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!

Kit Kats - Uji Matcha and Otono-no-Amasa

Technically both of these two are labeled Otono-no-Amasa (chocolate for adults), and so were the three I reviewed before, but the last one... doesn't seem to have any other label as far as I can tell. What I can assume is that it's some sort of upgraded kit kat for the more refined consumer, in this case tasting it with my unrefined puppy tastebuds should make it an extra good treat! Also in there is the Uji Matcha, in hindsight I should've tasted it alongside the normal matcha to compare but this is what we got now... if it's really different it should stand out on its own.

The coloring of this one looks mostly the same, maybe a little bit lighter than the other matcha, and gone are the speckles that were on the other one. I looked it up and Uji refers to a type of matcha that comes from a specific region. Maybe better quality? Who knows. As for the smell, it's a matcha smell alright, about as good as they come, not too overpowering.

Tasting this, I can definitely tell it's less bitter than the other one, which definitely makes this more mainstream-accessible, and I like it better too. As good as matcha is, to put it raw in this normally sweet wafer treat makes it out of place, so they got it right here. The matcha itself doesn't come out as strong, and I would like to taste it just a bit more, the sweetness masks it a little bit. But otherwise, comes closer to striking a nice balance, sweet but with that matcha taste I know and love.

Rating: 8 - Rowf!

Kit Kats - Matcha, Raspberry, Strawberry

For this batch of Kit Kats, we've got the ones with fairly plain packaging, but the flavors are sure to be anything but. I'm particularly excited about the matcha one, but the fruity flavors are sure to add a great touch alongside the crispy Kit Kat presentation too.

The matcha Kit Kat, despite the very dark green package, has a bit of a lighter color, but this makes sense. The matcha scent however is very strong ,and there seem to be specks throughout, so it's sure to be great.

Like the smell, the matcha flavor is incredibly strong. Some might almost find this too strong as it seems to lessen the candy properties of the Kit Kat, transitioning more from sweetness into the bitter tea flavor, but for tea enthusiasts like me it's a nice kick.


Rating: 7 - Aroof!

Everyday Luxury Kit Kats

The runts of the Kit Kat pack I got, I'm not really sure what to expect from these. Many of them share the same flavors, with the top being the most basic and progressing from there. Will this truly be a luxury as Kit Kat claims? One thing's for sure, I sure can't have them every day... darn shipping times.

The first one is simply cranberry and almonds, hopefully a chance to get a feel for the core flavors that are in all three. Already it looks promising with that delightful Kit Kat smell I know and love plus an interesting looking crumbly top. No cranberries in sight, but they're probably inside.

First taste, and already I'm loving the inclusion of almonds in this! Normally the texture makes me not eat them raw but they really add a lot to the chocolate here. I still don't get any of the cranberry though. The inside seems akin to a normal Kit Kat. All in all very nice even with that flavor seemingly missing, not an especially different experience but still a welcomed addition.

Rating: 7 - Aroof!

Tirol Kinako and Matcha Mochi

Two more Tirols! Whether they're jaw-droppingly amazing or meh, these always seem to deliver some surprises, and with unique flavors such as these ones this should be no different. I'm especially looking forward to the matcha one, as that is one of my favorite flavors in Japanese desserts, and kinako I got a taste of in a previous Japan Crate and liked it well enough, but we'll see if it shines on its own here.

For those who did not remember or did not read the previous post kinako is a soybean flour, and this chocolate has kind of a soybean taste. It's a bit like miso, sweet, kinda like peanut butter but more savory and with some umami. The chocolate is not much interesting on the outside except for a nice light brown color.

Odangoyasan DIY Kit

Oh boy, finally a legitimate diy kit! I wagged my tail excitedly when I first saw it, and now it's going into hyper drive as I'm about to try it. Like a propeller. I've really wanted to build things and then eat them for a while, and while I've received DIY kits from Japan Crate in the past, they've seemed a bit... simplistic. But this one has plenty of components to it--5 in fact, which are, in reading order, a matcha roll, strawberry daifuku, kuzu manju, shiritama anmitsu, and kashiwa mochi.

I definitely know what the first two are. The kuzu manju I thought was taiyaki, but seems that kuzu manju can have it as well. Although it seems to be about the same composition as taiyaki being a cake with red bean paste in it. The anmitsu seems to be your typical mochi, paste and dumpling combination. The kasiwa mochi is a red bean stuffed mochi surrounded by an oak leaf. Now that I know what all of these are, let's get into it!

Meiji Hello Panda Matcha Green Tea Creme

Chances are most people who have seen the Asian section in a local supermarket know what Hello Panda is. It's one of the most recognizable snacks, along with Pocky, Hi-Chew, etc. And normally being the curious puppy I am, I like to try the more unique things Japanese snacks have to offer but when I saw at my Japanese market that they made these in matcha flavor I had to try. While I haven't reviewed anything green tea flavored yet, I love this flavor! Whenever I'm baking in the den I always throw some matcha powder into my treats.