Asahi Balance Up Cream Genmai Bran Black Sesame Kinako – アサヒ バランスアップ クリーム玄米ブラン 黒ごまきなこ

Long time no review…I wish I could say the hiatus is due to my being healthy and eating fewer sweets but sadly it’s just laziness that has kept me from updating – my candy intake remains unchanged. However, I’m no stranger to the health food aisles and probably purchase soy bars and sugar-free jelly almost as often as chocolate. One product that I’ve been eating on and off for a few years now is the ‘Cream Genmai (brown rice) Bran’ from Asahi’s Balance Up range, cream-filled biscuits boasting high levels of fibre, iron and calcium.

The wide range of flavours includes cocoa, maple, apple and lemon, blueberry and mixed fruits, but today I opted for one I’d never tried before: black sesame and kinako.

Balance Up consists of two individual packets, each containing two rectangular sandwich cookies. Typically the biscuits are a pale sandy colour, flecked with assorted cereal grains, but this version looks slightly different, containing dark specks of sesame. The unmistakeable roasted, almost burnt aroma of black sesame dominates when you smell these, and also comes through strongly in the flavour upon eating. As for texture, the biscuits have the same dry crunch and crumble as thick oat cakes, but are neither floury nor buttery. There are coarse crumbs of brown rice, sesame and wheat bran which can be very hard if they catch your teeth at the wrong angle, though on the whole I like the crunchy, granular consistency. While there is enough sugar present to make these taste like biscuits as opposed to savoury crackers, the nutty, toasted flavours of the cereal keep the sweetness in check, so it does feel healthier than a typical cookie.

The peach-tinted kinako filling has an icing-like sweetness and consistency similar to that of most sandwich cookies, such as Oreos or bourbons, but I’d say it’s a little smoother and oilier, more like a thick paste than the solid creamy disc that can be extracted intact by a skillful nibbler. I found it a little oversweetened, as I couldn’t really detect the nutty, roasted flavour of kinako, but I think the contrast of dry, coarse biscuit and smooth, sugary center works wonderfully.

The packaging is covered with figures and side-notes stating that one serving contains two thirds of your daily recommended fibre intake, and ten kinds of vitamin and so on, but it’s usually best not to place too much faith in all these attractive claims. That said, despite their sweetness, these biscuits won’t set you off on a sugar high that’ll leave you craving more later; the feeling of satisfaction is fairly long-lasting, which makes them suitable as a diet food. Personally I’ve eaten them as both part of a health kick and to satisfy a sweet craving, so would recommend them to just about anyone!

7/10

(the above rating is for this particular product but I would rate some of the fruity flavours at 8/10 as I think the tartness of fruit compliments the sweetness of the filling better)

Asahi Balance Up Cream Genmai Bran Kurogoma Kinako   2packs   169kcal/pack

Kamakuragoro Hangetsu Matcha – 鎌倉五郎 半月 抹茶風味

I don’t often get the chance to venture down south of chilly Hokkaido but luckily I have a jet-setting group of acquaintances who are constantly hopping across the sea to Japan’s main island of Honshuu, and usually don’t return empty-handed. It was one such friend who recently brought me some Hangetsu senbei (crackers), a popular souvenir item produced by Kamakura-based confectioner Kamakuragoro.

Hangetsu means ‘half moon’, which, as you can see, is reflected in the semicircular shape of this sweet cracker. Japanese folklore has it that a rabbit lives on the moon, hence the charming little bunny illustrations and the design in relief on the biscuit which also depicts a rabbit (sadly mine got broken in transit).

The senbei, which is matcha-flavoured – although azuki and black sesame versions are also available – has a rich, warm aroma of cinnamon infused with herbal green tea. Despite several days having passed between receiving this gift  and eating it, when I opened the wrapper it was still fresh and incredibly crisp. The dark golden colour, hint of burnt caramel flavour, and brittle texture reminds me strongly of the Pompadour fan wafers that you often find atop ice cream sundaes, although I’d venture to say that Hangetsu is even lighter and crisper.

While the senbei has a robust matcha flavour, the taste of the fluffy cream filling is much more watered-down and has a delicate, light sweetness like a pinch of powdered sugar. Some green tea notes are present, but more reminiscent of a milky matcha latte than an unadulterated cup of the real stuff.

Hangetsu being a traditional-style confection, for me the center was unexpected, as I felt that Kamakuragoro could have opted for a higher concentration of matcha in the filling, which would have produced a more recognisable earthy green tea hue, instead of the pale pastel colour you see here – I’m certain that the cracker itself would be sufficiently sweet to support the grassy flavour. However, the creamy paste is spread thinly and the airiness compliments the light crispness of the crackers nicely, making for a delicious snack overall, even if it is a little on the sugary side.

I was slightly disappointed to discover that a fair amount of artificial ingredients go into making these, but if that’s what it takes to preserve the excellent degree of freshness then I’m willing to overlook it and would definitely eat Hangetsu again.

7/10

Kamakuragoro Hangetsu (Matcha)  150kcal/pc

Oreo Chocolate Bar Strawberry Chocolat & Big Block Bonobon – オレオ チョコレートバー ストロベリーショコラ・ビッグ ブロック ボノボン

For times when you’re in need of just a little sugar hit, there’s nothing better than a mini chocolate bar, and the convenience stores have all kinds on offer at the moment, with strawberry being a notably prominent theme. Stopping by 7-eleven the other day, my eye was caught by the shiny ruby red, royal blue and hot magenta wrapper of this teeny 13g Oreo bar, made by Nabisco.

About the size of a typical piece of shortbread, this bar consists of a crumbly, slightly salted, bitter cocoa biscuit base (aka Oreo) topped with a pale pink strawberry-flavoured, pink-speckled white chocolate concoction, all drizzled with more baby pink chocolate. I’m gonna take a wild guess and say that this isn’t targeted at men…

Despite the packet’s claim that this is an ‘adult taste’, I can’t see that children wouldn’t appreciate it. The chocolate layer is super sweet and creamy but with a good tang of fruity sharpness that goes really well with the saltiness of the biscuit, and the center is shot through with syrupy strawberry sauce that contains real fruit concentrate (unfortunately difficult to make out in the picture) Strawberry powder produces the attractive speckled appearance.

I really loved this bar. While I don’t usually go in for such a girly palate when it comes to clothing, stationery etc, I found the pastel pink colours of this treat very appealing and there were positive connotations of strawberry milkshake and bubblegum. I loved the hint of acidity in the berry flavour and the Oreo cookie tasted excellent, as always. Also, at just 71kcal this needn’t be a guilty pleasure, even though it tastes like one.

8/10

I’d never tried Bonobon before, although I often come across it in its usual form, that of a large spherical candy (about the size and weight of a Lindor) filled with layers of wafer and chocolate cream. This chunky treat however is much simpler: Big. Block. Peanut. Choco – it does exactly what it says on the tin.

Given the simple packaging, I felt that this product was embracing the notion of cheap and cheerful, and I lowered my expectations accordingly, assuming that it would be the usual sticky-sweet, overly milky yet delicious, low-quality chocolate that you sometimes just crave.

The wrapper illustration makes the block appear rectangular, but in reality it is much shorter, almost square. The rich cocoa aroma that issued from within the plastic wrapper as soon I tore it open, left me pleasantly surprised, and the taste was similarly unexpected. It is nowhere near as sugary as I had supposed, and there is a mellow bitter-sweetness to it, that reminds me of Cadbury Bourneville.

Unfortunately, the peanuts let this product down, as they lack a good, toasty crunch and are in fact rather waxy and somewhat on the stale side. On the plus side, there is at least a generous distribution of nuts, which helps to keep the textures varied and provides an injection of salt to offset the sweeter chocolate.

I thought the thickness of the chunk was great – it’s something you can really get your teeth into – but it’s an average product on the whole. I might be tempted to buy it again though, just for the wonderful cocoa scent.

6/10

Big Block Bonobon  107kcal

Meiji Selection 8 Varieties – 明治セレクション おいしい定番８種類

Last week I decided to replenish my chocolate stocks with this Meiji selection bag that contains 8 of the most popular and simple Meiji products in single-serving packs.

Takenoko no Sato

Of all the candies in this selection, Takenoko no Sato is probably the only one that conveys any sense of ‘Japaneseness’, as the small, bullet-shaped bites resemble takenoko (bamboo shoots) – a popular ingredient in traditional cuisine.

A nugget of crumbly biscuit with a dense and buttery consistency is partially covered with milk chocolate molded into a layered design similar to a pine cone.

The biscuit is slightly salted, with helps to offset the sweetness of the chocolate. The chocolate is fairly thick in parts, so each bite feels substantial and fulfilling.

Kinoko no Yama

These charming mushroom-shaped snacks are similar in concept to the takenoko, but the ratios are rather different, with one solid piece of chocolate balanced atop a thin biscuit stem.

Also, the biscuit is drier and less salty, with a light malted flavour and the chocolate has a smoother exterior. Both Kinoko no Yama and Takenoko no Sato are available in a wide range of seasonal flavours, most recently including pumpkin, chestnut and strawberry.

Marble

Marble is basically Smarties by another name: sweet milk chocolate in a sugar shell. There are seven different colours although there is no actual variation of flavours, but the crunch of the shell is nice and crisp. Marble is also available in strawberry.

Meiji Bar

The most basic item in the assortment, this is a milky and sweet bar with a good creaminess.

The sweetness could be a little cloying in a larger portion, but the tiny serving – three or four bites at the most without resorting to rodent-style nibbling – is not too sickly. A very ordinary and admittedly rather cheap-feeling bar.

Strawberry

This miniature bar consisting of two squares, is made with the same milky sweet chocolate as in the Meiji bar.

The bubblegum-pink filling tastes like strawberry yoghurt, with a distinctive note of sour cream, and is a little grainy, as it contains some freeze-dried strawberry.

McVities Milk Chocolate Digestive

I was interested to try this pack, of which the selection contains only one, to see if it varies from the digestives available in England. Although it says milk chocolate it was less sweet than I was expecting, the kind of odd twilight zone between milk and plain that you normally find in cooking chocolate. The biscuit was a little drier and less grainy than usual digestives.

Pucca

I’ve never tried these before but I can see that they are a close relative of Koala no March: cute-shaped crispy wafer shells, which house a thimbleful of chocolate cream.

For me, this was the most disappointing item in the selection; the biscuit was very dry and the filling was oily and sickly.

Almond

Roasted almonds covered in sweet milk chocolate, what could be simpler?

The nut could have been more thoroughly toasted, I found it a little soft and oily. The serving size of three pieces seemed a little stingy, I think four of five would have been just right.

I liked that there were so many different varieties in this assortment, most selection packs I’ve come across contain only two or three different items. The strawberry bars and marble candies were good but on the whole the chocolate was a little too sweet for me. This would be great for a children’s party but it’s worth investing in something a little pricier for yourself.

6/10

Meiji Selection Bag

Pocky Wagokoro Uji Matcha Cookie Crunch – Ｐｏｃｋｙ 和ごころ 宇治抹茶クッキークランチ

I feel I should have something a little more festive to review at this time of year, but I brought these home for my sister in England so it’s what we’ve been eating over the Christmas holiday. I briefly reviewed some green-tea flavoured Pocky before, but Wagokoro is a deluxe version focused on typical Japanese ingredients that comes in a larger box containing four servings of six sticks, as opposed to the usual two packets of eight or so.

With their thicker chocolate coating studded with crumbs of Uji matcha cookie, these pieces feel heavier and more substantial than the standard Pocky, though the basic biscuit is the same. The pale, leaf-green colour reminds me of pea-flavoured savoury snacks rather than matcha, but there is certainly a matcha scent and delicate flavour to them, as well the light taste of powdered milk that resembles rich tea biscuits, and a hint of saltiness.

Smooth and creamy but not too rich or sweet, the milk chocolate is of good quality and melts slowly in the mouth. The triple texture combination of chocolate, cookie fragments and biscuit works wonderfully, especially as the brittle crumble of the biscuit stick is very different to the firm crunch of the matcha cookie pieces.

Despite the emphasis on the green tea element of this product, the aroma was subtle and I found myself enjoying the texture of the cookie crunch over its flavour. I’m not usually a fan of biscuits but the addition of cookie crumbs to the chocolate gave the pieces a more satisfying bite and interesting consistency, which I really enjoyed, and I’d certainly be tempted by any further additions to this luxurious line.

7/10

Pocky Wagokoro Uji Matcha Cookie Crunch  107kcals per six pieces

Quick update: Zero calorie tea and jelly, Apollo Matcha, Tirol Choco, Ichigo Milk Yoghurt, Matcha Oreos – ゼロカロリーティー・ゼリー、アポロ抹茶風味、チロルチョコ、いちごみるくクヨーグルト、オレオ抹茶風味

I haven’t had a chance to review anything for aaaaaages – I take the pictures but just don’t have time to write up reviews because of work. Soon it will be the summer holiday and there’ll be time to catch up but for now I’m just going to put up photos with a few notes~

Zero calorie peach and rosehip tea from Daiso (hundred yen shop) and zero calorie white peach jelly.

The tea is perfumey rather than fruity but the taste is pleasant. The jelly is absolutely delicious, it is very smooth – more like a cross between jam and fruit puree than jelly. The milky pink colour is pretty and the peach flavour is perfect. One of the best low-calorie products I’ve ever found.

Meiji Apollo Matcha (limited edition from Kansai)

The milk chocolate is not too sweet and, as you can tell from the rich colour, the matcha chocolate has a strong and earthy green tea flavour. Also the box design is ridiculously cute~

Tirol Choco Milk Daifuku, Raisin Sando, Azuki Parfait and Jersey Soft Cream

Milk Daifuku – a square of chewy mochi on a thin milk chocolate base, topped with a layer of thick sugar syrup and encased in white chocolate. This was pleasant in so much as if you like chocolate you’ll probably be satisfied, but I don’t think it’s anything special. The syrup was simply bland and sugary and it would have been nicer to have more flavours in play.

Jersey Milk Soft Cream – Buttery white chocolate with overtones of vanilla studded with fragments of crunchy biscuit. The biscuit has a similar texture and taste to Lotus biscuits, i.e. an element of dark, burnt sugar and cinnamon. A delicious new addition to the Tirol range and available as large individual pieces or a pack of eight minis.

Raisin Sando – Like the Jersey Milk Soft Cream this has a lovely butteriness and good vanilla flavour, thanks to the addition of ground vanilla beans. The picture highlights the problem that the crucial raisin element of this sweet is somewhat lacking, I’ve eaten this chocolate several times now and only get one or two small chunks of raisin in each candy. However, when you do get the raisin the flavour combination is excellent as the slight sharpness of the dried fruit is the perfect compliment to the rich dairy ingredients.

(I forgot to photograph the Azuki Parfait Tirols but they are wonderful – definitely try them if you can!)

Ichigo Milk Yoghurt

A strawberry dessert based on the popular ‘ichigo miruku’ candies. I found this product slightly confusing because the scent is sugary sweet, like the original candy, whereas the taste is actually quite tart with a subtle yoghurty sourness coming through, which doesn’t seem to match up with the sweetness of the smell. I enjoyed it as a fruity yoghurt but this will disappoint anyone hoping for a dessert that recreates the mild and milky flavour of the ichigo sweets.

Mini Matcha Oreos ~yummy~

 

Matcha Purin X Matcha Chocolate X Match Pocky – 抹茶プリンX抹茶チョコX抹茶Pocky

My backlog of reviews to write is building up, so a quick rundown of three matcha products today, starting with Morinaga Matcha Purin. If you don’t know, purin is basically like crème caramel – a blancmange-like dessert with a dark syrup. This version is green tea flavour with brown sugar syrup at the bottom. The pudding is thick and wonderfully creamy, and the green tea aroma and taste are prominent without being overwhelming. The syrup at the base has a slightly bitter burnt flavour, like the surface of a crème brulée.

I’ve tried other matcha purin but Morinaga’s is by far the best so please hold out for this brand if you can find it. The Morinaga caramel purin is also delicious~

Sequoia Chocolate Matcha.

I’m not sure what brand this is, as I didn’t capture it in the photograph and I no longer have the wrapper, but you can find this at Daiso (100 yen shop) at 4 for 105 yen. These little bars are also available in some supermarkets and conbinis.

This is simply a layer of matcha cream sandwiched between two wafers with a milky fondant on top and a milk chocolate base, all enrobed in matcha chocolate with a woodgrain effect. For around 26 yen a piece this is a great value treat: it has a satisfying bite, the matcha flavour comes through and the wafer is crisp and light. Other flavours in this range include Strawberry, Milk Chocolate and Fruits Mix.

Anyone who’s made it to this blog probably already knows Pocky, the hugely popular biscuit sticks with a chocolate coating. When it comes to chocolate I don’t usually buy biscuit products, but I’ll try anything matcha.

The lovely jewel-green colour of these sticks, darker than the pale green of many matcha products, promises a rich and earthy taste, which is delivered. Whether you crunch through three at a time or just suck one slowly there is plenty of chocolatey flavour. I may have to try more Pocky in future.