I’m always impressed by the candy that I find from Meiji, and Coffeebeat is one that I always see at my local Asian market without fail. The fact that I see it all the time has made me continually hold off on buying it, until recently when I finally told myself: “Just try it already! Sheesh!”. I didn’t really know what it was exactly, other than chocolate and coffee were involved, so I was interested to see what I’d gotten myself into.

These look familiar, like M&Ms to be exact. They are all a rich brown color and have a wonderful roasted, coffee aroma. They’re immediately enticing.

Biting into one, yes, they really are like M&Ms. The candy shell is thin and has a good crunch to it. Inside is the chocolate center, and it carries not only the flavor of coffee, but it has notes of cream and chocolate as well. It’s more of a mocha than a true black cup of coffee. I think the flavor carries well here, the sweetness doesn’t overpower the coffee and vise versa. I also like the form of the candy too, I have always been a fan of the little lentil shapes for chocolate.

The packaging is really a nice design too. The tube allows you to take as little or much as you want at one time, and whatever you don’t eat is easily saved for later or shared with friends.

A nice treat if you’re into coffee and chocolate. I’ll have these on hand when for when my next craving strikes.

Rating: Might Eat Again

Links
Meiji Coffeebeat Webpage

I love Japanese Kit kats. Even though my review history hasn’t shown it, I do keep up with all the new flavors that are released, almost obsessively so. I have a pretty big backlog of these, I assure you. Getting a timely review of them up, considering the quantity of Kit kats that I have and the ones I’ve yet to taste, make it a very difficult endeavor. So I hope you don’t mind that when I review these flavors that some of them may be unavailable. Unless you look on eBay, of course.

So, all that aside, these were a release from this summer. They’re Kokuto “black sugar” flavor and they come in this giant bag filled with mini, two-fingered bars. Now, you may be wondering what “black sugar” is, and it’s an easy thing to not know about unless you’re into regional Japanese foods. Okinawa produces a special kind of sugar, the very black sugar that’s flavoring these Kit kats, and it’s similar to brown sugar. This black sugar contains lots of minerals and is considered a very healthy, and tasty, sugar to eat. You can easily find hard candies made from this special sugar, and I am ashamed to say I have not yet tried them.

The base of these Kit Kats are white chocolate, which I feel is a good decision since I don’t want heavy flavors to overpower what flavors the black sugar may impart. The bars are attractive as Kit kats always are.

As for the flavor? It tastes of molasses. Thick, blackstrap molasses. I’m a big fan of molasses, so I’m immediately addicted. The rest of the bar is the tried and true Kit kat, with crisp wafers and a nice balance of chocolate to wafer.

I love the flavor, and these are great with a nice cup of tea. I wish I had gotten more.

Rating: Will Buy Again

Links
Japanese Kit Kat Webpage

These were a last minute find in the Los Angeles Mitsuwa. I was in the check out line, and I saw these sitting on the shelf, obviously misplaced. Curious, I picked up the box and couldn’t make out what the heck they were. The name and the illustration on the box does little to explain what the candy is. Since further investigation was required, I took them home to the candy labs for a throughout analysis.

Inside the box, there’s a half dozen of individual packets that are colored coded. Half orange, half purple. Each packet holds two sticks, which are crispy and break cleanly in the mouth. I’m immediately impressed with how much fun they are to chomp and am taken aback slightly when I find they have a fizz to them. The telltale tingling on the tongue is really pleasant.

I finally get it. Soda flavored candy.

Grape: Wow, this is awesome. It really tastes of grapes and/or grape soda with that deep pear/preach, strawberry flavor with the acidic twang to them that you associate with wine grapes. Added to the fizz texture, it sort of feels a bit alcoholic, but thankfully this is innocent and way more tasty.

Orange Soda: Wow, again! The flavor of this is orange soda, spot on. I guess that’s pretty easy to do as it’s an artificial flavor to begin with, yes? This is like eating a Sunkist Orange soda: and good mix of tang and the real zest of orange combined with the fizzy texture. Yum.

A very successful purchase and taste in the dark here. I hope I run across more candy of this variety soon. I’d love to try more!

Rating: Will Buy Again

Tirol Choco

Tirol Choco is a classic Japanese candy. It’s well known as the cheapest chocolate you can buy, in the best ways possible, with each little square available at the store for 5 yen apiece. This makes it an easily accessible candy for many children and therefore it has a big nostalgic value for many people.

Like many Japanese companies, Tirol Choco releases flavors specific to the seasons. These Dango chocolates are meant for spring and represent a traditional Japanese sweet that’s eaten while viewing the cherry blossoms. I realize I’m reviewing them quite out out season, when spring is only a sliver in hope in one’s mind. Still, the flavors and attractiveness of these little squares is not diminished at all by the snow drifts outside my window. I do imagine that they’d taste better watching the sakura, though.

True to the Dango sweets, these come in flavors of strawberry, green tea and milk, with the colors representing the cherry blossoms and leaves. There’s also a small, chewy mochi (a rice dough) in the center.

Ichigo: (strawberry)bright carton pink color and immediately smells strongly of strawberry with a tart yogurty tang. This tastes of melted strawberry ice cream. The strawberry flavor is so fresh and real I can’t believe it. I really just feel like i ate a spoonful of Breyer’s Grand. YUM!

Matcha: (green tea) Dark green and very grassy looking. Smells lightly of tea. Flavor is of matcha, so it’s grassy and bitter at first, then it sweetens and you get some milky flavors.

Sweet Milk: White chocolate with vanilla bean flecks. It smells so strongly of vanilla. The flavor tastes of vanilla ice cream. It’s amazing. The mochi center is nice and chewy.

These were delightful little morsels and they went great with a cup of green tea. I am interested now in trying the other flavors in Tirol’s Choco line.

Rating: Will Eat Again.

Links
Tirol Choco Website

It’s HiChew time again! I’ve already gushed in my previous reviews of how much I adore HiChew, so I will spare you that rant again. This version, with it’s wonderful Engrish name, is pineapple flavored. I was just jumping out of my seat when I first started seeing it for sale online this past spring. Thankfully, since then, it’s now in most Asian markets so you can find it pretty easily if you have the mind to.

Firstly, aside from the amusing name, I am really drawn to the packaging of this flavor. It’s much more decorative than the other HiChew packages I’ve seen, and I think the frilly type and imagery works for it. It certainly catches my eye.

Opening the package carefully (so I could save the pretty wrapper!) to find the row of neatly wrapped pieces. They smell faintly sweet, but it’s a soapy sort of smell. I’m a little worried.

The flavor is extremely authentic. The taste is every bit pineapple with it’s sharp juicy notes and that hint of pine-like tartness. This is a little milder and sweeter than the real thing, but come on, it’s candy!

No question about it. I’m in love, and I’m currently working on my stockpile. Hopefully Morinaga will add this to their regular line of flavors.

Rating: Hoard

Links
Morinaga Website