Glico Giant Caplico Miracle Beat

I don't know what I was thinking buying this. A year or two ago, I had a matcha Giant Caplico and didn't care for it. I guess the packaging just caught my eye for this one.

The packaging is pretty interesting. It says "Ramune and chocolate are a miracle match!" Basically, the little candies on top are ramune flavored. Ramune, for those who don't know, is a Japanese soda with a citrus flavor, and there are lots of candies with this flavor.


Maybe mine was a little old, but those candies weren't nearly as bright as they were on the wrapper. Anyhow, the first thing I noticed is that the thing smelled like an Easter Bunny. A hollow, drugstore Easter Bunny. When I took a bite out of the top, the ramune and chocolate combination was weird, and definitely not a miracle. The ramune was sour, and the chocolate coating was kind of cheap, and the combination was just odd. Also, this is a messy snack. I'm glad I ate it at the table, because there were crumbs everywhere. You can even see crumbs in the picture (oops)!

There were definitely some good parts, though. Under the bizarre chocolate/ramune coating was a layer of aerated vanilla-flavored white chocolate, and a layer of aerated milk chocolate. These were actually pretty good, much better than the chocolate coating. The cake cone was just there for texture, but it sure made things messy. I don't think I'll be buying one of these again, but you never know when attractive packaging will sucker me in.

C

Glico Website (Japanese)

Dare Viva Puffs Raspberry

My boss is very kind. Whenever she goes on a trip, for business or otherwise, she always brings something back for the lab to munch on. Most recently, she went to Ontairo, Canada, and brought us back some cookies. These Viva Puffs were one of the two kinds she shared.

Now, marshmallow fluff is not one of my favorite things. My mother likes it, but it really doesn't do anything for me. So, I didn't have very high expectations for these cookies. I guess that's probably why I liked them.


These were pretty tasty! The marshmallow was soft and fluffy, as it should be. The raspberry filling, despite tasting slightly artificial, was delicate and not too sweet. The "chocolatey" coating was nothing special, but it got the job done.

My favorite part was the graham cracker bottom. It was chewy and soft, and I could have just eaten the cracker and been pleased. All in all, the cookies were enjoyable, but not something I'd look out for on my own. Plus, each cookie had 3 grams of fat, and they weren't very big or filling.

B-

Dare Foods Website

Meiji Matcha Apollo

While in Kyoto a few months ago, I picked up pretty much every matcha sweet I could find (except for hard candy, as it's not my sweet of choice), and I've finished pretty much all of them, but I was saving a couple of these matcha Apollo for later so I could write a review.

I've tried original (strawberry) Apollo, as well as blueberry and cheesecake. A few years ago, my friend sent me some matcha Apollo, but I certainly didn't remember it well enough to write a review. Well, I finally ate the last two chocolates, and I'm ready to review.


I might have remembered these being better than they actually were. It's not that they aren't good, they're just not great compared to the plethora of marvelous Meiji matcha sweets out there, and not even as good as the other kinds of Apollo I've tried.

The chocolate was a little weak and the matcha flavor was very much in the background. They still tasted good, but they were disappointing compared to matcha Meltykiss or a plain Meiji matcha white chocolate bar, both of which manage to have a strong matcha flavor and rich, smooth chocolate. I suppose Apollo isn't meant to be rich chocolate, but I think my hopes were just too high.

These are certainly a pleasant snack, and would be good for those who don't like a strong green tea taste, but for a die-hard matcha fan, there are many better choices.

B

Meiji Website (Japanese)

Meiji Kinoko no Yama Mild Bitter

Meiji snacks almost never disappoint me. Kinoko no Yama and Takenoko no Sato are especially reliable, not to mention adorable. The original flavors are great, and the special flavors are typically fantastic.

From what I can remember, this is probably the second or third kind of Kinoko no Yama that I've tried. Kinoko means mushroom in Japanese, so the name of this snack translates to Mushroom Mountain. Pretty cute, huh?


These are delicious and very addictive! The chocolate is great! It's not too sweet, with just enough bitterness, and it smells fantastic. With the cracker/cookie stick, the texture and flavor combination is perfect. My husband and I couldn't stop eating these!

They certainly aren't gourmet or anything, but they are a darn good snack. I'm glad I opened them when my husband was home, because otherwise, I would have eaten all of them in one sitting. I would absolutely buy these again, and would be more than willing to try other flavors!

A+

Meiji Website (Japanese)

Nestle KitKat Dark

I'm taking the morning off to head off some bad weather (plus, I have to use my vacation by the end of the year or else I lose it), so I'm catching up on some reviews. I mentioned in the previous review that my father got a bunch of Canadian candy bars for me, so here is another one.

Americans get the short end of the KitKat stick. In Japan, there are tons of special flavors, and good or bad, they go away quickly to make room for new ones. European countries, Canada, and as far as I know, the rest of the world gets Nestle KitKats. I get Hershey KitKats. Oh, they're not bad, but I really do enjoy Nestle more.


I don't normally consider snap, especially not with a KitKat, but this bar has an awesome snap. The chocolate has a great texture, and a glossy finish. The chocolate is a very mild dark chocolate with just a little sweet cocoa taste. It's very refreshing after all the sickeningly sweet white chocolate varieties I've tried.

My husband and I both really enjoyed this KitKat, and are definitely thinking about vacationing in Canada in 2009. Of course, we wouldn't just go for the candy bars, but they certainly provide an added bonus.

A-

Nestle Website