Tivon Maison de Kukkia Matcha

It seems like the time of year when matcha snacks are more common. Recently, there were a couple different matcha KitKats, and one of the rotating flavors in Tirol assortment packs is a green tea latte. However, I think these Masion de Kukkia cookies are available any time.

These were purchased from Mitsuwa Marketplace in Arlington Heights, IL, and they were found in the section with other fancy cookies and tea snacks. These types of products tend to be rather hit or miss - Tivon isn't a brand of which I'm aware, and despite my love of Japanese snacks, sometimes these fancy ones just don't taste good to me.


The cookie wafers were a bit sweeter and less flaky than a cake cone, but they were similar. Of course, since I'm not a fan of cake cones I can say that these wafers tasted much better. However, all they needed to be was a texture accompaniment to the matcha chocolate. They served this function beautifully.

The green tea chocolate inside was firmer than a cream, so it held up well in the package. The flavor was right about in the middle in terms of intensity. The matcha taste was definitely there, but it was not overpowering. Since the wafers were fairly bland, there was no intense sweetness, and the whole cookie was quite balanced and satisfying. According to the Tivon site, milk chocolate, "sweet" chocolate, and strawberry chocolate versions are also available.

B

Maison de Kukkia website

Meiji Apollo Vanilla Pudding

Custard purin (or pudding, similar to flan) is one of my husband's favorite desserts. We made a point of trying the famed Kobe purin, and it is as tasty as they say. This was the reasoning behind purchasing this particular flavor of Apollo, which a typically lackluster Meiji product.

According to the box, this is a special release for the 40th anniversary of the snack, and vanilla pudding was the number one requested flavor, I'm assuming by popular vote. This explains why the quality of the product seemed better than usual, as described below.


The candies smelled like milk chocolate, and the top portion had a nice, mild vanilla flavor with some caramel notes. The two sections of chocolate blended well, and the cocoa was neither underwhelming nor overpowering. It did taste like purin, and was better than the typical Apollo.

Normally, Apollo chocolate can seem kind of cheap, and it did feel a bit oily at the end, but the flavors were good enough to make up for it. It's certainly not gourmet chocolate, but it had a nice, milky, distinctly Meiji flavor.

B+

Meiji website

Chuao Panko Bar

Panko breading is a staple in my kitchen, since my husband and I like to eat tonkatsu (fried breaded pork), but I never would have thought to put it in a chocolate bar.

This bar seemed elusive in my area for quite some time, but I just didn't know where to look for it. After checking nearly every local gourmet store, the Chuao Panko bar showed up at Wal-Mart.


The bulk of the bar was a nice, mildly bitter chocolate with a lovely salty crunch. The panko did a great job of adding texture without changing the flavor. The sea salt was great both with the chocolate and the panko, and it reminded me of potato chip chocolates without the potato flavor.

The end notes were bitter and earthy, and it made for a tasty bar. The gritty texture of the panko gave it an extra hearty feel. I've never had anything quite like it, and though it didn't become my favorite Chuao bar, I would certainly buy it again.

Check out another review of this bar at Candy Blog.

A-

Chuao website

Nestle Calpis KitKat

Whenever I see a new type of Calpis, I buy it. So far, this has meant Calpis soda, flavored Calpis, alcoholic Calpis, and Calpis candy, just to name a few. When Calpis KitKats came out, I knew I had to have them.

The polka dot packaging was adorable, and of course, it was a white chocolate bar. Milk chocolate Calpis just wouldn't make sense (though I'd gladly try it). It's hard to pin down the flavor of Calpis, but it is distinctive nonetheless. It's a little tangy from citrus and yogurt, but typically not carbonated.


The bar smelled like lemon, cream, and just a tiny bit like Calpis. It was tart and just a tiny bit tingly, but it reminded me more of lemon cake than the drink. However, that's not a bad thing, because lemon cake is delicious.

There were sour citrus bits in the wafers that provided a balance for the white chocolate. Not surprisingly, the bar was very sweet, but I didn't mind. In the end notes, there was the faintest hint of yogurt, but I can't really say it tasted like Calpis. Regardless, this KitKat was delicious, and I wish I ordered more.

A-

KitKat website

Godiva Spring Chocolates + 1 Summer Truffle

This free truffle every month at Godiva thing isn't working out too well for me. At the end of April, I went in with the intention of getting two truffles (one being the freebie), and I came out with six. They had an assortment of new spring chocolates, but instead of the round truffle, these were flattened chocolates stamped with a pretty floral pattern. Finally, because I can't resist mango anything, I also got a mango summer truffle for "free."

I forgot to write down the flavors when I was at the shop, but according to some post-tasting research on a non-Godiva website, they are mandarin orange, pina colada, black raspberry, green pear, and lemon chiffon. I'm not sure I agree, and I plan on double checking, but please correct me in the meantime. You can think of this as a blind taste test.


I'll start with some controversy. Supposedly, the piece with the green and white pattern was Green Pear, but when I tasted it, it felt very apple. It was delicious - my favorite of them bunch - as it had a nice, subtle cinnamon flavor and a lovely caramel texture. It tasted like a rich apple cider in a melty milk chocolate shell. A+

There was no mistaking Black Raspberry (purple flowers). It was full of seeds! So many seeds, actually, that it was distracting. The dark chocolate shell was nice, but the filling was just a bit weak and didn't have the bite I look for in a raspberry sweet. The plentiful seeds were too much for me, but they did convey the feeling of jam. C+

The only white chocolate piece in the bunch, Pina Colada didn't have much flavor at all. All I could taste was a sweet white chocolate at first, then hints of coconut milk and a tiny bit of citrus. It was so very mild, and was my least favorite. C-

I believe the orange and yellow chocolate was Mandarin Orange, but it could have passed for lemon. The milk chocolate was quite good, but despite a crisp citrus flavor, the center was just a bit too sweet. Still, it was probably my third favorite out of the five. B

The last of the spring chocolates was Lemon Chiffon, in yellow and white flowers (I think). I know I said the green one was my favorite, but I may have to reconsider, because this chocolate was amazing. The filling tasted just like fresh lemon pie filling. I could taste the lemon juice, and the zesty, tart filling was just perfect with the buttery chocolate shell. A+


Finally, here's the bonus summer truffle: Mango. The dark chocolate shell had a nice snap, leading to a citrusy mango filling with a surprisingly authentic flavor. It was sweet and delicious, and even had some of the smooth, thick texture of mango. A

There were some outstanding chocolates in this bunch, and though I'm not sure I needed all of them, even the not-so-stellar flavors were fun to try (especially since I was guessing at flavors).