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

Tirol Kagami Mochi

This review is about four months late, but this was such a cute promotion that I had to post it. New Year is a very important holiday in Japan, and one of the traditional decorations is called Kagami Mochi. Though they are often very elaborately decorated, the simplest form is just two stacked mochi balls, the top one smaller than the bottom, with a bitter orange on top.

The Tirol version consisted of several small Milk Mochi flavored chocolates with a large Mikan flavored chocolate on top, all encased in plastic shaped like Kagami Mochi. For some reason, Tirol felt the need to include instructions on how to pop out the Mikan piece. Before I even tasted anything, I was extremely amused by the variety of New Year-themed images on the Milk Mochi pieces. I especially liked the cute little Daruma.


Milk Mochi tasted like coconut, according to my husband. The mochi center was chewy, gummy, and slightly sweet, so it was similar to the real thing. The surrounding white chocolate, however, was a bit stiff and chalky. It wasn't too sweet, and did taste like milk or cream. My favorite part was the packaging. B-


The Mikan piece boasted real mikan flavor, and the chocolate smelled very much like oranges. I was thrilled to discover that it had a gel center. The gel was tender and chewy with a tart orange flavor, while the orange chocolate coating reminded me of sherbet. This Tirol reminded me of a punch my mom used to make for church parties (ginger ale, pineapple juice, and orange sherbet - yum). The gel had an odd sort of skin to it, but it did remind me of real fruit. This flavor was tastier than Milk Mochi, but unfortunately, there was only one Mikan in the set. A-

Tirol website

Tirol White Strawberry and Strawberry Tart Choco

These two Tirol flavors, while both strawberry-related, did not come from the same collection. The White Strawberry came in a box shaped like a large Tirol chocolate (love when they do that), and it was the only flavor included. I can't remember ever having a white strawberry, but I read a bit about pineberries (hybrid strawberry-like berries that taste a bit like pineapple). I'm not sure if they are the same fruit, but it was an interesting read.

Strawberry Tart Choco came in this year's Ichigo ga Ippai collection. Since at least 2009, Tirol has brought out a strawberry-themed variety pack with some repeats and usually at least one new flavor. Have a look at my reviews of the 2009 and 2010 editions, if you like. This time, there was only one new flavor, so I thought I'd combine it with the standalone strawberry.


White Strawberry had an intense strawberry smell when unwrapped. The top inner layer was a thin strawberry gel, which was tart and authentically fruity. Some pieces leaked strawberry gel into their wrappers, adhering the chocolate to the paper - the strawberry flavor was noticeably less intense when this happened. The inner marshmallow layer nice, pillowy texture and a slight sweetness. The white chocolate shell was cool on the tongue and extremely sweet. There were a couple strawberry seeds embedded in the chocolate, but they didn't add much - just a hint of a crunch like the real fruit.

I liked the flavor of the strawberry gel and the texture of the marshmallow very much, but the white chocolate was just too sweet and cloying. Eating them with strong black tea helped to lessen the powerful sweetness, but the white chocolate tarnished an otherwise delicious Tirol. The strawberry flavor was delicious, so I had no trouble finishing the box, but I wish they had been less sweet.

B-


Strawberry Tart Choco had an ever-so-slightly soapy scent and flavor, but the texture was great. The white chocolate shell reminded me of strawberry yogurt, and it wasn't intensely sweet. Inside the chocolate, there was an extra crunchy, flaky biscuit with strawberry-flavored crystals on top. Those crystals were tart and had a nice, authentic flavor and a neat crunch that reminded me of freeze-dried fruit.

This flavor also had seeds embedded in the chocolate, and again, they didn't seem to add much to the experience. I suppose they added to the authenticity, but they really just got stuck in my teeth later. Still, this was my favorite out of the two strawberry flavors in this review, and probably my favorite in the strawberry variety pack.

A-

Tirol Website

Tirol Mini Variety Pack

Diving right into my new Tirol selection, I'll start with this mini variety pack. Of the 3 flavors, 2 are new to me: Mango and Pachi-Can (popping candy) Soda. Milk is a classic Tirol flavor that I've had many times before but never reviewed.

I'm not sure why the bag says Thank You, but I guess it's Tirol's way of thanking anyone who purchases their products. Well, Tirol is most certainly welcome (though I can't really accept their thanks, since this was a gift), and the brand has such a good track record that I'd like to thank Tirol, too.


Tirol flavors with gummy centers rarely disappoint, and Mango was no exception. The white chocolate had a mild mango flavor, and it wasn't too sweet. The center was tart and authentically mango. The texture reminded me of the actual fruit, and Mango was definitely my favorite flavor in the bag. A


Pachi-Can Soda smelled and tasted like the Japanese soda Ramune, but the white chocolate was slightly soapy and floral. Despite that, this one was packed with tart, citrusy popping candy. It was really original and fun! The pops weren't too intense, and the tartness of the candy helped the chocolate taste better. B


Milk is not my favorite Tirol flavor. The best thing about it is probably this little cow on the wrapper. Milk didn't really seem to go with the set, since the other chocolates were fruity (and Milk unfortunately seemed to pick up some of the soda flavor during storage). The milk chocolate was very creamy, enhanced by the milk-flavored center, but it has a very mild and slightly soured flavor that I don't enjoy. C+

Tirol Website

Tiramisu Tirol

Thanks to a friend of mine, I have 10 different flavors of Tirol chocolates to review soon! It's a favorite brand of ours, and she often sends me new flavors when she finds them. In preparation, I thought I should post the Tirol review I've been stewing on for a while before I dig into the various new flavors.

I don't really go nuts for tiramisu, but since I enjoyed the Tiramisu KitKat that came out a few years ago, I thought I'd take a chance on Tirol's offering.


The chocolate smelled a bit like cheese (though I was reminded more of cheddar than mascarpone), and the layers were quite pretty. The cocoa powder layer was a nice touch, especially once the piece was broken. The chocolate seemed very soft, and you can see in the picture that it didn't have a clean snap.

The rich chocolate had a slightly bitter coffee flavor with a tempered sweetness and not much in the way of cheese. All of the flavors seemed muted, and while it wasn't bad, it was a bit disappointing. To be honest, I think I would have liked it more if I hadn't just tried the Tiramisu piece in the LOOK Italian Dolce set. Teaser: it was so good that it may have affected my opinion.

Orchid64 also reviewed this flavor on Japanese Snack Reviews.

B

Tirol website

Tirol Castella

The current limited edition flavor in the Tirol "Mix 8" pack is Castella. Castella (sometimes called kasutera) is a sponge cake adapted from cakes brought to Japan by Portugese in the 16th century. It's especially famous in Nagasaki, which was the only port open to foreign merchants during that time.

To my American palate, castella always tasted a bit bland. According to most of the recipes I saw online, honey is typically added for flavor and moderate sweetness. For extra credit, I made green tea castella according to this recipe. It didn't come out great, but I think it was because I overmixed the eggs and batter, which led to a very tough, dense cake. The ingredients are quite simple, though, so I'd love to try again soon with a different recipe.


Anyhow, this Tirol was based on plain castella, and the look of the chocolate reminded me of purin or flan. It smelled buttery, but didn't give me a sense of sponge cake. The white chocolate had a sweet, buttery flavor with just a touch of honey.

Inside, there was a barely-flavored biscuit to add some crunchiness (like in Tirol's standard BIS chocolate), but there were also large sugar crystals inside. The sugar added a new dimension of texture that I hadn't seen from Tirol before, and it added a nice flavor without adding too much sweetness.

Despite not really tasting like castella, this Tirol was quite pleasant, and I wouldn't mind having it again.

B+

Tirol website

Tirol Wine

Even though I know next to nothing about wine, I do know that Wine is not a very descriptive name for a flavor. From the package, it can be assumed that this is a red wine flavored Tirol, but even that doesn't add much.

My favorite red wine is Shiraz, which can have a strong bite, but there is a whole spectrum of red wines ranging from sweet to dry and beyond. The mystery Wine Tirol was purchased from napaJapan (4 for $3.29 US) just before Christmas, and limited quantities are still available.


The dark chocolate was of decent quality and had a bit of a chocolate liquor flavor to it. In terms of texture, it had a good snap and a slow melt on the tongue. The jelly in the center was thick and sticky like a fruit gem, but didn't taste like wine. This Tirol was more like grape jelly in dark chocolate, and while it was very good, there was no hint of that "luxurious aftertaste" the packaging mentioned.

Maybe they were aiming for dessert wine, but even that has more bite than this mild Tirol. There was a slight sourness at the finish, but it lacked the rich, complex end note that distinguishes sweet wine from grape juice. Even though this Tirol was tasty, it was misleading, so I have to account for that in my rating. This could be a good thing for those who don't like wine, but I wish Tirol had taken the concept just a bit further.

B+

Tirol Website

Tirol Coffee Jelly

First, this is just a gentle reminder that there is one week left to enter my Trident Layers giveaway! Thanks to everyone who has entered so far.

Normally, Tirol chocolates have adorable packaging designs, but it seems like Coffee Jelly slipped through the cracks. The font isn't eye-catching (not to mention the yellow stroke on brown text), and combined with the grainy picture, it just looks cheap.

Of course, as chocolates go, Tirol is cheap, but it doesn't usually look it. Still, I wasn't too deterred from adding a set of 4 Coffee Jelly chocolates ($2.79, though they are now sold out) to my napaJapan order, and I'm very glad that I did.


Under the wrapper, the chocolate was quite attractive with its contrasting white top and dark bottom, all with a slightly glossy finish. It had a mild coffee scent, and the chocolate had a great snap to it. Inside the chocolate was a sticky gel center with a pleasant, slightly firm gummy texture.

The chocolate had the stronger espresso-like flavor, and the combination of milky white and bitter dark reminded me of a mocha. The gel center had a milder, more delicate coffee flavor. It was like a much more subdued Ferrero Pocket Coffee, and it was delicious. Don't let the unassuming package fool you - there's quality chocolate in there!

A-

Tirol 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

Tirol Premium Apple Pie

Pie as I know it is one of those things that is hard to come by in Japan. I'm sure it's available, but commercial "pie" snacks in Japan are often extremely dry, flaky, and don't suit my tastes at all. For example, Lotte's Pie no Mi is a Japanese snack I just don't enjoy, no matter how many chances I give it.

Still, this Apple Pie Tirol came so highly recommended that I had to try it. Both Japanese Snack Reviews and NapaJapan (where I purchased them) gave glowing reviews. I should mention that I'm not huge on apple-flavored things (though I love apples), so add a letter grade if you love apple sweets. Bonus points if you manage to find the ones with Toy Story 3 wrappers (scroll to the bottom)!


There was a very strong apple smell with just a hint of spices. The first bit was at first a bit fake, but the apple flavor got better as I chewed. The crispy/crunchy bits (which seemed like puffed rice) brought out the cinnamon taste, and the white chocolate did a fine job of holding it all together (almost like pie a la mode).

It seemed like there was some chewy sort of apple pulp within the square, which was a nice touch. I was worried that the pie element would be like other Japanese pies, but it was a nice, crunchy and non-flaky texture. I was reminded of Apple Cinnamon Cheerios or some other apple cereal more than pie, but found these to be a pleasant surprise from Tirol!

B+

Tirol website

Tirol Premium Roundup

Premium Tirol are rather difficult to locate in the United States. Many Japanese stores in the Midwest carry the regular assorted Tirol packs, but I have never seen the premium variety in stores.

The flavors in this review are Cream Anmitsu, Vanilla Yogurt, and Hokkaido Cheese, and they were purchased from napaJapan. Premium Tirol are slightly larger (and supposedly of better quality) than the standard variety, and the flavors are changed more regularly, much like KitKats.


First up was Cream Anmitsu, which was a Tirol version of a popular Japanese dessert that is somewhat like a fruit salad with jellies, red beans, ice cream, and sometimes mochi. The piece smelled like azuki and mochi, and the gel and syrup were slightly sweet. The gel inside was like the agar jelly in the dessert - the texture reminds me of chewing on the inside of your cheek. The chocolate was smooth, creamy, and carried most of the bean flavor. The syrup gave the whole thing a fruity feel, and was a great representation of the actual dessert! A-


Hokkaido, the northernmost island of Japan, is known for its dairy products, thus we have Hokkaido Cheese flavored Tirol. It smelled and tasted just like cheese spread and not like real cheese. There was no sign of chocolate here, just a processed cheese flavor with a crunchy biscuit. If that's your thing, you'd probably like it. I was surprised at the uniqueness, but not impressed with the flavor, and my husband thought it tasted like Combos. C


Finally, there was Vanilla Yogurt (and a different light source in my photo). It had a strong vanilla scent, and a cool vanilla taste. It was like a creamy white chocolate homemade candy (think a meltaway mint without the mint) that melted in my mouth. The syrup inside was basically simple syrup infused with vanilla, and the center piece felt like meringue on my tongue. It was quite tasty, but I didn't really taste yogurt, just vanilla and white chocolate. I have never tried the actual product on which it is based, but I did like the chocolate. B+

Orchid64 of Japanese Snack Reviews has also reviewed all three of these flavors, so have a look at her take on Hokkaido Cheese, Cream Anmitsu, and Vanilla Yogurt. For a positive review of Hokkaido Cheese, check out Tasty Japan.

Tirol website

Tirol Ichigo ga Ippai (again)

Like people and animals, snacks follow the circle of life as well. Last winter, a friend sent me the Strawberry 2009 variety pack, and this winter, I received the 2010 version. Thankfully, they are similar, but not identical.

This version includes Strawberry Jelly, Strawberry and Cookie, and Strawberry Condensed Milk, and I'll review them one by one.


Strawberry Jelly had a strong strawberry scent, and was filled with a bright red gel. The jam center was a tasty and fairly authentic strawberry, but I didn't feel like it went well with the buttery strawberry flavored white chocolate.


Strawberry and Cookie Crunch is basically a strawberry version of Tirol's White & Cookie Crunch. The strawberry flavor was mild, but it didn't really add anything, and I prefer the regular white chocolate version.


'Tsubu Tsubu' Strawberry Condensed Milk was, as expected, very sweet and milky. I believe the tsubu tsubu refers to the texture of the strawberry seeds that were found throughout this piece. It reminded me of a strawberry frosting with a hint of crunchiness from the seeds, but it was very, very sweet.

None of these flavors grabbed me, but none of them tasted bad, either. Check out another review of this pack at Pocky Watch.

B-

Tirol website

Tirol Peach - Chestnut - Persimmon

I was a little confused by the name of this Tirol variety pack, as my knowledge of Japanese proverbs is rather limited. The full Japanese is 桃栗三年柿八年 (momo kuri sannen kaki hachinen), which roughly translates to "it takes time for one's actions to bear fruit." More literally, it means "peaches and chestnuts in 3 years, persimmons in 8." Please correct me if my translation is bad.


I loved the cute characters on the bag and chocolate wrappers, although the peach is a little creepy. I'm pretty familiar with peaches and chestnuts, but I have never tried persimmon (even though I do see them at the supermarket occasionally). According to Wikipedia, the taste is similar to plums and dates. However, I'm not sure it matters for this review - I'll get into that in a minute.


First, I tried the creepy peach. It smelled like peach, and had a gooey gummy center. The gummy did have the texture of peach flesh, but the flavor was nearly overpowered by the taste of sugar. It seemed like most of the fruit flavor was in the chocolate. This was too sweet for me, and something about the peach flavor felt a little fake.


Chestnut smelled toasted, and had a strong, nutty flavor with hints of coffee. It wasn't as overwhelmingly sweet as the peach, but the white chocolate could have been a little richer. The glaze in the middle was nice, though, and overall, I was satisfied.


Last up was persimmon, but as you can see in the picture, this one was actually more like chocolate coated senbei. I'm not sure where the persimmon comes in, and am hoping that one of my readers can help me understand. Still, this was my favorite of the three. The milk chocolate (which seemed a little waxy here) went so well with the mild soy sauce flavor of the crunchy cracker center. It was very well balanced, and I would love to have a bag of just this variety (maybe with a few chestnut thrown in). Forget the peach.

On their own, I would say peach is a C+, chestnut is a B+, and persimmon is an A-. Overall, that averages to a B!

Check out another review of this pack at Tasty Japan!

Tirol website

Tirol Hot Cake

I have been waiting to try this Tirol flavor for several months, and finally found it at Mitsuwa Marketplace near Chicago. It was part of the normal strip variety packs, as the one seasonal flavor included among the standards.

Pancakes were a regular meal in my house growing up, though they were always my dad's multigrain variety. Hotcakes like the ones pictured on this Tirol were a rare treat only to be enjoyed at restaurants. No matter the type, pancakes are one of my favorite things to eat, so I was pretty excited about this chocolate.


The chocolate smelled like imitation maple syrup and white chocolate, and though the majority of the piece was plain white, there was a maple chocolate layer on the bottom. It tasted syrupy, too, as there was a bit of liquid syrup above the biscuit center.

It was definitely a lot like pancakes, only even sweeter. The crunchy layer was good, though it didn't exactly evoke the texture of pancakes. There were also buttery notes that helped the overall taste. I was glad the piece was so small, because it was quite sweet. Still, I wasn't disappointed, and I am glad I got to sample the flavor.

B

Tirol website

Tirol Strawberry Shortcake

Tirol is one of the harder Japanese sweets for me to find in America. I only ever see the variety pack strips, and more often than not, they are a little old. Aside from the expiration date, it's easy to tell how old the pack is by the limited edition flavor bundled with the regulars.

This Strawberry Shortcake came from a pack that was nearing the end of its shelf life, as it expires in December and doesn't have the current special flavor (which should be hot cakes, though I think kinako mochi might be making a comeback). The cute packaging appeals to me, as I am a big fan of pink.


The strawberry milk scent was very strong in this Tirol. It had a fruity, tart strawberry white chocolate flavor that reminded me of strawberry jam. In addition, there was a bit of a soapy taste that I didn't care for.

Normally, I love the biscuit varieties, but something about this one put me off. It wasn't bad, but it was very sweet. The biscuit and fruit flavor did give it the feel of strawberry shortcake, but I think the cream/frosting flavor in this chocolate gave it a hint of soap, which ruined the whole thing for me.

Kelly of Tasty Japan liked them much better than I did, so be sure to look at her blog before you decide!

C

Tirol website

Tirol Aloha Pack

This is the last of the Tirol I have to review. I saw this cute little bag with a Wallace and Gromit-esque character on the front and was interested, but the real selling point was the pineapple flavor. I love pineapple, so I was really looking forward to seeing how they would handle it.


I liked the muted colors on the wrappers, and even though I'm not usually a fan of coffee flavored candy, I've never tried Kona coffee. Macadamia nuts go well with chocolate, and Tirol does a great job with their plain almond chocolate, so I had high hopes for it.


Kona coffee smelled like coffee and had a toffee-esque caramel inside. The chocolate carried the coffee flavor, while the caramel was bitter and similar to (if not the same as) the caramel inside the plain Tirol flavor. Overall, the whole thing was mildly sweet. It was a nice change of pace, but not something I want to eat all the time. B

Macadamia nut had normal, nice milk chocolate with small macadamia nut pieces inside. It was simple and tasty! My only complaint is that I wish there were more or bigger macadamia nut pieces inside. I would definitely seek out this flavor again. A-

Pineapple smelled just like pineapple, and wow, the jelly center was awesome. It was tender and fruity, like a fruit gem without the sugar coating. The flavor was spot on pineapple, too. The white chocolate on the outside was a little too sweet, but the center was so delicious, I didn't mind. A

A friend of mine said she tried these last year, too, but I saw on the Tirol site that they are a current flavor, so it must be a re-release. The pack was great as a whole, even better for those who love coffee-flavored snacks.

Tirol Website

Tirol Strawberry and Melon Kakigori

Every time I went to a convenience store in Japan, if felt like I saw a new kind of Tirol chocolate. I don't know if it was just luck or if they are releasing new chocolates faster now, but it was surprising.

These particular chocolates feature the characters Gachapin and Mukku, about whom I know almost nothing. However, what interested me is the fact that these were kakigori (flavored shaved ice) chocolates. The green was melon, and the red was strawberry.


Strawberry smelled like a basic strawberry white chocolate; milky and fruity, with a hint of authenticity behind the white chocolate. It was very sweet, and the white chocolate overpowered the strawberry flavor - I would have preferred the other way around. I was curious how kakigori would come into the picture, and was surprised to find sugar candy inside. It was like Pop Rocks without the pop, and the candies had a cooling sensation on the tongue. All together, it was neat, but a little too sweet and heavy on the white chocolate. B-

Melon smelled like melon soda, but the consistency was similar to the strawberry - very heavy on the white chocolate. The melon flavor was even subtler, and I really would have liked to taste more of it. The white chocolate was good, but sweet and plentiful. The same sugar candies were inside, and the cooling sensation made these really fun to eat. B-

Although I enjoyed these, I found myself wishing these were smaller (they were the premium size). It felt like a lot of white chocolate and not a lot of fruit flavor. The cool sugar really took me by surprise, though!

Tirol Website