Lotte Matcha Shake Crunky

Sometimes my craving for matcha is so strong that I will pick up a matcha flavor of a snack that I know I don't like. On that note, I present a review of Matcha Shake Crunky. According to the box, it is a limited edition release for this year.

I was amused that this flavor was called "Matcha Shake" and not just matcha, but I chalk it up to the Japanese marketing cycle and its demand for "new" and "different" products. This is not the first matcha Crunky, and I'm sure it won't be the last, but it might be the only "Matcha Shake" Crunky.


The bar smelled of a mild matcha, but the first things I noticed when I took a bite were the crunchy bits. As I remembered, they were bland (just a bit salty) but provided a good texture. The bar had a mild matcha finish and a very sweet aftertaste (common in white chocolate products).

I could definitely taste the green tea flavor, but it was in the background. The sweetness was probably supposed to be the shake element, but I didn't get any milky notes from it. I did like it better than regular Crunky, simply because of the matcha flavor, but it was nothing special.

This bar has also been reviewed by Kelly at Tasty Japan, along with several other flavors of Crunky.

B-

Lotte website

Lotte Crunky

Long before I knew much of anything about Japan or Japanese culture (and before I went there), I was a fan of Engrish. I had heard of Crunky (probably a variation on crunchy) for a while, and when my sister presented me with one, I was kind of excited to finally try it.

I might have had too high of expectations. First, I left it by my oven for a week and unfortunately, one corner bloomed a little bit. I don't know if that affected the rest of the bar at all, but it just wasn't that good. Maybe I just forgot that I'm not a huge fan of Krackel or Nestle Crunch, but I think those taste better than Crunky.


The little bits of puffed whatever tasted burnt, and I know some people like that taste (my mom), it's not my favorite. The chocolate was good enough, but Lotte's chocolate just isn't as good as Meiji's, especially since this isn't one of their premium offerings. Other than that, it was very bland overall. The crispy bits only added a little bit of texture, and I wish they added some flavor other than "mildly charred."

For the record, there are some Lotte offerings that I do really enjoy, such as Koala's March.

C

Lotte Website (Japanese)