Imuraya Yawamochi Aisu – Matcha Tsubuan Cup – 井村屋 やわもちアイス抹茶つぶあんカップ

I’d never heard of Imuraya before I spotted this ice cream in a supermarket freezer but it turns out they make all kinds of ice creams, syrups and azuki products. The mouthwatering concept image sets up high expectations for the actual product, meaning that I was a little let down upon seeing the contents; there was something so artificial about the flat, almost matte bean paste and evenly spaced mochi.

I was hoping for thick, glistening anko, studded with whole beans, like the packaging promised – not just the picture, ‘tsubuan’ by definition is unmashed azuki beans and therefore should be lumpy and gloopy, whereas the maroon substance surrounding the mochi here was closer to the more finely blended texture of tsubushian or koshian. Having seen much more authentic and aesthetically appealing tsubuan in other frozen desserts I expected more from a company that specialises in azuki.

However, I’m really not a snob when it comes to sweets and sometimes the cheap and cheerful products are tastiest. The anko was not overly sugary and the green tea ice cream was pleasant (although the matcha flavour could have been much bolder and the consistency a little denser), but the mochi were excellent. Among the possibly hundreds of mochi-based desserts I’ve eaten, this humble product had the best: incredibly soft and gooey despite being frozen, sticky yet melt-in-the-mouth, and subtly sweet in contrast to the concentrated flavour of the anko. Overall, Matcha Tsubuan Cup would be unremarkable if the delicious mochi didn’t make it worth trying at least once.

7/10

Family Mart Sweets+ Parfait Aisu: Kinako/Murasakiimo – ファミリーマート きなこ・紫いもパフェアイス

It’s rather late to start writing about ice cream when I’ve already noticed Halloween costumes in shops, but I wanted to introduce some of the best things I’ve eaten this summer while they’re still around, starting with Family Mart’s Sweets+ Parfait range. Due to its proximity to my house, I’m biased towards 7-eleven for conbini desserts, but when browsing in the Tsutaya branch of ‘famima’ I spotted some attractive ice cream pots and picked up four different flavours. I wasn’t disappointed. It’s not often that a product like this actually matches the picture on the packaging but on peeling back the lid of the Kinako Parfait Aisu I was pleasantly surprised:

Flour-dusted mochi, deep red anko and dark, glossy syrup nestle atop a swirl of kinako ice cream, just as promised. On top of this, the quality is excellent – the mochi are mildly sweet, soft and gooey, the an is rich and earthy and the syrup provides a hint of molasses flavour. The delicate yet distinct toasty aroma of kinako comes through in the ice cream, which has a good, thick consistency and melts slowly enough to give you time to savour this dessert.

8/10

Murasaki Imo (purple sweet potato) Aisu

 

Again I thought the presentation was great, especially the deep purple potato chunks. This parfait has fewer flavour components than the kinako aisu, so the robust sweetness of candied murasakiimo the central element, with roasted and salty background notes provided by the black sesame sprinkles.

The frozen potato has an indulgent fudgy texture and the ice cream, also murasakiimo-flavoured, is rich and gelatinous. The extra touch that made this my favourite was that the inside of the pot had been coated with a thin layer of sweet potato paste,so that each spoonful of ice cream was complimented by its smooth texture and condensed sweetness, all the way to the bottom.

8/10

The Sweets+ Parfait Aisu range also features Marron, Matcha and Yuzu/Honey/Ginger.

Chocoball Shiratama Anmitsu – チョコボール白玉あんみつ

Although it doesn’t seem to be well-known outside Japan, Chocoball is an old favourite, ever present in the candy aisles alongside Glico caramel and Hi-chu. The standard flavour selection is fairly basic: biscuit, peanut, caramel and strawberry, but as with most Japanese sweets there is a pretty regular turnover of new varieties, such as this Shiratama Anmitsu  (a dessert of mochi, syrup and kanten, sometimes with fruit)

The cute and colourful box artwork might suggest that these chocolates are fruity but the flavour palate is simple: the sticky sweetness of white chocolate combined with the slightly artificial sugariness of the syrup-flavoured gummy centers. The ‘an’ (red bean paste) element of anmitsu is nowhere to be found and these would have been more exciting if there was perhaps a mixture of an-flavour and mitsu-flavour balls. (However, Chocoball usually only contains one variety per pack so it would be move away from the established concept)

As for the all-important shiratama: like in many mochi-based Tirol chocolates, the glutinous rice treat is represented by a pale gummy center which is much chewier than actual mochi and with none of its sticky elasticity. The centers are pleasant but the flavour is nondescript and the texture certainly doesn’t evoke shiratama.

That said, Shiratma Anmitsu Chocoball is a perfect snack to answer a sweet craving without a big calorie hit and while a blind-taster would be hard pressed to make the connection to anmitsu, it still tastes good and the chewiness of the centers makes the small serving size surprisingly satisfying.

6/10