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!

Doraemon Gummies

I feel like I've seen this character before on a snack. I'm not sure where, but I have. Or maybe I'm confusing him with the guy that's on every umaibo? Hard to tell with these kawaii mascots. These gummies come in the rare grape flavor that is so rarely seen among all the strawberry and cola gummies, but much appreciated. It's strange that this is a much more common flavor in the US, because I've heard good things about Japanese grapes.

These gummies, to my surprise, are more of the flat and sticky variety like the hand gummy I had last month. They were a struggle to get out of the package but here they are. They also are a little bit smaller than I was hoping for this package size - oh no! The smell is distinctly that of grape juice, very deep rich grape flavor, which bodes well.

My sniffer didn't like, as I get that wonderful grape taste, only a bit sweeter than I recognized before. The texture leaves a bit to be desired here, as the gummies are a little too flat to feel satisfying, I just plow through them and all their grape yumminess is gone too fast, which is not a great thing with the small amount of gummies here. Over all they need just a bit more bite to them. But the short moments of taste I do get from these are quite wonderful, again bringing back that rich grape juice smell, without the trouble of drinking it.

Rating: 7 - Aroof!

Yaokin Sweet Potato Yokan

While sweet potato may be out of season now, the its hearty flavor is always in season in my taste buds! It seems like no matter what form sweet potato takes it manages to keep its status as a comfort food. But can this tiny jelly snack bring the same kind of comfort? It's also worth noting that this takes the form of a traditional Japanese snack known as yokan, which is a thick jelly usually eaten in non-package form. But with this innovation of packaged yokan, it can be shipped to anywhere in the world!

This snack, as it turns out, is quite high maintenance. I couldn't get the package open, even with my ever-developing teeth, so I had to resort to scissors for this. And as it's a jelly, getting this thing to slide all the way out of the package can be an ordeal. It does stay together unlike some of the other jellies, but it's quite sticky. It does have that perfectly nutty sweet potato flavor though, that brings back all those nice fall memories.

As it turns out, this tastes... exactly like a sweet potato. There's a little more bite here than most jellies, and as it turns out, a little bite with some squishiness gives you the exact texture of a sweet potato. The flavor is spot on too, so much so that I'm a little suspicious this is just packaged sweet potato. But that isn't a bad thing if so, it's a little hit of fall comfort for anyone who needs it on the go. Doesn't that sound like a nice idea?

Rating: 7 - Aroof!

Want Want Follow Me Senbei Milk Tea

Want want? Follow me? Sounds like this cracker really wants me to like it. And I really want to like it, as the idea of a milk tea flavored cracker sounds tail-waggingly good. But it's going to be hard to convert the refreshing, satisfying taste of milk tea into solid form... or maybe not. The British imagery on here is also a little confusing, maybe it's British milk tea? Do they even have that over there? That would be my kind of tea time.

The cracker is pretty similar to its appearance on the package, and it's definitely intriguing me. It's a nice light brown color with white icing splotches, which could be the milk. I'm certainly intrigued, though the scent is quite mild. I get the tea and the rice flavor, but no milk, hopefully all that goodness is hiding within. The crackers are also quite light and hollow meaning I'll probably be chowing down on a lot of these soon if I like them.

The cracker has more of a savory component to it than I thought, which I guess should be expected - it is a rice cracker first and foremost. The flavors within it are quite nice reminding me of some of the best rice crackers I've had, it's very rich in its grainy flavor and there's a lot of nice depth here, almost like a rice-wheat mixture, but likely just rice. The milky bits add some much-needed sweet touches to this, and although milk tea isn't the first thing that comes to mind here, it's still quite good. It's got some nice light sweetness just like the drink, just in a different form factor. These might in fact be the perfect companion to some milk tea!

Rating; 7 - Aroof!

Kit Kats - Wasabi, Sakura Nihonshu, Sakura and Roasted Soybean

Ever since I got my box of Kit Kats I've been fearing this day and alas it's finally here... the day I'm going to try the wasabi Kit Kat. I can stand some spicy foods, but the instant slap to your tastebuds that wasabi delivers can be a bit too much. I hope Kit Kat has realized this and dulls it down a bit, or maybe they'll go for the hyperrealism approach. If the worst-case scnario happens though, at least I'll get to cool down with some nice sakura flavors afterwards.

The wasabi Kit Kat seems benign from the outside, with its lovely light green color and creamy smell. But I'm not going to be deceived by that, no way. Wasabi itself has this same inviting color. I take a deep breath, and see if it's going to sting me the same way...

And surprisingly it doesn't burn at all. In fact the first thing I get is the creamy taste, which leaves me wondering if this is even the right Kit Kat. But then I get the taste. The familiar pungent taste that accompanied the quick fire that wasabi produces, but without any of the fire. How they did this I don't know, but it's a miracle and it's pretty wonderful. It's pleasant to eat and hides a complex flavor underneath it's simple creamy exterior. The Kit Kat creators must have been wizards to come up with this.

Rating: 9 - Arooooo!

Meiji Choco Baby

Such a peculiar name with this one. Clearly it makes sense because they're baby chocolate pieces, but the way it's phrased makes it sound like a baby made out of chocolate! If they're going for the cuteness angle, they should definitely make it choco puppy... no bias here of course. All that aside, I've been longing for some chocolate, so hopefully this scratches that taste itch. I'm curious what the texture will be like though with these small pieces.

The smell inside is very reminiscent of semi sweet chocolate chips, which seems great to me. I would totally eat those out of the bag anyhow, so if this gives me an excuse to do that, all the better. Surprisingly though, the texture doesn't seem very melty or soft, so maybe these will be a more crunchy or solid exterior. I guess that makes sense, as these hold their shape very well.

There's a slight bit of bite here, but not anything excessive, so it's just very crafty texturing. They have more of a sweet and milky taste than the smell predicted, but that's not necessarily a bad thing. They're quite addictive, as treats in small pieces usually are. They're not too sweet, or too bitter, or too milky, it's an equal mix of both, that all break apart with just a small bite each. I quite like that texture as time goes on, it's a bit unique from typical chocolate candy. Overall nothing mind-blowing but a nice addictive chocolate snack that'll be gone before you know it.

Rating: 7 - Aroof!

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!

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

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!

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.

Kracie Popin Cookin Bento

Alas, this is the final Kracie product that I ordered from a box on the internet... for now. I'm sure there will be more, but for now it's been a fun journey, wading through all the powders, generic fruit flavored chewy candy, triangle cups, weird utensils, bags, molds... they've really made something special with all of these, where anyone can play with their food and eat it too. And speaking of playing with your food, I've always had an appreciation for bento. It shares a lot of the same concepts, so in a way this is a meta-DIY kit of sorta, and even has some of the cuteness that bento is known for with that panda face!

This one, as expected from the large number of items on the picture, is quite heavy in components: a whopping 7 packets, a bag, fork, lots of molds, and some guides. Unfortunately the bowl shown on the box is looking a little flat and that doesn't seem to be changing anytime soon.

Kit Kats - Rum Raisin, Shinshu Apple, Tokyo Banana

Another trio of fruity Kit Kats, this time with some more out of the ordinary flavors for Japanese fruit candies. Rum raisin is the most confusing one, as I typically think of raisins as being purple or brown but the packaging and picture on the package is decidedly blue. Maybe Japanese raisins are made from blueberries? Apple and banana are more standard flavors but in the context of a crispy wafer snack not too often seen, and both of them have their regional flairs with Shinshu and Tokyo.

Surprisingly, despite having a packaging seemingly fit for a blueberry, the rum raisin Kit Kat looks and smells more like one of the sake ones. I definitely get a bit of an alcohol smell along with a fruity smell, but I can't exactly decipher which fruit that is. I'd say it's closest to grape, but then wouldn't that just make this wine? What is rum made out of anyways? ...sugarcane, huh.

Unlike the sake kit kats though, the fruity flavor in this one is more pronounced than the alcohol flavor, giving it a much sweeter taste with a side of rum. The fruit flavor does actually taste somewhat like a mixture of grape and blueberry. It's probably one of those but my tastebuds are not distinguished enough to pick it out. Overall despite not being a fan of alcohol taste I quite like this. It's more sweet and refreshing than anything, like chilling out on a summer day, by the pool, not a care in the world. Can those days come quicker already?

Rating: 7 - Aroof!

Peach Coca-Cola

Quite a simplistic pick for the drink item in TokyoTreat this time around, it's Coca-Cola! But peach flavor. I can imagine this working out very well if the peach flavor is just right, but if it's too strong or too weak it won't be all that great. Of course once again I have to bite the bullet and deal with carbonation, but I'm used to it at this point.

Like most Coca-Cola, the peach version seems to take on a dark brown color, with plenty of bubbles running throughout. The scent of cola as normal is drifting up to my nostrils. The one difference here seems to be that there is a light comforting fruity sweetness added to it as well, which I'm sure is the peach. Still not sure how this will translate over to the taste.

Tasting it, the peach seems to be more on the subtle side, I get a lot of cola from this drink, but only a little bit of peach to accent it. Though the little the peach does seem to add goes a long way, as it adds a bit of well-needed comforting softer sweetness to the normally strong and harsh cola flavor. This makes it almost better than the normal Coca-Cola for me, what is normally a strong drink is toned down into a lighter but still sweet taste. As someone who normally wouldn't touch a Coca-Cola, not bad.

Rating: 7 - Aroof!

Anpanman Festival Rice Puffs

I guess these characters are a recurring thing in Japanese cuisine, so I might as well get used to them. I suppose Anpanman is the one on the left since he looks most like anpan (red bean bun). Not too much a fan of his appearance though, but at least he seems to have an eye for good food. These though? I hope they'll be good, I know nothing about them besides being multicolored and having both salt and honey flavors. Not the most enticing sounding, but looks and descriptions can certainily deceive.

So far they seem to have the distinct appearance of Froot Loops, with a more limited selection of colors. I do quite like this color combination though. I think it reminds me of some Tic Tacs before, and seems pretty festive, like another take on Christmas colors. The smell... is something else though. I know why, the honey and salt smells do NOT mix! It smells like some gross seawater type concoction. Usually the smell is an accurate depiction of the taste but I'll give it a pass here given my prior information.

I taste the white one first, and I think it's the honey one, but at first it has a slightly salty taste to it anyways. The pink one seems to be the same, but the green one is definitely salty. The salty one is easy to decipher, it's definitely a popcorn kind of taste, except with more rice and less butter. It's okay, but quite standard, and I don't really get much from eating it.

The honey one though is much more interesting. Contrasting with the salty flavor its sweetness is much more pronounced, so maybe that's the logic behind the dual flavors. This one is a treat to eat, the honey is quite subtle but in this case, I like it, seems like it's hiding amongst the rice. And of course because it's an option too, I tried the two flavors together. This is also a satisfying flavor surprisingly enough, the honey and salt do actually blend, unlike their smell. Which is really odd. Maybe the sniffer does lie? Are all my wolf foundations going to be broken? Oh nooooooooooo!

Rating: 7 - Aroof!

Sweet Soy Sauce Cracker

It seems like there are a bunch of these types of crackers around, considering I couldn't find the brand name of this one, but I suppose "cute pictures" may be enough of a brand name this time around. Just their smiles make me want to eat these - but the sound of a soy sauce flavored cracker is quite enticing too. If these are truly a Japanese snack staple, hopefully it holds up well.

Well, the crackers sure give off a pleasant first impression. I was expecting something thin, maybe flavored with powder - but these look practically freshly baked! Lots of interesting variations in the texture with some crispy parts and some lighter parts. And they're plenty thick - hopefully the inside is as flavorful and interesting as the outside looks. Their smell also falls on the more savory side of the spectrum but I definitely get the sweet umami flavor of the soy sauce in my sniffer.

The crunch is very interesting as I anticipated. All the little aberrations make these a joy to munch on, my teeth finding all the little crevices to sink into, and it's a very satisfying crunch too. The soy sauce flavor isn't as prominent as I would think it was - it's flavored like cracker first and foremost, I almost taste a bit of a rice flavor from this, which wouldn't be too out of the ordinary if that's what it was, and the soy sauce is a light accent on top of that. But it never tastes flavorless, there's plenty of interesting things going on. I think the soy sauce flavor could still use improvement though, it lacks the depth that I've had from real soy sauce. But this was a nice pleasant surprise and I'll sure be munching on more of these in the future!

Rating: 7 - Aroof!

Pandaro Melon Bread Cookie

This snack comes at a very convenient time because I just watched an episode of the anime Yakitate!! Japan all about melon bread and after seeing that I couldn't not go for the melon bread snack first thing when I opened this box. By the way if you love baking, go watch that anime, it's quite stellar and I'm learning a ton about bread. And licking my lips the whole time. But now, let's dive in! A small cookie, hopefully it packs tons of melon flavor.

First impressions are good. The cookie has a really cute panda face, and has some green in it to represent the melon. But the smell is absolutely tantalizing! I didn't get how melon bread was supposed to work watching the anime, but I certainly do now. It's primarily a butter smell but with the fruity tangy accent of the melon. It all makes sense, this could supply the one thing butter cookies are missing which is flavor depth. I can't wait any longer to dig in.

I get pretty much everything I was expecting from the cookie. It has a strong butter flavor, and while I'm not a fan of melon normally, it's the perfect accent here, adding some tanginess to contrast the stark sweetness and richness. And none of that annoying watered down nonsense.

Although the texture of the cookie is slightly disappointing. I would've liked this to be a bit softer. One of the things melon bread seemed to be known for is the combination of fluffy bread and crispy cookie but all we get here is cookie. It means too that the depth of flavor doesn't last quite long enough or really melt in my mouth too well. Good start, but mostly it just had me craving real melon bread. I have to find some!

Rating: 7 - Aroof!

Kit Kats - Kyoho Grape, Hokkaido Melon, Wa-Ichigo Strawberry

This time we have three more Kit Kats with some different fruity flavors. While matcha and strawberry are familiar territory, I'm really interested to see how grape and melon translate into Kit Kat's wafter structure. The last one is the ever-familiar strawberry but with Wa-Ichigo tacked onto it. I wonder if that will be any different?

As usual I look up the meaning behind any unknown words and see that kyoho grapes are a type of grape grown in Japan. Regardless  I don't expect this to be too different from the normal grape flavor, though this one has a lighter color and different smell than I expected. It smells... almost like grape toothpaste? Not sure if that'll be an entirely bad thing. It's definitely not pure grape smell, kind of muddled with a milky flavor and added sweetness.

The flavor does seem to work a bit in context of the wafer. Without it I imagine a pure grape flavor would be in stark contast to the rest of the treat. It still feels a little out place in candy, after adjusting to it, it's okay, but still odd and not quite what I'm looking for. It's a bit too sweet where from fruit flavors I expect something more authentic. This... is okay, but doesn't quite work for me.

Rating: 4 - Boof!

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!

Gumish Cola Flavor

A cola gummy. Hmm that seems familiar... maybe just because I had one in Japan Crate last month? Regardless, I can't blame this for happening since they're separate companies (though both should stop putting those bland milkshakes in their boxes...). And really, cola flavored anything from Japan never disappoints so I have high hopes for this one too. One thing cool about this is I got 5 of these packs! TokyoTreat does this for one snack every month so you can share them with your friends! Or just gobble them up on separate days...

The appearance is very different from the other cola gummy. There's a two-colored bottle shape, with some kind of powder on the outside. I've never known quite what this was with other gummies, is it sugar? I'll do a lick test either way. Though these are seen often on sour candies, so maybe this will be sour. Smell wise it's the same as every cola treat, a rich, strong cola flavor.

A lick test, reveals the powder on the outside to be not sweet, so this is indeed a sour gummy! I can see that working very well in combination with the cola flavor. Of course also being a curious pup I have to see if the top and bottom half taste different, and they in fact do! The bottom flavor is much heavier than the top one. They're both cola flavored nevertheless. The cola flavor itself is its usual bold self, although the sour coating adds another layer to it. I'm not sure if I like this or the other one better, both give a different experience. Though there are more of these, which definitely helps. Also texture-wise it's a bit chewier than your average gummy. Just practice for my puppy teeth!

Rating: 7 - Aroof!