Minute Maid Craftz Cherry & Peach

Now this was quiet a welcome drink to see in TokyoTreat. Not only is it not a soda once again, but the combination of flavors sounds quite vibrant and refreshing. Like the transition from the spring cherry blossoms to the summer peaches. Seems accurate for May, huh? It even has some sakura flavor in it. Even though May isn't here until tomorrow, I guess I'll be celebrating the end of spring just a little bit early.

The drink has a little lighter color than expected, and seems to resemble the peach more than the cherry. The smell is absolutely wonderful. I thought these flavors would blend together in theory, but in reality it's actually even better. The tanginess of cherry and the light sweetness of peach seem to meld into something like a sweet syrupy flowerbed, which... makes absolutely no sense. I'll get a better sense when I taste it.

The tanginess of cherry definitely comes out much more in the taste, and it's quite a shock but still works very well. If it were just the cherry, this drink might be a little too harsh, but the peach melds that tartness into something softer and more palatable. It's still quite refreshing and brings to mind a stroll through the May flowers, but with an extra little punch. Maybe that's the thorns of one of the roses. I think I would've preferred the way my smell depicted this, with a nice blend of comforting sweetness. But what Minute Maid has in actuality here is still quite good, just wish a slight unpleasant grittiness along with the nice sweet medley.

Rating: 7 - Aroof!

Shin-Chan Gummy, Cola

 

Quite a simple little candy here, just a cola gummy. With a Shin-Chan character on it. I don't watch Shin-Chan though, so all I see here is a lady with very buggy eyes. Maybe that's her reaction after eating the gummy? Not sure if that's good or bad.

The packaging actually completely fooled me here and I thought it was the ramune variant because it appeared blue through the white filter so I assumed it was ramune. It's a little disappointing to have another cola gummy but they always bring a nice strong flavor. This one in particular seems to be no exception from the smell.

The gummy has a really nice texture, not chewy but quite soft actually, like slightly more solid jelly. The flavor I'm not enjoying quite as much as that texture. It's not as bold as the smell, and seems to lack sweetness as well to help bolster that. In fact, it doesn't taste like too much of anything. And with that tiny of a gummy it better be memorable. This was at least pleasant but definitely not any kind of taste experience that stands out.

Rating: 3 - Rrr

Boruto Pineapple Jellies

Well, once again I have no idea what the series on the cover of this snack is about besides it being a next generation sequel to Naruto. I'm not even sure how this relates to pineapple jellies. At least the Splatoon ones were squid shaped and flavored according to the game's colors. Maybe it's because it's the same color as Boruto's hair? That's a reasonable guess.

They all do at least seem to have different characters on the jelly containers. This one looks particularly emo, hopefully that's not him after tasting the jelly. The jelly smell weirdly enough is overly sweet to the point of being cloying inside the bag but if I smell this one on its own, it's more toned down to a normal pineapple taste. Still has that artificial smell to it though.

It is a rather peculiar pineapple taste. I get the impression there's some other flavor besides pineapple in it, but then I realize it tastes just like that pineapple juice in canned pineapple, but still with something else, maybe an energy drink type flavor? There is another Boruto pineapple snack in this box with that flavor, and maybe they re-used it to create this. It's thankfully not cloyingly sweet like it smells, but I think this jelly would really benefit from a more natural flavor. It's refreshing but not as much as it could be, it feels very bogged down by other ingredients resulting in a bit of a weaker pineapple smell. If pineapple energy drinks are your thing though, this may just be the quick hit of that flavor that you need.

Rating: 5 - Ruff!

Lotte Petit Choco Pie

Everything about these little pies looks so good! From the drizzling chocolate image, to the velvety cream within, to the scrumptious fluffy chocolate, there's a lot of excitement to be had. And as a party pack, there's 8 of them! Hopefully choco pies are every bit of the greatness that are pictured on their packaging.

The pies unfortunately are a bit smaller than I'd expect (they are "petit" after all), it still looks quite delicious, and very close to what it does on the cover. From one sniff I get both the chocolate which balances out sweet and chocolatey nicely, and the cream within, which doesn't always happen with filled snacks.

The textures are a mix of velvety softness. There's the outside with slightly more bite, then the inside chocolate which is softer and gets close to melting in your mouth, and then the cream filling which does melt in your mouth, drawing everything together with cream. It's basically reminiscent of a moon pie, which are also wonderful, and this doesn't fail to be the same. Everything is well done between the chocolate flavor and the cream, even the balance of flavors pans out where I don't get too much cream or too much chocolate. My biggest complaint is that these are way too small! I believe Lotte does make a larger version. As it is this one makes it so I'm going to go through the 8 included pies very quickly seeking even more chocolatey, creamy goodness.

Rating: 9 - Arooooo!

Tohato Shin-Chan Chocobi Almond Tofu Corn Puff

Haven't seen any Tohato products in a while! This one going along with the anime theme is from Shin Chan, which I've seen a lot of snacks from but never quite figured out what it was. But this snarling dino on the front might make me want to watch it??? I can't figure out if he's supposed to be cute or angry. Flavor wise I am confused at these being tofu flavored, but I guess almond tofu is quite a popular dessert in Japan, hopefully it's rich, crunchy, and nutty.

As a nice bonus, this comes with a sticker! Rather odd outfit, but nevertheless fun. The puffs are a white color which is a bit surprising, but they have a nice smell. I definitely get the almonds, and then the tofu seems to give it a light and creamy smell, like almond milk.

Tasting it, the puffed corn flavor which doesn't usually appear in the smell goes along quite well with the other flavors, giving substance to an otherwise exceptionally light combination. Everything blends together quite perfectly, and not one thing is overdone. I get plenty of almond, plenty of rich creamy tofu, and it's all great. Sweet but not too sweet. Definitely reminds me of a soft silky dessert, an incredibly comforting finish after lots of hard chomping work. So much so that I can't stop eating it, and then it becomes the main attraction! Too bad there's only so much of it.

Rating: 9 - Arooooo!

Splatoon Gummies

One little known thing about me is that I LOVE Splatoon. Like whenever I get the chance to play video games I'm addicted to this game. So seeing a Splatoon snack in this month's box was quite the delight, and just like the colors of the game it comes in unique melon and orange flavors. I'm not the biggest fan of melon but Japan seems to do it justice. Will this make me a woomy pup?

I unfortunately did not get the rare octopus gummy but still the assortment of colors here is quite nice (they appear yellow but are in fact orange). They have a more opaque appearance than I'd expect, but still some nice smells. I'm much more a fan of the melon one here smell-wise, it's quite vibrant with the added sweetness in a way that I wouldn't expect. The smell of the orange one on the other hand is just confusing to me.

But nevertheless I'll try the orange one first. I'm less confused upon tasting it, maybe the smell just blended with the lemon. These gummies are quite chewy, a little bit more than I like, and have a bit of a gritty consistency to them, but some nice flavor from the orange one. It is a little bit too on the sweet side for my liking, to the point where I think it clouds up the orange flavor, like overly sweet orange juice.

The melon one works much better, as melon on its own needs a bit of extra sweetness. Same situation though, the sweetness seems to cloud out a bit of the wonderful melon flavor that I've experienced from some other snacks. Overall these are not my favorite gummies out of the ones I've tried, but still nice flavors in their own right. No "booyah" or "woomy" from me but it's enough to ink my flavor turf.

Rating: 5 - Ruff!

Thomas the Train Engine Chewy Candy

As mentioned before, Thomas is quite a strange inclusion in an anime box, but he indeed an animated character that's popular in Japan. I didn't actually know this but I guess it makes sense, with more animated characters and trains there. I actually liked these toys as a wee little pup, so it brings back a bit of nostalgia. Except I don't remember the stern looking engine on the right. This candy is also grape flavor which sounds wonderful to me right now on this hot day. Hopefully it'll be plenty refreshing.

Two surprises here, first of all this seems to be gum despite being labeled as chewy candy, and second, the packaging is all very unique! One seems to have a folding craft, one seems to be trivia. All very fun stuff. The gum has a nice refreshing grape flavor, so looking well here.

The grape gum flavor is just as nice as the smell. It's like biting into a refreshing red grape but it lasts so much longer. There does seem to be quiet a bit of sugar on the gum though which means the flavor might not last too long unfortunately, but for now it's very nice. And it's fading away and... gone? Well guess it's not gum after all, I was fooled. It may actually be better this way though since I was expecting it to last a long time. It still lasted a good amount of time for being chewy candy, and has quite a pleasant taste. How this correlates into Thomas I'm not sure, but between the packaging and the candy I'm digging it. I just want more than 5 of them!

Rating: 8 - Rowf!

TokyoTreat May 2018

It's early this time! This TokyoTreat box has quite a unique theme which is anime snacks, so many of these have quite a few familiar characters. In this picture, we have:

• Senzu Bean Edamame Share Pack
• Thomas the Train Engine Chewy Candy
• Splatoon Gummies
• Sriracha Rice Chips
• Minute Maid Craftz Cherry & Peach
• Shin-Chan Chocobi Almond Tofu Corn Puff
• Dragon Ball Cheese Puffs
• Don Taro Udon Snack
• Shin Chan Gummy, Ramune

And in this picture:

• Lotte Chocopie
• One Piece Bubbly Jelly DIY
• Umaibo Mentaiko
• Boruto Pineapple Jellies

Quite the varied bunch this time! And a surprise appearance from Thomas as an anime character? Definitely excited about the Splatoon gummies and the chocopie, as well as another non-carbonated drink. Ruff ruff!

Giant Caplico, Chocolate

It's a hot day outside, it sure would be nice for some ice crea---you mean this isn't ice cream??? Actually I knew that. I've seen these fake ice cream cones lying around in stores for a while and I've always been intrigued. Now it's time to see what they're made of. This one certainly looks appetizing, it's large, and promises lots of crispy chocolate!

The snack certainly bears its resemblance to an ice cream cone. Even as I look at it, I'm expecting it to melt. The chocolate is a little soft on the top, but mostly a crispy consistency, and surprisingly not oversweet smelling - actually smells a little bitter, with some sort of a coffee smell in there? Seems promising.

I initially get a surprisingly soft consistency in the chocolate. My teeth tear through it quite easily and it melts down, which is quite something. Almost like room temperature ice cream with the way it melts and goes down my throat. Inside the chocolate has a more solid texture, but it's still not quite crispy like the package seems to make it out. But that's okay because the wafer cone provides penty of crispiness to supplement it. The texture even changes a bit inside the wafer cone to more of a soft cakey consistency, and where it is surrounded by cone this goes VERY well together. I'm pretty impressed by the mixed textures present within here.

The chocolate is also solid. Like the smell it's on the more bitter end of the spectrum, and I mean that in the best way possible, I really get the essence of the chocolate here. The wafer isn't overly sweet either. This makes the snack very light and it all just comes together and forms something very nice. I wonder how this would taste cold...? Maybe it would be a nice cooling alternative to ice cream that way!

Rating: 10 - AWOOOOOOO!!

PeiTien Pumpkin Energy 99 Sticks

I'm really not sure what to expect from this one. In some places it's advertised as a pumpkin rice roll, in some as an "energy 99 stick". What could be hiding within? From what I can read, there's pumpkin, brown rice, corn, oatmeal, buckwheat, and mung beans, so this is truly a compilation of a ton of snack materials all into one healthy and energy-giving bar. All with the wonderful taste of pumpkin! Hopefully it'll give me enough energy to run around in the forests all day long and smile doing it with the great aftertaste of pumpkin.

I was initially expecting this to take on a granola bar-like appearance with all the grains featured on the package, but it seems instead everything is ground and blended together. Could be interesting, reminds me of an umaibo right of the bat but the smell is quite different. It has quite a granola bar-type smell, along with the expected pumpkin accent, and what reminds me of coffee? I expect no artificial flavors here with everything smelling very authentic. There's also a filling in the middle, which could be the pumpkin, especially with this advertised as a roll.

It's quite a mix of flavors. At first when I bite through the snack I get the crunch aand the puffed corn taste of an umaibo, but then in the middle comes the creamy texture of pumpkin. It reminds me a lot of the canned pumpkin, and absolutely not in a bad way. It's not overwhelming, but not lost either, it strikes a nice subtle balance. There is also more sweetness in the puffed corn part than I have come to expect which is nice. It's almost gone too quickly, I wanted more of it! It has a really nice light consistency with lots of nice flavors and a comforting feeling going for it. And tastes entirely natural so it's sure to be good for me too. I'm glad I jump on pumpkin things so quickly, as this proved to be quite rewarding!

Rating: 9 - Arooooo!

Kit Kats: Caramel Pudding, Tokai Red Bean Sandwich, Strawberry Cheesecake

What an interesting trio of Kit Kats! I'm stoked for all of these flavors, but particularly the pudding one, as anyone who's seen me review a pudding snack would know. The red bean sandwich one is certainly a mystery in taste to me as I've never had a red bean sandwich myself. The cheesecake one of course I have a good idea of how it'll taste, having had snacks in this kind of flavor before.

The caramel pudding flavor doesn't appear to have much caramel with the pudding judging by the color, but the smell seems to tell otherwise I get some eggy pudding deliciousness in the smell, but also lots of caramel, almost overshadowing it completely. I hope this doesn't upset the balance of flavor, as these two are amazing in ths right proportions.

Looks like I didn't have to worry too much about that. The caramel dominates the smell but I get more pudding in the taste, though something seems off about this pudding flavor. It's a lot more gritty and shallow, and I'm not too much a fan. The caramel also seems that way, being way too sweet rather than rich tasting. It could be the adaptation to this crunchy wafer texture, but they could've easily done a way better job even on the flavor with that in mind. As it is now it's not too pleasant to eat.

Rating: 2 - Awrr

Meiji Tsukorou Kinoko no Yama DIY

A while back I had one of these biscuit snacks from Meiji and it was quite yummy! But this one looks to take it up a notch, being in DIY form and having different shapes and many different layers. Already looks like ton of fun and hopefully not too much work between me and the delicious chocolate biscuits.

Thankfully it seems that'll be the case as the contents are quite simple: biscuits, molds, and three squeeze bottles with the different toppings.

Pakkuncho Disney Custard Pudding Biscuits

Two pudding snacks in this month's TokyoTreat? Double the arooo! This also seems to be a limited edition snack so if I like it, better try it now while it's still around. There are also some nice Disney easter designs on thiese, this one with Donald... holding an egg with his tail? Maybe I could be the package mascot if I was able to do that, better get onto training.

Not only do the biscuits in side smell great but they have some great designs on them as well. I can only name two of the characters on these for sure, I think the top left is Peter Pan and the bottom right is Zazu? There must be a variety of designs on here for a more obscure character like Zazu to be on them, so kudos to Disney for the great variety. The pudding smell from these is absolutely tantalizing and onto of that a fresh baked cookie smell, mmm.

The custard filling in these cookies is a little more liquid than the other snack in this box which is always appreciated. Still not incredibly runny but enough to melt around the cookie in my mouth and create a great mix of flavors. The cookie also complements the custard well, having a little more substance to it. The custard flavor doesn't come out as much as I'd like it to though, and it feels like this snack is missing something... maybe a bit of caramel? Feels a bit empty, and after eating all of these, I don't feel very satisfied. They also have a very dry taste. That being said, this is still pudding and delicious cookie flavor with a satisfying crunch, but it could be so much more.

Rating: 6 - Aruff!

Easter Banana Kit Kat

While I have already tried a banana Kit Kat, that one was chocolate banana, and this one is pure banana. It's also got cute bunny pictures on it, so what can go wrong here? I'm looking forward to seeing how the Kit Kat form factor works with a purely banana coating.

The appearance and smell, however, worry me a bit. I have stated before my issues with artificial banana flavors and I'm sure many can agree, and already I'm getting banana Laffy Taffy vibes from this. It's very shallow smelling, and a lot of sweetness and fake banana, and I hope the actual candy doesn't taste like this but I'll find out soon.

Fortunately, that doesn't seem to be the case. The filling saves it here, as it's a bit banana flavored itself and has a deeper, richer taste. It reminds me of a more ripe banana on the inside, very squishy, darker, and a lot more flavor, along with the signature Kit Kat crunch, and I quite like it. It's a surprise that the snack tastes so authentic when the smell isn't quite that, but sometimes the nose deceives. Especially mine. I'm so glad there are more of these included in the ToykoTreat box because it's a great way to get that banana fix in dessert form with a bit of crunch on the side. Kudos to Kit Kat for making a banana candy that doesn't suck!

Rating: 8 - Rowf!

Umaiwa Cheese

The name of this snack sounds similar to Umaibo, and for good reason - it's made by the same company, and with the same corn puff filling, only this time, it's multiple smaller pieces and in a bag. And certainly not because they got broken up in shipping this time. I'm not usually the biggest fan of cheese snacks myself, but maybe this one will change my mind, as it seems to be based on cheese fondue, and I am a fan of that taste much more than something like Cheez-Its.

As advertised, the snacks are ring shaped. They are bright orange which worries me a bit, but the smell reassures me, as it does seem more authentically cheesy than a lot of other snacks out there. It's still in your face, but it reminds me of nacho cheese - maybe not the closest to real cheese, but still with a lot of depth and not entirely artificial like cheese dust.

The taste is a little less satisfying than that. For some reason while the smell brings to mind cheese fondue, the taste is a bit more on the cheese dust end, and maybe this is because of the texture, it's very "dusty" itself. However over time I still do get the nacho cheese flavor, and like other umaibo-type snacks there's also a corn flavor added to it that I didn't get in the initial smell. There's a little sweetness from that end but it's more appreciated than it is clashing, as there's a nice balance between the salty outside and the sweeter inside. If you like cheesy snacks but want a little more authenticity, this one may be right for you, if this was any other cheesy snack I would be appalled, but this one can stick around.

Rating: 6 - Aruff!

Afternoon Tea White Chocolate Milk Tea

I looooove milk tea. So when I saw a milk tea featured in this month's TokyoTreat I was definitely wagging my tail and running around in circles! And now it's time to try it. This is also white chocolate, which is a flavor I don't believe I've had with milk tea before, but it seems like it should blend perfectly, considering white chocolate in Japanese snacks is usually used to create a milky taste.

Unfortunately the bottle is a little smaller than some past drinks considering this little glass is the entirety of the drink! But no reason to fret over that, there's always more milk tea. It's surprisingly a brownish color despite being white chocolate milk tea, but in this case that's probably the color of the tea taking over. I'm not actually sure what kind of tea this is, maybe jasmine or black tea? Regardless it has a nice sweet, milky, earthy, and chocolate-y smell and I'm looking forward to trying it.

It's pretty satisfying to drink as I'd expect. I get milk as expected, then the robustness of the tea, which comes out very strong. The chocolate isn't the strongest flavor in the mix, which I actually quite like, as if it took over everything it would taste more like chocolate milk. In addition because it's white chocolate it blends more with the milk than clashing with it, while the tea flavor still gives it a little of the earthiness that the white chocolate needs. It's also surprisingly on the lighter side of sweetness, which is good considering it's meant to be afternoon tea, so not overbearing. I think it could stand to be a little more flavorful and maybe a thicker texture would do it wonders, but it's a very nice drink! I wouldn't mind more of these and less fizzy drinks in the boxes.

Rating: 9 - Arooooo!

Morinaga Healthy Snacking Squishy Lemon Gummies

Another Morinaga snack in this box! Everything they've made has been excellent so far like Hi-Chews so this will likely be no different. Though it is supposed to be healthy this time, so maybe it'll be a little less good... or even better due to being healthy.. These gummies are supposed to create a sense of being full with fiber and protein, and I am truly the test case for this as I'm never full... so if it works on me it should be golden!

At first glance and sniff, these gummies remind me of lemon bars. They're not purely the squishy clear lemon juice based gummies I've seen before but they have some bread or egg type element in them which makes sense given that they have protein and fiber. The smell is exactly like a lemon bar too. I get some egg in there and some of a shortbread smell.

The texture is slightly chewy but not as hard to chew as some other gummies. Just enough to be satisfying but not so much as to be difficult. And the taste still reminds me of a lemon bar. It's nice and pleasant, strikes a good balance of being light but fulfilling at the same time. Though I wish all the flavors had some more "oomph" to them. They're nice but they don't really pop. I'd get more out of eating a lemon bar than this, which is fair because this is healthier. But I would like just a little more lemon flavor. It also feels very "dry", I get very thirsty eating this, where some of the other gummies feel very juicy as they dissolve in my mouth. All that aside though, this is a really nice and unique flavor, and healthy to boot! A nice midday snack.

Rating: 7 - Aroof!

Don Tacos Grilled Corn Flavor

What's this Mexican snack doing in my Japanese snack box??? Just kidding, the text confirms it's fully Japanese, but the title makes it sound like something else. I actually love Mexican food as well, might as well call me a Mexican wolf, but Japan definitely has the more inventive snacks. So much so that it seems they're doing it for the Mexicans now. No matter what the concept for this is or the culture I'm excited as grilled corn sounds like a great taste to make a savory snack from.

Of course the snack inside seems to be a direct copy of a Mexican snack too, the tortilla chip! I should've figured as a corn snack it might be this. The flavor, however, is different. I get a much sweeter smell from the box than your typical tortilla chip, it smells very buttery, just like the corn slathered with butter on the package. So this may be a different approach to the tortilla chip.

And as expected, the taste is sweeter too but it also tastes much more... authentic than your typical tortilla chip? Maybe this is because it's actually trying to capture the flavor of grilled corn. If not for the texture I'd think I was having corn nachos topped with butter and some cotija cheese. It's a nice blend of sweet and salty and buttery and well... corny... and there does seem to be a bit of a cheesy taste in there but I'm not quite sure. I quite like it, it has more flavor than your average tortilla chip. The original may blend better with salsa and queso, but this stands out very well on its own. But it certainly makes me worried for the future of Mexican cuisine... if Japanese snack makers are producing chips like these, will they eventually take over the entirety of Mexican cuisine? Not that I'd mind ramen burritos.

Rating: 9 - Arooooo!

Baby Bear Gummies

Gummy bears finally make their way into my grasp! For a while I'd think these aren't a thing in Japan, but they copy American snacks like the best of them. I do remember Haribo being mentioned in a manga, so clearly they have a presence in Japan. The question is whether they've elevated these to a whole level of flavor... they've at least elevated the cuteness level, that baby bear is so adorable!

There aren't many in here unfortunately (this is the whole package), but what's in here smells quite delightful. The sweetness makes its way all the way over to my nose from the package, and I can make out the individual flavors of strawberry, lemon, and orange quite clearly.

They're very chewy which is surprising, although actually a little less chewy than those. Nevertheless, the flavor lasts a long time and it's quite wonderful! The strawberry pops with so much vibrance and sweetness. It's really powerful for a tiny little gummy. The orange is very sweet and tangy and actually pretty natural tasting. And lastly, the lemon is a little sour and has a really nice, albeit artificial flavor. Why did this snack have to be the one with only 5 gummies, they're so good! I'll see if I can find a big bag of these, but for now these are bear-ly enough. Heh heh...

Rating: 9 - Arooooo!

Teriyaki Burger Umaibo

After some weird umaibo flavors, this one seems a little bit normal, but still scrumptious. I love me some burgers and with teriyaki added it gets even better! There also seems to be a knockoff McDonald's logo on the drink off to the side of the burger. I wish McDonald's served teriyaki burgers, I would be all over that... And there's a monkey trying to grab the burger off to the side which would totally be me but I'm not as sneaky with my four stubby legs. As always though a wonderful design on the package.

This is the first umaibo in TokyoTreat that managed to stay in one piece so hooray for that! This umaibo though in terms of color looks a bit like an underdone burger, either rare or no toasting on the bun. Or maybe that's the supposed to be the teriyaki sauce. The smell worries me as it's VERY heavy on the teriyaki, almost to the point of being cloying, but I do get some of that nice burger smell in there.

The good thing about umaibos though is despite the strong smell there's a nice puffed corn taste inside to even things out, and that remains here. So the strong teriyaki smell becomes much more tolerable, so now I can really appreciate it, as it's sweet and tangy but not too much so. As always it's crispy as ever in a delightful way, and I get the nice crunchiness that makes it satisfying going down my mouth the entire time.

The main criticism I have of this is that the burger flavor is barely there. When I want meat I mean it! And here it tastes more like teriyaki fries or a teriyaki bun more than anything. So without that taste it becomes a little one note, but still a worthy eat.

Rating: 6 - Aruff!

Kyoro-Chan's Custard Pudding Snack

We finally get some pudding in TokyoTreat, ruff ruff! Interestingly enough these are chocolate flavored as well, which is a combination I don't believe I've had before. They are also supposed to look like Easter eggs per the packaging, which by the way is so cute with the bird popping out of the egg! I hope that doesn't actually happen with this snack because that would be pretty creepy.

I was surprised to learn that not only do these snacks look like eggs, but there's an Easter egg hunt right on the box! On the last try I finally found Kyoro-chan, that sneaky little rascal. The egg appearance of the candies is really nice, not only in shape, but the white color and specks are all very realistic and fun. And the smell coming from the box is absolutely tantalizing. While these are chocolate on the outside, the custard smell comes through loud and clear and I can't wait.

Interestingly enough though, the custard filling is more of a solid crispy wafer texture than the thick liquid-y texture of normal pudding. The flavor still comes through nicely. The chocolate seems to be white chocolate which actually works better, as the milky flavor blends better with the also milk-based custard. The milky flavor of these is also what sticks out the most, with the eggy pudding flavor as an accent. It's not what I was expecting but I do quite like it. It gets a little stale after a while but still a creamy milky delight in each bite. Makes me feel all cozy like I was inside an eggshell! But of course with all the energy to burst out and play.

Rating: 8 - Rowf!

Meigum Colorful Seeds Soft Candy

So many flavors in this one little package, how exciting! True to it's name, Colorful Seeds seems to have... a lot of color. Three colors to be exact. It's comprised of orange, ramune, and grape candy. It even encourages you to mix the flavors together, for flavors such as orange soda, grape soda, and... apple? How does that work from combining orange and grape? Meigum is a genius if they can get that one to work.

As expected, purple, orange, and white candies lie within. The ramune candies have both a different shape and texture from the others as it's in tablet form and grittier. Sniffing the bag... is a wild experience. So many fruity flavors colliding with each other. Maybe apple is lurking within there somewhere?

Starting with the orange one, it has a texture to it that I absolutely LOVE. Reminds me of Sprees, the way it puts up a little resistance to my canines as they make their way through and unleash the layers of orange flavor. The flavor is what you'd expect from an orange flavored candy, a little tangy and a little sweet, not the most natural tasting ever but quite pleasant. The grape one I like even more, the flavor really pops out and has this really nice rich taste to it, like I was biting through a slightly chewier grape. Lastly the ramune one. The texture is vastly different, it's that chalky texture where ramune bursts in my mouth with its light airy flavor. It's really nice and refreshing, and no liquid required!

As for the combinations... grape soda combines the refreshment of the ramune and pop of the grape and it is quite amazing! Orange soda actually seems very accurate to its name, as the tangy orange flavor gets a little lightness and coolness to it with the addition to the ramune. And the moment of truth? Somehow the combination of grape and orange actually does remind me of apple. The two seem to neuter each other out in a way that creates a light crisp apple flavor. I'm actually shocked by this. What kind of mad scientist came up with this??? This is so impressive! The three together... it's pretty chaotic and really hard to tell what's going on. You'd think it makes apple soda but then you get the grape and orange soda flavors in there too...

I wasn't expecting to like this that much, but after discovering the apple combination this is truly something special. Meigum managed to make this candy both delicious and fun!

Rating: 10 - AWOOOOO)O!!!

Gudetama Orange Yogurt Hard Candy

If I was rating candies based on cuteness, this would probably get a perfect 10 already. Making a candy in the likeness of Gdetama himself? What a great idea! For those who don't know, Gudetama is a very lazy, possibly depressed egg, meaning he is probably all of our spirit animals at some point in time. And the flavor of this candy sounds very appealing, not too often we get an orange candy.

Well, it's a little disappointing that the outside of the candy isn't orange, nor does it actually have the Gudetama face on it. It's just the wrapper. To compensate though, there are lots of different faces on the candies. The bottom right one bother me the most... what became of this egg? Is that when he's hard boiled? There's only a very slight orange flavor from the candy, which makes sense since it's in the yogurt shell.

Instantly though upon putting this in my mouth I get a very yogurty flavor with an orange taste, and it's quite pleasant! It captures the taste of both things perfectly, the orange tastes perfectly natural and I get the milk tanginess of the yogurt too. After a while the candy breaks and I get this wonderful strong orangey sauce running though, I guess that would make this the yolk? It's very in your face and I appreciate that it isn't the flavor for the entire thing so it would get annoying, but that burst right at the end is pleasant and leaves quite a strong impression. Certainly doesn't make me feel lazy like Gudetama.

Rating: 8 - Rowf!

Calbee Plum Seaweed Chips

Although TokyoTreat has very good box curation, I have to question why there's another bag of plum chips in this box, only two months after the last one. Though it is different, this time we have seaweed, a Ruffles-like texture, and a custom bag designed by SOU SOU, whoever that is. The flowers on the bag are nice, but only taste will make me go ARF ARF.

As expected, the texture is that of Ruffles, which is great as I love the feel of those ridges! True to the theme of the chip there are also pink splotches on the chips, but no green to also represent the seaweed. Last time I had plum chips there wasn't much of a plum flavor to begin with, so I'm glad to see some visual evidence. From the bag I get mostly a chip smell, but slightly accented with the fruity sweetness of the plum and the umami of the seaweed.

One of the things I complained about last time too was the fruity and salty flavors clashing and I still get a bit of that from these chips. I'm not sure if it's just an acquired taste? Because every time my brain is telling me these don't go together. Silly humans. Chip wise those the crunch of the ridges is on point, I think I would like the chips more slightly cooked for a bigger crunch. The seaweed flavor is definitely third fiddle to the potato and plum. I get it if I really concentrate on tasting this but otherwise it's just a microdose of umami to go along with this confusing combination. They do seem to have dialed back a bit on the salt to make these flavors work but it still... doesn't. Slightly better than the other chips though for the texture and seaweed.

Rating: 4 - Boof!

TokyoTreat April 2018

It took slightly longer for me to get my TokyoTreat box time, but still within an acceptable window. Knowing some of the items that were in this made the wait that much more difficult because they look so good! This box has an Easter theme and we have:

• Easter Banana Kit Kats (different from the Tokyo Banana ones I reviewed earlier
• Dos Tacos Grilled Corn Flavor
• Meigum Colorful Seeds Soft Candy
• Umaiwa Cheese

• Choco Banana DIY Kit (reviewed here)
• Calbee Plum Seaweed Chips
• Tohato Caramel Corn (reviewed here)
• Kyoro-chan's Custard Pudding Snack
• Baby Bear Gummies
• Pakkuncho Disney Custard Pudding Biscuits

• Healthy Snacking Squishy Lemon Gummies
• Gudetama Orange Candy
• Umaibo Teriyaki Burger
• White Chocolate Milk Tea

All in all one of the most exciting boxes yet! Especially with the milk tea and two pudding snacks. It takes a lot of willpower not to just dive into some of these things!

Meigum Puchi Puchi Sherbet

Many of the DIY kits I've gotten outside of the Kracie ones have been very simplistic and nothing groundbreaking (but still very fun and delicious). This one from Meiji looks to buck that trend as there is a lot going on here. It seems to have three molds, all with different textures and colors, and some spherification action going on! Haven't seen that since the sushi kit. I'm not really sure how this is considered sherbet, considering it doesn't resemble the ice cream style dish at all, but no worries. Going to be a lot of fun either way!

About the number of components expected here lies inside. Three bags for the different layers, along with the animal molds and square containers. More animal molds than I thought - there's a snail, cat, pig, panda, owl, and turtle. How exciting! Also the only tool included is a dropper which is good for the spheres but could be trouble for everything else.

Ice Cream Lolly, Chocolate

Having had one of these already, I know the greatness of this concept: all the goodness of ice cream in hard candy form, without the need for freezer or the meltiness or the extra calories. But now it's a chocolate flavor! Last time I remarked that the strawberry flavor was too subtle, but I don't expect that to be the case with this one, as chocolate tends to stand out a bit more.

Already it looks like both halves might even be chocolate, because the bottom half has a light brown tone rather than the pure white of the vanilla. However the more likely case here is that some of the chocolate from the chocolate top leaked down into the vanilla part. There's not a very strong smell here, so looks like I'm going to figure out the truth all through taste. The chocolate has a very nice dark color too it though which seems promising.

The chocolate flavor on the top half, like the other lollipop, is quite subtle. I expected a huge burst of chocolate, but it's rather light and faint once again. The vanilla flavor seems that way too, with a bit of milkiness. I keep sucking and sucking on this trying to leech more flavor out of it, because what's there is great, but it never seems to be enough. The chocolate flavor is nice and pure, no hint of any ice cream flavor, but it doesn't overdo the sweetness and is overall pleasant, and adding the vanilla on it completes the combination quite well. This one sadly seems even more faint in flavor than the other one... and it's the most tragic thing because the flavors great, I just want more of it... why must they tease me so...

Rating: 5 - Ruff!

Hokkaido Matcha Milk Candy

Multiple things about this candy seem pleasant to me. The pleasant pictures on the packaging of the farm and the high detail pic of matcha suggest a down-to-earth candy straight from the farm with no other complications. I even looked to see if Hokkaido was a farming region after I remember having other snacks with this mentioned, but nope, it's an island. Maybe an island with pretty good farms.

As expected, the candies come individually wrapped. The matcha candies are circular and have a nice varied texture and deep (but not too deep) green color. I can't get much of a smell from it but I also have a bit of a cold, so that could be inhibiting things.

Good thing cold doesn't inhibit taste, because I get the most wonderful matcha flavor putting this in my mouth. I think if this were just matcha it would be a little bit grating, but the milk component thankfully adds the needed base. I've tried putting matcha powder in milk before and had great results from it, but this basically simplifies the whole process of mixing them together and puts the two flavors together perfectly in one great candy. It's basically all I was looking for in this and a bit more, because it also lasts quite a long time! I feel like I'm in a matcha wonderland, laying and sniffing the matcha grass while watching the milk clouds go by. Mmm. Perfectly relaxing and chill, and as the farm packaging suggests, the core ingredients straight from the farm, and nothing more.

Rating: 9 - Arooooo!

Weilong Kiss Burn

Have to say, I'm quite scared to try this one. Me and spicy foods don't always go along, and with a name like "Kiss Burn" there's no doubt that it's going to heat up my yap at least a little bit. As for what else is in here, I have no idea, seems like there will be a bit of a meat flavor, so maybe it'll be like jerky? I hope it has more mercy than the peppers and bright red coloring let on.

First glance says... probably not. It comes with the three pieces as advertised, and they certainly have the texture of jerky but are a bit more oily. It has a very in-your-face peppery meat smell to it.

The taste is pretty much as expected. It has that oily pepper taste that you typically get in Chinese food, and it's quite a shock to see in a packaged snack like this. It's also very chewy, as typical of jerky type snacks, but nothing my puppy teeth couldn't handle. The spiciness while evident was quite manageable, it's very clearly there but I never thought my mouth was on fire like many other times, so it's a more pleasant type of heat. All that being said though, this definitely isn't my type of snack. It reminded me of sausage in its meat flavor, which I'm actually not too much a fan of. Others may enjoy it much more and I acknowledge that it has good flavor, but I didn't want to keep eating it all the way through.

Rating: 4 - Boof!