Green & Black's Organic Mint

My mother is a big fan of York Peppermint Patties, so mint chocolate was always around when I was younger. This might explain why mint chocolate is such a nostalgic taste for me. In particular, there was a candy store called Fanny Farmer (quite appropriate) that carried a bright green mint "chocolate" bar that perfectly suited my childhood tastes.

I doubt I would like it now, but I seem to always compare mint chocolate bars to how I think that one tasted. This Green & Black's bar came from a local Target, and as of February of this year, it's 100% fair trade certified.


Both the foil wrapper and the bar inside were simply stunning. The gorgeous bar had a nice peppermint oil aroma with just a hint of earthiness. It had a good snap and the perforations actually seemed to work. Both the texture and melt of the chocolate were nice.

The chocolate was just a bit sour and tangy, and those fruity notes made the 60% cocoa bar seem darker than it was. I found the mint to be quite mild. According to the website, neither the mint nor the chocolate is supposed to dominate, though I felt the chocolate was more prominent. It's definitely more grown up than my "dream" bar, but I could have done with more mint and fewer sour notes in the dark chocolate.

B

Green & Black's Website

Tirol Premium Apple Pie

Pie as I know it is one of those things that is hard to come by in Japan. I'm sure it's available, but commercial "pie" snacks in Japan are often extremely dry, flaky, and don't suit my tastes at all. For example, Lotte's Pie no Mi is a Japanese snack I just don't enjoy, no matter how many chances I give it.

Still, this Apple Pie Tirol came so highly recommended that I had to try it. Both Japanese Snack Reviews and NapaJapan (where I purchased them) gave glowing reviews. I should mention that I'm not huge on apple-flavored things (though I love apples), so add a letter grade if you love apple sweets. Bonus points if you manage to find the ones with Toy Story 3 wrappers (scroll to the bottom)!


There was a very strong apple smell with just a hint of spices. The first bit was at first a bit fake, but the apple flavor got better as I chewed. The crispy/crunchy bits (which seemed like puffed rice) brought out the cinnamon taste, and the white chocolate did a fine job of holding it all together (almost like pie a la mode).

It seemed like there was some chewy sort of apple pulp within the square, which was a nice touch. I was worried that the pie element would be like other Japanese pies, but it was a nice, crunchy and non-flaky texture. I was reminded of Apple Cinnamon Cheerios or some other apple cereal more than pie, but found these to be a pleasant surprise from Tirol!

B+

Tirol website

Nestle Maple KitKat

Maple makes me think of family trips to Canada and those touristy packages of maple sugar pressed into the shape of maple leaves. Of course, good maple syrup is available domestically and over the border in Canada, but it's still quite expensive.

Maple syrup is also a bit of a luxury in Japan, as detailed in Jen's KitKat Blog's review of the bar. Back in 2008, I tried the Soy Sauce KitKat and found it to taste like maple, so I was pretty curious about the actual Maple KitKat.


The KitKat had a strong, sugary maple scent with a super creamy and sweet white chocolate base. Naturally, it was quite sweet, but I'd expect no less from maple. Instead of being intensely sweet like pressed maple sugar, though, it was more like a maple cream. This was a good thing.

It was a nice, mild KitKat, but I would have liked a stronger maple flavor. Without that bitter punch, it was pleasant but nothing special. I wonder if Nestle Canada will ever put out a maple KitKat?

B

KitKat Website

Lotte Custard Waffle Koala's March

Koala's March is a snack that takes me back to my childhood - pretty strange, since it's a Japanese snack. In the mid 1980s, they were sold as Koala Yummies, and I have some vague memories of watching Noozles on Nick Jr. and eating these little cookies. Japanese koalas must have been big then. Here's a blog post about Koala Yummies, if you're feeling nostalgic.

They are long gone in American stores, but they never went away in Asia. In Japan, they are known as コアラのマーチ (Koala's March), but they haven't really changed. Of course, there are plenty of limited edition flavors to try, and this one is Custard Waffle (purchased at NapaJapan).


The cookies had a bit of a vanilla scent, and each cookie had a little koala stamped on it. The number of unique koala designs in the bag was pretty amazing! Right away, the cookies had a buttery, slightly salty taste. The crunch reminded me of the crispy, toasty rim of the waffle where the batter leaks out of the iron but still cooks.

The cream in the center reminded me of whipped cream with slight maple notes, giving a very convincing waffle flavor. Despite a slightly oily feeling after swallowing (which I usually attribute to preservatives), the cookies were very addictive. I'd happily consume this flavor again, and wouldn't hesitate to try other limited edition flavors.

B+

Lotte website

Cadbury Dairy Milk Fruit and Nut

This bar certainly changed my opinion of fruity chocolate bars. Before it, my only experience with them had been some sort of off brand chocolate bar with dried fruit, and that left a rather vile taste in my mouth long after the one bite I had was swallowed. Thank goodness for Cadbury.

Cadbury starts with good chocolate, at least to my tastes. It has a very distinct flavor that is similar to other non-gourmet European chocolate bars but quite different from Hershey's. The texture tends to be smoother, and the flavor is very milky with just a hint of caramelization.

The bar had the signature aroma of Cadbury chocolate - milky with caramel notes - but I could smell the dried fruits, too. The chocolate was very smooth and melted quickly on the tongue, leaving the tart taste of the raisins and the crunchy almonds.

The whole almonds, easily visible in this picture didn't add much flavor. Almonds have a pretty delicate flavor, so it was probably masked by the intense milk chocolate. The raisins had a good taste and texture, and the texture of the nuts made for a more interesting bar. I prefer this bar to the plain old milk chocolate, and my husband said it reminded him of trail mix.

A-

Cadbury Website