Fujiya LOOK Baskin Robbins

It's been a while! Sorry for being so quiet. I'd like to say that I've been too busy with work and graduate school to post, but the truth is, I've had free time, I've just been doing other things. I did notice some new followers, so thanks for being patient with me!

Getting back into the swing of things, I thought I'd give LOOK chocolate another try. LOOK has been hit or miss; their French- and Italian-themed collections were fantastic, but their plain chocolates left a lot to be desired. This is the Baskin Robbins collection, so naturally, the four flavors are ice cream inspired.


It's fitting to start off with Jamocha Coffee because the coffee flavor seemed to find its way into many of the adjacent chocolates. On its own, it was all right. The milk chocolate went well with the mild coffee flavor, and it definitely reminded me of a blended iced coffee drink.

Strawberry Cheesecake had a slightly tart berry flavor with a hint of yogurt. It didn't really taste like cheesecake, but it was still tasty. As I mentioned, I think there was some flavor mingling going on, because some of the Strawberry Cheesecake pieces had a weird and off-putting coffee note.

Matcha, always the flavor I look forward to the most, had a slight bitter matcha flavor, but it was so subtle that it was easily overwhelmed by the milk chocolate. It was disappointing. One of the Matcha pieces tasted like coffee, too.

Vanilla had a sweet fake vanilla flavor. It was pretty standard fare, but the coffee essence seeped into a couple of these pieces, too. It wasn't too bad for this flavor.

Overall, when the non-coffee flavors didn't taste like coffee, they were fine, but flavor mingling was an issue in this package (even though they were well within the expiration date). It didn't happen to every piece, but I'm thinking the fresher you can get these, the better.

C+

LOOK website

Look Matcha Anmitsu

I really need to replenish my stash. It's down to just one KitKat (Yakiimo). This weekend, I had wanted to go to Toronto for a little shopping, but various parties and gatherings kept us in town. The weekend was fun, anyhow, but my candy supply is in critical condition.

This flavor of LOOK is Millstone Ground Matcha Anmitsu. I'll just take them for their word on the millstone ground bit, but anmitsu is a Japanese dessert made with jelly cubes, sweet red beans, black sugar syrup, and in this case, matcha. Everything is better with matcha.


The pieces just smelled like milk chocolate. Inside the shell, the matcha filling was creamy with small, grainy, millstone ground bits that melted smoothly. The flavor was a bit bitter and grassy, but it was very mild. Above the matcha filling was a thin layer of anmitsu, which was just slightly bitter with a hint of azuki flavor (only detectable when the syrup is tasted alone).

The milk chocolate was sticky, but the sweetness balanced the mildly bitter flavors nicely. I liked the grainy to smooth texture of the filling, but it would have been interesting to see some of the jelly texture brought in (I suppose that's best left to Tirol). It's hard to recreate the marriage of tastes and textures that is anmitsu. Matcha Anmitsu LOOK was pleasant, but the flavors, especially the matcha, just weren't strong enough to wow me.

B

Fujiya LOOK website

Tirol Matcha Soy Latte and Peach Pie

I am such a sucker for new flavors of Tirol, and I can't resist matcha anything, so purchasing these flavors from napaJapan was an easy decision. It's slowly getting warmer where I live, meaning the end of chocolate shipping season is in sight and I need to get all my orders in soon before I come home to a pile of melted KitKats!

Matcha Soy Latte sounds like it was made for me (I don't get along with lactose), although I'm certain it was made with milk. Peach Pie sounded more like something my sister would love, but since last year's Apple Pie Tirol was so well executed, it seemed worth a taste.


Even though I love actual peaches, peach-flavored candy and chocolate often doesn't agree with me. In Tirol's Peach Pie, the flavor was pretty good. The white chocolate felt cool to the tongue and had a mildly sweet flavor, but I was reminded a bit of artificial sweetener. There were chunks of peach gel and "crust" crumbles in the chocolate, and the piece pieces alone had a good, fairly authentic flavor. The crumbles added a crunch that reminded me of soft granola, but they didn't add much flavor. It was nothing like the peach pie I'm used to, but still a good, unique Tirol flavor. My husband really liked this one. B


If my heart made its own Tirol flavor, it would be Matcha Soy Latte. The chocolate was a bold, grassy green with a white stripe in the center, and it smelled like milky green tea. I was delighted to find the matcha flavor stronger than the average green tea chocolate. It was slightly bitter but well balanced with some sweetness. Inside the flavored white chocolate, there was a gummy center that added a fun texture and a mildly sweet flavor (perhaps this was supposed to represent soy milk). I really enjoyed the strong matcha flavor, but didn't get much of a sense of soy milk. It's possible that it pulled a bit more vanilla than normal, but I'm not sure. A

Japanese Snack Reviews also reviewed the Matcha Soy Latte Tirol.

Tirol website

Country Ma'am Ujikintoki Cookies

Since I don't live in Japan, Country Ma'am cookies are something to which I have very little exposure. On my last visit to Kyoto, I tried a kinako version that was tasty, but I think that's the only time I've had them. You can read several reviews of different types of Country Ma'am cookies at Japanese Snack Reviews.

Ujikintoki is a type of Japanese shaved ice dessert (kakigori) made with matcha syrup and red bean toppings. The package suggested putting the cookies in the refrigerator to simulate the shaved ice dessert. To get the full effect, I tried three different preparation methods: straight out of the bag, one hour in the refrigerator, and 20 seconds in the microwave.


Straight out of the bag, the cookie was grainy and very sweet, but it had a soft and chewy texture. The matcha and azuki flavors were subtle, and I also tasted brown sugar. The chocolate chips seemed downplayed by the other flavors.

Refrigeration brought out the chocolate and azuki flavors, but the matcha was almost undetectable. Also, the cold made the cookie a little crunchy and I prefer a softer chew.

I'd definitely recommend going with the microwave option. The warm, buttery cookie had a nice chocolate and matcha scent, and they were so soft and gooey. They tasted like brown sugar or molasses with less azuki flavor and a little more matcha.

A-

Fujiya website

Morinaga Matcha Caramels

As the first part of a Japanese caramel mini-series, I've got some Morinaga matcha caramels. These were provided by Tsunami.hk, but I'm a longtime fan of Morinaga's caramels. Unlike some other products I remember liking, these held up to my review scrutiny. On a side note, is it just me, or does the cupid logo on the box look like a scary clown at first glance?

Morinaga makes a large variety of caramels, and along with the standard milk caramel and black sugar caramels, I believe matcha is a permanent flavor. I've also seen azuki (red bean), black sesame, strawberry, and other limited edition flavors. Morinaga also makes Hi-chew, so they seem to have cornered the market for chewy candies in Japan.


The caramels are just under 2 cm long, and they smell like butter and tea leaves. The matcha flavor is moderately strong and more grassy than milky. As I chewed, it seemed to alternate between richness and bitterness.

In terms of texture, the caramels don't get too gritty, but they do become quite sticky and soften quickly. They aren't overly sweet (the bitterness keeps it in check), and they do knock out my matcha cravings. My only issue is with the stickiness (which is why I don't usually go for caramels in general), but I keep coming back for the great flavor. Those not keen on green tea may find them too strong.

A-

Morinaga website

UHA Uji Matcha Azuki Milk CuCu

Without shame, I'll admit that the pictures of gorgeous marbled cubes on the front of this bag drew me in. Of course, the matcha flavor didn't hurt at all, since it never takes much convincing to make me buy matcha sweets. These were under $3 at a Japanese import grocery store.

The little cube dog on the bag said Cute Cube which is probably the origin of the name, CuCu. The candy is supposed to be a medley of Uji matcha, Hokkaido azuki, and condensed milk.


The candies were shaped like dice, and though they weren't quite as pretty as the picture on the bag (the actual white stripe was rather dull), they were still lovely candies. The matcha flavor was strong and immediate, with buttery and rich hints of condensed milk. There were some hints of azuki flavor, but they served the matcha well.

They never got sharp like some candies can, and they maintained their rounded cube shape throughout the entire smooth melt. The packaging was super cute, too, but I wish the wrappers were clear so that I could admire the marbled cubes in my candy dish. These were delicious, and I had no trouble eating 2 or 3 in a row. It's yet another example of matcha done well by UHA.

Check out another review at The Candy Bowl.

A

UHA website

Tohato Matcha Caramel Corn

The kind people at Tsunami.hk noticed my penchant for matcha, so this matcha Tohato caramel corn was just one of several matcha products in the samples they sent.

Tohato is a Japanese snack company, and Caramel Corn is one of their best known snacks, along with Tyrant Habanero. The two product lines are practically polar opposites (except that both are crunch snacks); Caramel Corn is sweet and sports some cute packaging whereas Tyrant Habanero is spicy and features Halloweenish "scary" faces.


This matcha caramel corn was made with kuromitsu (brown sugar syrup), which has a flavor like mild molasses. I could smell the kuromitsu, alone with hints of matcha. It was a light and crunch snack, and I could really taste the bitterness from the kuromitsu. It went very well with the green tea flavor, which also has a slight bitterness. To balance out the molasses and tea flavors, there was a moderate dose of sweetness.

The finish had a bit of fruitiness, and it really reminded me of a sugary cereal (maybe Froot Loops). The texture was like a cereal, too, and it even cut the roof of my mouth. Everything about these was light and addictive, although they left a slight oily film in my mouth. Despite the film, I ate half the bag in one sitting. I'd advise you to either do the same or share them with friends quickly, because after only a few hours open (rolled up with a rubber band), they had started to go stale.

A-

Tohato Caramel Corn website

Matcha KitKat Bar

Despite having tried pretty much every matcha offering from Nestle Japan since 2006 (they haven't changed much), I can't say no to green tea, so the matcha KitKat bar was a natural choice for me in my most recent order from NapaJapan. It's gotten too hot to ship chocolate, but I'd been saving this for a day when I needed a pick me up.

Another reason I saved the bar was its large size; 263 is a lot of calories to eat at once, especially compared to a normal 4 finger KitKat. I ended up splitting it with my husband.


The bar smelled the same as the smaller matcha KitKats, and at first, I loved that there was a ton of matcha chocolate. After a couple bites, though, it was too much of a good thing. The large size really made the white chocolate overwhelmingly sweet.

Still, the matcha flavor was good. It was subtly floral and mild in the chocolate, but stronger and almost like real matcha powder between the wafers. It was subtly floral, as usual, but I must say that the miniature version is much better. There was just too much chocolate and not enough wafer in the big bar.

B-

KitKat website

UHA High Concentration Matcha Milk Candy

Another product included in the generous sample pack I received from Tsunami.hk was this UHA Matcha Milk candy. Despite my love of matcha, I had never tried these before - probably because the packaging never jumped out at me. Many UHA products (like Puccho) have eye-catching, colorful designs, but this Matcha candy is clearly marketed to adults. For the record, I'm an adult and colorful packaging full of cute mascots nearly always works on me.

When I opened them, I wasn't sure if they were chews or hard candy - they looked like they could go either way. After a tentative bite, it was obvious that they were hard candy. My memory could be failing me, but I think this is only my second true hard candy review.


The candies didn't have much of a smell, but they had an immediately rich and milky matcha latte taste. The flavor was very authentic; just like a thick matcha milk drink (despite containing artificial flavoring). The grassiness was well balanced with cream, and the sweetness was just right.

It's such a shame that the dull packaging put me off, because these are some of the best matcha hard candies I've ever had! The richness prevented me from having too many in a row (2 was plenty). I'm not much of a hard candy person (thanks to my dentist), but I don't think I'll have any trouble finishing these.

A

UHA website

Bourbon Matcha ChocoChip Puchi Cookies

I haven't thought about this kind of cookie much since I spent the summer of 2004 at a university in Nagoya, Japan, but I used to get them all the time at the local Valor (a Wal-Mart type department store). I can remember many different kinds of these tiny cookie tubes, including vanilla cream sandwiched and chocolate chip, but of course, matcha suits me best.

It would have never occurred to me to order this type of cookie for myself, but now that I have some, I realize I missed them. These Matcha ChocoChip cookies were provided by Tsunami.hk, an online shop with an extensive selection of Japanese candy as well as some other specialty items.


The scent of matcha was definitely noticeable, along with the familiar aroma of packaged cookies. They had a nice, crunchy texture with vanilla notes that reminded me of Chips Ahoy (or other branded chocolate chip cookies). The grassy and delicate matcha flavor was certainly there, if a little weak, and it went very well with the slightly bitter chocolate chips.

If you exert a little self control, these tiny cookies make great little indulgent snacks. The are around 25 mm in diameter, and even if you eat the whole package, it's still under 300 calories. I enjoyed mine with a cup of green tea. My only complaint is that the matcha flavor could have been stronger, but that's just because I'm a matcha nut.

A-

Bourbon website

Tirol Matcha Milk

The current rotating flavor in Tirol variety packs is Matcha Milk, and that's good news for me. Hot Cake was interesting, but trying Matcha Milk is required. The quality of a matcha piece can make or break a line of chocolate products for me.

Tirol's matcha chocolates have been good in the past, but the only ones I've tried have been from the premium line; the quality doesn't always translate to the regular sized products.


From the top, it was a solid green chocolate, but on the bottom, there was a lovely white and green swirl. The piece didn't smell like matcha, just a little like milk, but the flavor was fantastic.

The moderately sweet solid white chocolate had a cool, creamy, and smooth matcha latte taste without any special filling. The matcha level was right in the middle - not too strong or grassy, but not disappointing, either. In short, even for a cheaper price, Tirol does matcha right.

A

Tirol website

Tivon Maison de Kukkia Matcha

It seems like the time of year when matcha snacks are more common. Recently, there were a couple different matcha KitKats, and one of the rotating flavors in Tirol assortment packs is a green tea latte. However, I think these Masion de Kukkia cookies are available any time.

These were purchased from Mitsuwa Marketplace in Arlington Heights, IL, and they were found in the section with other fancy cookies and tea snacks. These types of products tend to be rather hit or miss - Tivon isn't a brand of which I'm aware, and despite my love of Japanese snacks, sometimes these fancy ones just don't taste good to me.


The cookie wafers were a bit sweeter and less flaky than a cake cone, but they were similar. Of course, since I'm not a fan of cake cones I can say that these wafers tasted much better. However, all they needed to be was a texture accompaniment to the matcha chocolate. They served this function beautifully.

The green tea chocolate inside was firmer than a cream, so it held up well in the package. The flavor was right about in the middle in terms of intensity. The matcha taste was definitely there, but it was not overpowering. Since the wafers were fairly bland, there was no intense sweetness, and the whole cookie was quite balanced and satisfying. According to the Tivon site, milk chocolate, "sweet" chocolate, and strawberry chocolate versions are also available.

B

Maison de Kukkia website

Nestle Sakura Matcha KitKat

It's been several months since my last KitKat review, so I placed my first order at NapaJapan a few weeks ago. My packaged arrived quickly, and not a melted bit of chocolate in the bunch.

After reading various rave reviews of the Sakura Matcha KitKat, I was itching to taste it, so it was the first item in my shopping cart. I was a little wary of the sakura part after the last sakura KitKat and its faint hints of soapiness, but matcha can cure a lot of ills.


The bar smelled of matcha, and at first, the flavor was dominated by the matcha chocolate as well. However, once the wafers came through, I tasted faint hints of cinnamon. There was a subtle background fruitiness as well, and overall, it was quite a complex KitKat.

The matcha chocolate was cool and clean, and the slightly spiced notes from the wafers reminded me of yatsuhashi (another classic Kyoto treat). It was delicious, especially for a matcha lover. And, according to other reviews at Jen Ken's Kit Kat Blog and Pocky Watch, it might even appeal to a matcha non-believer.

A

KitKat website

Morinaga Matcha Yatsuhashi Hi-chew

Today, I received a package from a good friend of mine in Japan. We met in 2005 when she came to my university as an exchange student, and we've kept in touch ever since then. We exchange packages a couple times a year, and if we're really lucky, especially if me going to Japan or her coming to the US isn't in the cards at the time.

Anyhow, she lives in Kyoto and therefore has access to many special edition matcha snacks. This particular Hi-chew flavor is very Kyoto. Yatsuhashi is Kyoto's traditional regional sweet. It's made with rice flour, sugar, and cinnamon and can be raw or baked. The baked kind is good (it reminds me of Cinnamon Toast Crunch), but I especially love the raw variety, as it's soft and doughy like mochi. Kyoto and the nearby city of Uji are also known for matcha, and matcha is one of many possible flavors for yatsuhashi.


They smelled like cinnamon, and had a firmer texture than typical Hi-chew. The matcha flavor was clean, tasty, and quite authentic, though a bit mild. Unfortunately, the cinnamon flavor reminded me of a cinnamon gum instead of the actual spice.

The mochi-like element was great, with a mild rice flavor and good texture. I felt like it was a great approximation of the real thing, and was pleasantly surprised. The only issue was the cinnamon flavor, which felt more like red hots (though not as strong, of course). I'd rather have actual yatsuhashi, but these Hi-chew were very fun.

B+

Morinaga website

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

Kabaya Matcha Pakiri

Normally, I don't go for Pocky or Pocky-clone snacks, but the lure of matcha made me buy these. Unfortunately, they were a little melted (as I suspect they were shipped during summer to the store from which I bought them), but I don't think the taste was affected.

Kabaya is a big snack company, but this snack is definitely a Pocky-clone. According to the package, these are extra crunchy sticks, and should make a "snap" noise when eaten (paki, in Japanese onomatopoeia).


The scent of matcha was very strong when I opened the package, which is always a good sign for me. The flavor of the matcha white chocolate coating was also strong, just how I like it. However, they were not kidding about these being crunchy.

The stick part was very hard, crunchy, and a little tough on my teeth. It also had a distinctly salty flavor that I didn't love, but didn't hate. The saltiness was especially apparent in the aftertaste. So, even though I loved the matcha flavor, the stick wasn't to my liking.

I should mention that I wrote those notes about the crunchiness the day I opened the package. After a day or two of being opened, the sticks seemed a little softer and I liked the Pakiri better. However, if you like crunchy snacks, eat these right away.

B-

Kabaya 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

Bourbon Matcha Mont Blanc

On the last day of our time in Japan last month, my husband and I went to a nearby grocery store in Kyoto to get some cheap things to fill the empty space in our suitcases. That was the only place I saw large packages of single serving cakes, so I decided to try these.

Mont Blanc is a famous and fairly popular dessert in Japan. It is very pretty, and though typically made with chestnuts, sometimes there are other flavors included, like in these matcha cakes. Of course, being a packaged product, I didn't expect these to be as good as the real thing.


Although the box claimed that these had the aroma of matcha, all I could smell was something odd (probably preservatives). Moving past the smell, the taste wasn't really matcha, either. Or at least it wasn't as strong as I would have liked. It might have been masked by the chestnut flavor.

To call the spongecake mild would be kind, as there wasn't much flavor to speak of, and the cream in the middle was not terribly noticeable. Even the chocolate on the top didn't really taste like matcha, just sweet white chocolate. The azuki beans throughout the layers did add a nice texture, and surprisingly, carried their own flavor well.

I might like this more with some actual matcha brewed tea, as I think the bitterness would bring out the flavors in the cake, but on it's own, this cake just wasn't flavorful at all. It wasn't a bad taste, but it was very disappointing. I would like to point out that Bourbon can make good prepackaged cakes. I took some vanilla and chocolate cakes into work, and they were much better.

C-

Bourbon 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

Nestle KitKat Matcha Tiramisu

New matcha KitKats are always very exciting, so from the moment this one was announced, I knew I needed to get my hands on some. However, I was a little skeptical about matcha tiramisu. To me, tiramisu means a strong espresso flavor, but I suppose that it could be made with other beverages. Tea seems a natural choice after coffee, and a Google image search turned up results proving that it has been done before.

Knowing that there would be no coffee flavor, I wasn't sure what to expect of this KitKat. Honestly, I was hoping it would taste a little like the regular matcha KitKat because I like that one so much. And it did.


The single bar (thicker than one bar from the normal two bar pack) was pale green and smelled sweet. It tasted very similar to the regular matcha flavor, but much creamier. The matcha taste was weaker, overpowered a bit by the creaminess.

It was a very good KitKat, but I just can't call it tiramisu. A Flickr contact pointed out that the extra creaminess is probably supposed to be like the mascarpone cheese used to make tiramisu. It was definitely noticeable, so I think Nestle did their job. I also tried the regular tiramisu flavor that was released at the same time, and should have that review up tomorrow.

A-

KitKat Website (Japanese)