Ginbis Yogurt Ginza Rusk

Ginbis, my old friend. Haven't had anything from you for a while. The strawberry ginza rusk from a few boxes back was a nice treat, and this time for the summer I have this cooling yogurt flavor. Sounds just perfect! And now that I know what rusk is from the other rusk snack in this box, I'll have a better understanding and appreciation for the texture. Already the cream drizzling onto the toast cubes on the package looks so tantalizing. And it has lactic acid to help with digestion!

The first thing I notice about these is they seem to have a slightly squishier texture than the other ginza rusk. Not by much, but I definitely noticed it pulling these out of the bag, there's just a bit more give to these and they feel denser than the other one. The yogurt flavor is very nice too, more on the tangy side, exemplified by the herb shown on the bowl of yogurt in the package.

Though the first thing I notice eating this is that it does in fact have a nice bit of sweetness. And then after that I still get the more tangy aftertaste. It almost does seem like an herb or something, but I really can't tell too much myself. This makes it a very well balanced yogurt flavor: yogurt has both sweet and savory applications and this seems to highlight them both together. The texture as I expected is also crunchy, but less so than similar snacks. It feels like there's some moisture in this as well, and since this is yogurt flavored, that blends quite well. It has this nice creamy consistency going down too, like that extra bit of moisture in it helps the whole thing melt in your mouth.

If I had any complaint with this it's that it's too one-note. Yogurt is great but I feel like it needs another flavor, it would be great alongside strawberry or blueberry. Maybe blueberry since that's rarely seen in Japanese snacks. Still though, very solid snack and the extra digestive benefits are well appreciated for my next feast!

Rating: 7 - Aroof!

Marukawa Kirby Mix 'n Match Gum

Even though I've gone through the anime snack box, this is Japan, so there's always more on the horizon! Or at my local Japanese market. This one is equal parts cute and iconic being Kirby, and what better way to celebrate a character that can copy so many powers by swallowing them with this gum having many different flavors and combinations? Since Kirby swallows so many enemies to do this, it'll maybe make me feel like I'm doing the same, except the powers I'd get from these... wouldn't be all that interesting.

There are a total of five flavors here, which are yogurt, soda (ramune), orange, apple, and the ever-enigmatic prank gum. That last one in particular scares me, what could it be? The combinations add another layer to this, where I can get flavors like... an orange apple hybrid? Intetive. Also lemonade, apple cider, milk tea, ice cream float, and cola. The last type of mix 'n match snack I had actually delivered on its wacky mixing promises, so maybe I'll get just those flavors here too.

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!

Nyusankin Yogurt Strawberry Hard Candy

This was another bonus item provided by the wonderful folks at asianfoodgrocer.com, and look how cute it is! I hope I have that boy's face after I taste this. This seems to be quite a unique combination, as we have strawberry yogurt, but in hard candy form. I wonder how they'll make this work? It is also said to contain probiotic ingredients to help digestion, and I could definitely use that after today's feast...

The candies have a really nice color to them. It's like a pink pearl kind of color, nice circle shape with wider edges, looks very pretty and quaint. There's no smell to be found, but this tends to be the case with hard candies as all the flavor is contained within.

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!