While traditional bars and blocks are among the less popular forms of chocolate in Japan, Crunky, alongside Meiji Himilk and Ghana, is one of the long-standing fixtures of any candy aisle. Usually made from milk chocolate, Crunky is a lightweight rectangular bar, studded with puffed barley grains, similar to Nestle’s Crunch bar, yet slimmer and thus brittler. With spring having finally arrived (it takes a while for it to reach Hokkaido), supermarkets are awash with matcha and sakura flavoured confections, hence I came across this seasonal item at a large branch of Daiso.
Encased in a thin cardboard box and wrapped in flimsy silver foil, the bar was fresh and in near perfect condition when I opened it. The murky green hue was promising, as, although strong green tea can have a rich emerald tone, typical brews are usually a paler mossy colour. Matcha candy that is a very pale pastel green, while pleasing to the eye, is less likely to deliver on flavour, and will probably taste more like matcha au lait, i.e. extremely milky and sugary. The Lotte logo is embossed into every chunk and the smooth surface has an appealing sheen, with the malt puffs just visible beneath.
Looking at the underside reveals how thoroughly well distributed the grains are throughout the bar. There are a few air holes but not enough to affect the texture. The chocolate has a lovely toasted cereal aroma, like a cup of barley tea, but matcha is not quite detectable in the scent.
There is not as high a concentration of grain here as the illustration on the cardboard sleeve suggests, but there is still enough to provide a nice crisp bite. Every chunk contains plenty of cereal and the barley is light and toasty, not at all stale. It feels fairly solid, by which I mean that despite all the aerated puffs, it still has the dense creaminess of chocolate. The crucial matcha flavour is good – fairly bold – and works very well with the cereal, which really helps to offset the dairy and sugar in the bar and bring out the natural taste of the tea.
I thought this was a good bar, in particular the ratio of chocolate to malt puffs and the green tea flavour. While not as rich a matcha taste as Dars’ Ujimatcha or Meiji’s matcha bar, the flavour was distinctive and pleasant. I don’t think this is my favourite green tea chocolate, but it could be my favourite Crunky.
7/10
Lotte Crunky Matcha 42g 253kcals
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