed seems rather crispy in my hand.

This doesn't light my fire

I proceed to take a bite and a monstrous crunch comes echoing out of my mouth. The salt and seaweed flavor comes at you first and as you continue on in your bite, the spicy sidekick sneaks up on you and let's you know it can carry it's own weight.

At first, I thought they reminded me of fried shrimp chips, but as I ate several more pieces, it was definitely more seaweed in flavor than shrimp. What was surprising was the crunch I was able to generate from these fried and tempura-ed chips. These are no Doritos, but they aren't too bad.

...or does it?

The Sweet:
Great savory spicy flavor with a chip-like crunch.

The Bitter:
If you don't care for seaweed, you won't like these.

Conclusion:
Granted, these weren't at the top my list of snacks to try, but when I did, I was pleasantly surprised. Though they were better than I expected, I don't see myself picking up a bag of these on the regular. I've had seaweed based snacks before like...well, roasted and salted seaweed. They were good, but for me, seaweed just isn't a snack that I gravitate towards. So if you love seaweed, you will enjoy these. If you are indifferent or less than interested, you would probably be better served looking down other aisles for your snack fix.

Video of the Week 
In this week's video, a woman finds protein in her prepackaged salad. Good thing it's been triple washed otherwise she would have really been grossed out.

 As if we needed another reason to not eat salad

Caplicocot Strawberry and Milk Chocolate

It doesn't taste yogurty? Oh wait...

The Attraction

Anyone that knows a little something about Japanese food and drink knows the difference between Calpico (AKA Calpis), the delicious yogurt flavored drink and Caplico, the chocolate snack made by Glico....that is everyone except me when you aren't very careful and transpose the "P" and "L" in your head. So, although this snack has nothing to do with that tasty Japanese beverage that I adore, it still looked like an interesting enough snack to review.

The Review:
Frankly, I was already disappointed that this snack wasn't what I thought it was, but I couldn't let that get in the way of my journalistic objectivity. I would have my public, (all half a dozen of you) to answer to. I must soldier on.

I open the wrapper and what struck me was the really cool packaging that these snacks come in. They look like chocolate resting in a mini ice tray. Interesting. Glico certainly plunked down some change to make and package these babies, so they must taste good, right?

Fancy Packaging

Based on what I can tell, it looks like these treats are made in these trays and not just set into them because in order to get one of these nuggets out, you have to "pop" them out of the tray almost like a sealed cold medicine pill.

Once I was able to extract a piece of Caplicocot out, I went in for the kill. As the visual inspection would suggest, the top of the candy is composed of a dry, hardened flavored mousse, the signature characteristic of Caplico snacks (strawberry flavored, in this case), and the bottom is milk chocolate. It actually reminded me very much of another Glico product, Strawberry Pocky. The primary difference being of course that there is no biscuit stick component and that the strawberry was in mousse form versus a chocolate strawberry composition as it is on Pocky. Boy, I sure wish I had some Pocky right now.

It's like an ice tray of chocolate snacks!

The Sweet:
Interesting packaging.

The Bitter:
Not a fan of the hardened mousse.

How many more are in this package?

Conclusion:
Caplico products have been around for a while, so there must be some fans out there that enjoy the hardened mousse appeal that Caplico snacks offers. Personally, it strikes me more like a weaker version of Pocky. Although the mousse is not a component in Pocky, it doesn't distinguish itself enough from it's famous label mate to make it stand out...or at least in a good way.


Video Mail of the Week

A new feature I'll be adding from time to time is fan mail. Due to the overwhelming amount of fan mail I receive (at last count, two! Not two per hour nor two per week, but 2....as in dos, or 1+1), I decided to share some with you and answer them right here on the blog.

"Your blog helps me get through the day" Rick

Thanks Rick. I appreciate you taking the time to send me that. In addition to noting how verbose Rick is, I had my suspicions as to if he is really a fan, or some sort of bot. Actually, I was expecting that shortly after I received this, he would precede to tell me that he was a Prince in Africa and if I just sent him some money, he would gladly pay me millions in return. Well Rick, I'll have you know that you must think I was born yesterday. I would have Googled you and found out that unless you are the Prince of Funk, Rick James himself, that there is no Prince of Africa! 

PS. I also would have asked you to let me know if you got my wire transfer and when I should expect my $5 million dollars for helping.

Want to send me mail? Please complete the form on the right and I'll select a few and answer them right on the blog. Thanks!

Kit Kat Sweet Potato

As if Kit Kats couldn't get any better

The Attraction:

Kit Kat...ding! Kit Kat new imported flavor....ding, ding! Kit Kat imported sweet potato flavor...ding, ding, ding!

The Review:
As far as I'm concerned, Kit Kat already has street cred with me. I've tried a larger Kit Kat with peanut butter and Kit Kat Green Tea and although I liked one more than the other, neither was a disappointment. I've seen a few other flavors of Kit Kat and passed on them, primarily because of cost, (about $8.00 a bag!) but when I saw these new sweet potato flavored ones, I just could not imagine what on earth this thing would taste like. Well, yes, sweet potato, of course, but within the context of Kit Kat, I had no clue how it would be incorporated into that brand. Let's not dilly dally anymore, shall we?

I open the bag and find these small, individually wrapped packs of Kit Kats. They are about half the size of a regular Kit Kat. I pay $8 a bag and get half the size? Do most people that buy these charge them on a credit card or do they just take gold bouillon?

I unwrap the "mini" Kit Kat and smell a familiar sweet smell that I can't quite pinpoint. Is it custard? Taro? Oh, I guess it's sweet potato. Hehe

I take a bite and the sweetness is intense, but then the source of the smell comes bearing down upon you like a freight train. It's not just sweet potato, it's a baked sweet potato like just out of the oven! Actually, it's more like a baked sweet potato on steroids because it's stronger than any sweet potato I've ever had. Take the sweetest baked sweet potato you've ever had and multiple that times 4. That's what this flavor was like. It's as subtle as Donald Trump during a political debate.

Quadruple the cost, half the size.

Got to love capitalism 

The Sweet:

Miraculously captures the essence and flavor of a baked sweet potato.

The Bitter:
It's pretty sweet, but the bigger crime is the cost. At $8 a bag, you might have to sell some internal organs to support this habit.

Was that worth it?

Conclusion:
In addition to Kit Kat introducing this new and interesting flavor, they also encourage you to stick one in the oven to really recreate the baked potato experience. Talking about going all the way with something.

I must say, I'm pretty floored as to how spot-on their flavor recreation was and I would encourage everyone to try it because it's so accurate, but for the price point, I don't know if I could consistently afford to put this sucker in my cart. Maybe if my supermarket took lay-away, but I digress.

I wouldn't be honest if I said price wasn't a concern, but I could potentially work past that. However when you tack on the over the top sweetness along with the pain in my wallet, well that's 1-2 combination that would send this snack down for the count for good.

Video of the Week
With Star Wars: The Force Awakens just released this past weekend, how come we not acknowledge it somehow? Over at Vice, they went to a NY Jedi School to attend a lightsaber class. Yes, that's what I said, a lightsaber class. Surprisingly, there are some attractive women in this class, so fellas, who needs Tinder when you can swipe right into this class?

Jedi School AKA, the singles dating pool

Meito Donut Party Chocolate

What will await me inside?

The Attraction:

There are a several words in my life that you chain together that will get my attention. Some examples are "Free hot pizza", "Large buttered popcorn" and "Tall Asian librarian". With the exception of that last one, they all relate to food, so when I was in the Asian grocery a few weeks back and saw this curious and festive looking package, I wondered what it was. I had to turn it over to read the translation: "Donut Party Chocolate". Ding.

The Review:
I haven't been this excited to try a snack in awhile. I thought to myself, "What on earth could this be?" I know what donuts are and I know what chocolate is, but are these mini-donuts that are all chocolate flavored or are they donut-flavored chocolates? Well, anyway, whatever the sequence may be, I don't think it can be bad.

I gently open the bag to ensure I don't disturb the "party" going on inside and peer in to see a bag of individually wrapped "donuts" with faces on them. Cute touch, but still, what the heck are these things? I do see that there are several flavors like strawberry, chestnut, banana, cookies and cream and chocolate.

It's almost like they were sleeping

As I take a few out for my customary photo op, I look closer and see that these are pieces of chocolate. OK, one questioned solved, but many more come pouring into my mind; do these chocolates actually taste like donuts with their advertised flavor? Are there any baked tidbits inside the chocolates themselves? Are these just donut-shaped chocolates in a variety of flavors?

This all can be easily solved.

I unwrap a strawberry flavored looking "donut" and take a bite. Yeah, I quickly get the answer to all my questions. These are essentially flavored chocolates. I like the different flavor choices you have, but this snack doesn't introduce anything new flavor-wise, although it's quite a unique presentation. Within the chocolate itself, there are these little bits of wafers to add some texture contrast, but primarily, it's composed of chocolate.

They even have faces on them!

The Sweet:

Cute presentation and idea. Multiple flavors add some variety.

The Bitter:
This was more like a chocolate social than a donut party. The only thing donut-like is the shape.

This don't taste like no donut!

Conclusion:
Half the fun of this product was trying to figure out what it was exactly...and unfortunately when you do, it's nothing really new. I can see how the presentation would be great for kids and the idea is really cute, but just on the premise of a being a snack, it's nothing innovative. It's like a lot less biscuit version of a Pocky and also a lot less of a party than I was hoping for.

Video of the Week
I don't know much about rugby and I know even less about Tongan culture, but last week rugby great Jonah Lomu passed away. Aside from how abrupt his passing was, what was notable was how beautiful of a send off his friends and family gave him. It provided some insight into the richness of Tongan and Maorian culture.

A warrior's send off