Glico Almond Pocky

It's been a couple weeks since I've done a Japanese snack review, and even long since I've done a Pocky review, so I must be due. There was a lack of matcha sweets at the Japanese import grocer, so I branched out a bit and bought Almond Pocky.

Almond Crush Pocky, which is coated with crushed almonds (how fitting), has been around for years, but I had never seen regular almond Pocky before. Usually, my favorite kinds of Pocky are the ones with lots of chocolate and toppings (like decoration or mousse), but these are the standard, thin coating.


When I opened the bag, the scent reminded me of coffee. It didn't taste anything like coffee, though. The sticks were mildly sweet and had a slightly nutty flavor. The coating reminded me of peanut butter white chocolate in both taste and texture, but it wasn't overly sweet at all and went very well with the biscuit.

Before I realized it, I had eaten half of the pack. It was so addictive! I briefly thought I'd like a stronger almond taste with more of the cherry-like notes, but then the package was gone and I decided I liked them just the way they were. The sweetness was just right, and the creamy chocolate blended so well with the crunchy stick. Unfortunately, they were a limited release and are no longer listed on Glico's website. I wish I had bought more!

A

Glico website

Glico Strawberry Mobaccho

These came to me from a friend as part of a late birthday gift, and thought I was happy to try them, my expectations were pretty low. The blandness of Matcha Mobaccho still brings the memory of disappointment. Kelly at Tasty Japan also reviewed the strawberry version a few months ago.

The cup sure is cute, though, even cuter than the matcha flavor. The violet-red drizzle looks great against the silver, and would probably make a fantastic shade of lipstick. According to the nutrition facts, the whole container is one 280 calorie serving, but I can't imagine eating all of the pellets at once.


Once opened, these smelled like tart strawberry (kind of like Fruit Roll-ups). However, the taste of the strawberry chocolate was almost completely drowned out by the "pretzel" center. There was just a mildly pleasant strawberry taste hidden behind crunchy, fairly bland biscuits. Also, these left my mouth feeling faintly oily.

These certainly didn't taste bad, but they were underwhelming. The chocolate coating is so thin and soft that it melts away quickly before I could even taste it. I suppose if you really just wanted to satisfy a crunchy craving, these might do the trick, but there are numerous better choices out there.

C+

Glico website

Glico Matcha Mobaccho

In the past couple years, I've seen a couple candies from Japan that come packaged in a coffee cup-like container. To my knowledge, both are essentially Pocky bits, and both come from Glico. The one I'm reviewing is Mobaccho, and the other (cuter) one is Walky Walky.

It seems like the whole point of the package design is to be cute, because even though this comes in a cup, it doesn't seem like a good idea to leave it in a car, ever. Also, the package came open in my lunch bag when I brought it to work.


Despite the packaging frustration, the Mobaccho smelled like good, if a bit mild, matcha and a hint of cookie. This was described as "matcha and crisp pretzel" but the pretzel really reminded me of animal crackers. This was good, but unfortunately, I could taste the pretzel more than I could taste matcha.

The coating was a decent matcha chocolate, but if I didn't suck the coating off, I could barely taste it. I would have liked a thicker coating or even a matcha-flavored cookie center. It was a decent snack, but a bit disappointing.

Kelly at Tasty Japan posted a review of strawberry Mobaccho, so be sure to check out what she thought.

B-

Glico website

Glico Dessert Pocky Tiramisu

Even though I love drinking coffee, coffee flavored candy usually isn't something I enjoy. However, I've had a few tiramisu flavored snacks lately that are beginning to change my mind.

When it comes to Japanese snacks in America, Pocky has become almost ubiquitous. I've seen it in local grocery stores, book stores, and of course, Asian grocers. Unfortunately, Pocky is nowhere near the top of the list of my favorite Japanese snacks, and the kinds I do like (like Dessert Pocky) are still pretty hard to find. I found these at a Japanese grocery store about an hour from where I live.

There were three sticks in each bag, which made them a little hard to share with my husband. The sticks were pretty, with intricate crosshatch milk chocolate drizzled over the white chocolate. They certainly looked elegant, and they smelled of milk chocolate with a faint hint of coffee.

The chocolate coating was nice and thick, and as with the scent, the coffee taste was not at all overpowering. The biscuit added a nice texture and kept the sweetness in balance. On the whole, these were not too sweet, and the cookie/chocolate combination did serve to remind me of tiramisu. These were pretty addictive! For another take, have a look at Japanese Snack Reviews.

B+

Glico website

Glico Matcha Collon

It's no secret that I am a huge fan of matcha (green tea) flavored snacks. I'm afraid my ratings tend to be a bit biased when it comes to matcha, but I try to give an idea of how strong the flavor is so that those who don't care for matcha can relate to the review. I know matcha isn't everyone's cup of tea (har har).

It's hard to review Collon without pointing out how silly the name sounds in English-speaking countries. Also, I feel I must mention that this is a heavier snack. One box (60 grams) is about 326 calories and contains 18.3 grams of fat. Collon is definitely something to be enjoyed in moderation, but most snacks are, anyway.


Upon opening the bag, I was treated to the smell of cream, with a faint trace of matcha. Collon is fluffy cream inside a crunchy wafer cylinder, like dessert Combos. These didn't survive the trip from Japan all that well, but the flavor hasn't been compromised.

The flaky crust was a little buttery and delicate, and very tasty. The cream was light and whipped, but didn't have a very strong matcha flavor. They definitely tasted different from regular Collon, and the matcha flavor was present, just not dominating. I didn't like how they left my mouth feeling oily, or the slight preservative-laden aftertaste. However, they were still enjoyable, and I think they could please both matcha fans as well as snackers who aren't as enamored with green tea.

B

Glico Collon Website

Glico Giant Matcha Pocky

Here's another matcha snack from my friend who lives in Kyoto. I had seen these giant boxes of matcha Pocky when I was in Kyoto last fall, but didn't buy any because I'm not crazy about the normal-sized matcha Pocky. They're okay, but I figured these would be more of the same. I was pleasantly surprised!

The photo doesn't really capture the fact that these are giant sticks of Pocky. There are 18 individually wrapped sticks in the box. Unfortunately, the one I chose for the picture was broken in the bag, but none of the other ones I ate were.

The stick itself is great, with just a hint of a matcha flavor (and a slight green tint). It's crispy, a little sweet, and reminds me of small, round Japanese kids' crackers (I can't remember what they are called). The stick is coated in a thin layer of matcha chocolate. The chocolate has a strong matcha flavor, and captures a great balance of sweet and bitter without tipping the scales to either side.

I really enjoyed these, much more than regular sized matcha Pocky! The sticks make a fantastic, slightly sweet snack. Each stick has 2.4 grams of fat and just over 60 calories. I wish I had tried these sooner, they were delicious for a matcha fan like me!

A+

Glico Website (Japanese)

Glico Bacon and Cheese Pretz

Although I really loved the Melonpan Pretz from the Bakery Flat Style Pretz line, I gotta say, the Bacon and Cheese flavor didn't do it for me.

They smell like dog treats. Like weaker Beggin' Strips. The smell was definitely bacony, but it was preservative-laden as well. I didn't let that stop me of course, because I knew they had to taste better than they smelled.


They did taste better than they smelled, but it really wasn't enough to save them for me. That Pretz preserative taste was there and the aftertaste was one of those that you knew was going to hang around for a while. I'm not a huge fan of bacon-flavoring, so that was probably why I didn't like these.

I suppose it was supposed to be a savory taste, but the smell was so overpowering that the taste really didn't stand out at all. These weren't for me at all. I only had one stick and would not be likely to try this kind again.

C

Glico Website (Japanese)

Glico Strawberry Dessert Pocky

The full description of this Pocky is "Rich Strawberry Chocolate Shortcake Style" but that was too much to fit in the title. I love fancy, limited edition Pocky, and this one did not disappoint. I think it's the high chocolate to stick ratio that wins me over. I'm not a huge fan of the biscuit stick itself.

These had a layer of white chocolate with a gorgeous strawberry drizzle. Dessert Pocky really is a work of art, and the box is classic and pretty as well. The white chocolate is smooth and soft - a great contrast to the crunchy stick. The strawberry chocolate has a great fruity taste that is definitively strawberry, but still as delicate as the drizzle itself.

This was definitely one of the best kinds of Pocky I've ever tried.

A

Glico Website (Japanese)

Glico Brazillian Pudding Pocky

I don't really understand why Pocky is so popular. I've been to some anime conventions, and there seems to be a frenzy over Pocky. Although it seems to have subsided a bit recently, it's still way more popular than it deserves to be. I'm pointing my finger at regular Pocky; it's mediocre at best, especially compared to other Japanese snacks (Toppo, KitKat, etc.).

However, limited edition Pocky is a different story. Although I love the mousse and dessert Pockys best, I'll try any candy or snack in a limited edition flavor. This Brazilian Pudding Pocky was given to me by my sister.


The tropical box is cute, and the stripes on the Pocky itself are quite pretty. As far as taste, it has a slight creamy caramel flavor which is pleasant, but not amazing. I'm not really sure what's Brazilian about it, but I suppose Brazilian Pudding sounds better than Exotic Purin. It just tastes like normal flan/purin to me.

Although it wasn't fantastic, it was a good light snack, and better than regular Pocky. The taste was very mild, but I suppose flan is a mild dessert, so it makes sense. This Pocky was also reviewed at Japanese Snack Food Reviews.

B

Glico Website (Japanese)

Glico Melonpan Pretz

Pretz is very hit-or-miss to me. I find that most of the flavors taste strongly of preservative, but some mask it better than others. Amazingly, matcha Pretz was a kind I didn't enjoy (and I like everything matcha). Salad, Tomato, and Pizza are all right, certainly addictive, but this one, this Melonpan Pretz, is fantastic.

Melonpan is a pastry (pan = bread) that is named more for how it looks than how it tastes. Think of a sweet bread topped with a thin sugar cookie coating, scored to look like a fancy melon. I've heard there are some recipes that use actual melon or pineapple extract, but for the most part, it's as described above.

Well, these Pretz DO taste (and smell) like melonpan, and actually a little bit like melon, too. They are less dense than regular Pretz, and a little flatter and wider. The coating is sugary and somehow, the taste is pretty accurate!

Although the preservative taste was there a little bit, it was low for Pretz and ignorable. My husband couldn't taste it at all, so maybe it was just my imagination. Either way, we both really enjoyed this snack! The four loaded bags inside the box were gone in two days, and normally, even the good flavors of Pretz sit in the cupboard until they get stale.

A

Glico Website (Japanese)