Riska Natto Rice Snacks

Usually when someone mentions the word "acquired taste", it means either, "You might not like it at first, but you'll grow to like it", "It's something you have to grow up with to like", or"You'll never like it how much you'll try it". A few foods fall into the last category; the first food that comes to mind is bitter melon. Many foods fall into the first and second category. Licorice certainly falls into the first category for me. Growing up, I never really liked it, but after high school I liked it more, except for that salted licorice my friends Chris and Brittany gave me. I think something like ume or natto fall into the second category. They're foods that belong to a certain culture and don't really exist outside of them. At first, I tried natto just because of the terrible descriptions people gave it. However, after a while, I kind of like it, or at the very least, I have a higher tolerance to it.


First of all, what is natto, you may be asking. Well, it's basically fermented soybean, and when it gets fermented, it's develops sticky webs not unlike a spider web.The flavor of natto for me is hard to describe. I can easily describe the texture, as it's a bit slimy and sticky. It's like if you ate gel or glue. I guess I could describe the flavor as having a subtle sweetness with hints of bitter. When I opened this bag of snacks, it certainly carried a very strong smell. I wondered if a natto flavored snack would taste a lot like natto or a just a little


A natto rice snack

Well the chip starts off with a sweet flavor, but as you chew, there's definitely some bitter to it. It also tastes like there was a bit of horseradish or wasabi flavoring, but this was not indicated on the ingredients list. After eating a few of these, it does give you the mouth feel of eating natto. The slimy texture that's left behind is one that is very unique. I can say that this snack is certainly not for everyone, and if you have an aversion to natto, you might not like it. Like I said, I haven't really gotten around to liking natto yet, but I am becoming much more tolerant of it.

Riska Natto Rice Snacks: 7/10 (much less if you don't like natto)

Tohato Bokun Habanero Kimuchi Chips

For all the number of cereal mascots there are, I wonder why Chester the Cheetah and the Pringles man are the only mascots representing chips. Of course, I've heard of the Frito Bandito before, but we all know what happened to him (he gave his life in the Battle of Dorito). Anyway, I would think that companies that sell chips would want a mascot to appeal to kids. I guess parents and concerned adults would be against the idea, as it would make chips and unhealthy snacks more appealing to kids, but if Trix Rabbit, Cap'n Crunch, and all the other sugary cereal icons can still exist, why not have more fun characters?


Bokun Habanero, from what I've read, translates into Tyrant Habanero. Imagine having a mascot like that. Imagine Dictator Dorito forcing his people to work on Cool Ranches. Anyway, if you notice at the lower left corner, there is a bowl of kimuchi, which is the Japanese variation of kimchi. At the lower right, there is what seems to be a pepper meter, and this one indicates that this bag of chips is three peppers hot. And dead center, we see a pepper jack-o-lantern.


If someone could translate the picture for me, that would be awesome. I see two peppers side-by-side, with one of them having bright pink lipstick, so I'll assume they're a pepper couple or something of that nature. I have no idea what is going on in the other two pictures at all, so I'm not even going to assume what's going on.


A kimuchi chip

Well, first of all, this was not three peppers hot. This was not even one pepper hot, as I did not detect any spice at all. Maybe this was for kids and the pepper meter thing was just for decoration or fun. The texture is reminiscent of Pop Chips or some other baked potato chip variety. The flavor is slightly sweet, with a definite kimuchi scent. How would I grade this? Well, there are plenty of other American chip varieties I would rather purchase, but none of them, outside of Pringles and Cheetos, offers a pepper tyrant. I don't think I would get these again, unless there was a variety that actually followed the pepper meter.

Tohato Bokun Habanero Kimuchi Chips: 7/10

UHA Mikakuto Cream Soda Hard Candy

Growing up, the only melon flavor I associated with candy was watermelon. The only candy that I really recall being melon flavored were the little boxes of Marukawa bubble gum. It wasn't until a few years ago that I was introduced to other melon flavored candy by my friend Josh. I believe it started with Melona ice cream bars, and then it went on from then.


Here's another hard candy featuring miniaturized children on the bag. Now, it says Cream Soda on the English label, but usually when it's cream soda, it's melon cream soda. When American candy makers start making easily available cream soda candy, that'll be the day. Anyway, if you remember, I didn't give the cherry counterpart that favorable of a review, so let's see if this will change my mind.

A cream soda hard candy

The flavor is definitely melon. When you reach the center, you have a cream tasting center waiting for you, so that's nice. I thought that this candy could really be improved if it had a carbonated feeling, as it's cream SODA. Regardless, I liked this better than the cherry variety. How would it rate among other candies? Well, often times in Asian markets, you'll find many soda candies that provide a fizz and more often than not, melon will be one of the flavors. I feel like this candy is good, but it should have that fizz to make it REALLY good.

UHA Mikakuto Cream Soda Hard Candy: 7/10

Kit Kat Vanilla Ice Cream

Looking back on my older posts, I noticed that I've tasted many kinds of Kit Kats. Some I've liked, some I've disliked. When it comes to Kit Kats, I've come to realize is that the more I've tried, the more I realize that there are many varieties that I have yet to try.

Kit Kat Vanilla Ice Cream is one of those varieties that I haven't tried yet. When I think of a white Kit Kat, I usually think of white chocolate Kit Kats. What could a vanilla ice cream flavored Kit Kat possibly taste like? I'm not sure, but I'm about to find out


One or two of them melted

Now on the back of the bag, there's a picture of a freezer and ice shooting out everywhere. Due to that, and to the fact that the English label read "Vanilla Ice Cream", I assumed that this was a suggestion to try them frozen. Well, I certainly did try one straight from the bag and one that I left in the freezer for about a day. How did the room temperature one taste? Well, sweet, of course, the only tart one I've tried was the Kit Kat Raspberry . The smell reminded me of vanilla flavored whey powder. If you have consumed any sort of vanilla protein bar or protein powder, you know that vanilla smell? That's what this smelled like. If you like vanilla whey protein, you'll like Kit Kat Vanilla Ice Cream. Now, did the frozen one taste any better? If you've put a candy bar in the freezer in the past, you know what happens. Usually the chocolate becomes harder and it doesn't melt as easily. That's the same thing that happened with this candy, and I can't say that I enjoyed it more than when it was at room temperature. In fact, I found it to be a bit harder to eat the candy, but if you like frozen candy bars, you'll probably like these better frozen.

All in all, I think that Kit Kat Vanilla Ice Cream is good, but it may be a bit too plain Jane. I've found that few people hate vanilla as an ice cream and, to my surprise, some say it's there favorite flavor. I wouldn't say that vanilla is my favorite ice cream flavor, but it's always a safe choice. I guess that's how I feel about these Kit Kats; they're not my favorite, but they're a solid choice.

Kit Kat Vanilla Ice Cream: 8/10

UHA Mikakuto Sakuranbo No Uta

Cherry is a candy flavor that I believe divides people. Some people love it, some people hate it, and some people are okay with it. It's not as bad as banana when it comes to dividing people, but it divides people nonetheless. I remember one student that I had that loved cherry everything. I've also had students who say they hate it because it tastes like cough syrup. Personally, my favorite Starburst has always been the cherry one. I think cherry Mike & Ikes are the best ones, besides the lime ones. However, I'm not that big on cherry cordials nor do I like cherry flavored Mio. I could go on and on about how much I like Diet Cherry Coke, but let's please move on to the candy at hand


UHA Mikakuto is one of the candy companies I recognize because of the nervous looking guy they have on their stuff. They make many of the candies I love, such as Puccho, Shigekix, and e-Ma lozenges. With such an excellent track record, I decided to buy this candy, which frankly seemed a bit plain Jane to me. The packaging looks like it's more appropriate for a children's book than it is for a candy. However, packaging can be deceiving


A cherry candy

This is one of those few cases where I did not like a cherry flavored candy and a situation in which UHA has disappointed me. At first, the candy tasted a bit too much like medicine, which I didn't like at all. Then, there was a yogurt-like smell that began to emerge which confused me a bit. Maybe those kids on the bag were accidentally processed into the candy when those cherries were picked, who knows? Anyway, I stuck through to the end to see if there was anything special in the center, and there was not. Plain name, plain game.

UHA Mikakuto Sakuranbo No Uta: 6/10

Kabaya Kobitozuka Momo Candy

I think for this post, it's best that I write as little as possible and let you, the audience, to enjoy the pictures

Peach butt is telling you FOR SALE IN JAPAN ONLY

Tastes green like green veggies and not the good kind of green like lime or apple

Strong peach flavor, almost to the point of being grapefruit

Light flavor, very subtle and fruity

What's this?


That's the same face I made when I saw this card
Green candy: 5/10
Dark pink candy: 7.5/10
Light pink candy: 7/10

Puccho Pineapple

Puccho is a candy that's hard not to like. If you like Hi Chew, you'll like Puccho as it's kind of like Hi Chew, but with a bouncier texture. I think the two flavors that are liked most by my students are cola and cider. However, whenever there is a new flavor, I grab it to see if my students and I will like it.


The thing I found out about Puccho and kids is, kids tend to like Puccho better when it fizzes. There are some varieties that provide a fizz, such as cola, cider, and apple cider flavors, whereas some, such as just apple, will not have a fizz. However, kids love candy regardless, but since I'm currently back in school and haven't visited my students all that often, all the candy is mine. Also, as you see, I think you can win something related to Japanese pop group AKB48, I don't know, it's all Greek to me


A diagram of a Puccho candy


A piece of Puccho candy


Puccho candy cross section

Pineapple happens to be the variety that will not provide a fizz. I don't know how my (former) students will react to this, but they're kids, so they'll eat anything short of rocks. Even then, I think I can convince one of them to eat at least a pebble. Anyway, this certainly has a pineapple flavor, but it's a bit subtle. It's not too sweet, and it maintains that bouncy and chewy texture. Overall, I think I would like all varieties of Puccho candy more if they had fizz and if they offered little key chains/charms as they did two years ago. However, it was good, and if you like Starbursts or Hi Chew, or if you already like Puccho candy, you should try this flavor out.

Puccho Pineapple: 8/10

Kanro Suppanda Ume

Sometimes spite and anger are the best motivators. When you're wronged or feel slighted, you feel as if you need to do something about it. Whether it's something reckless or focusing your energy into something, you feel much better after letting off some steam. This candy made me want to post.


Kanro Suppanda. I've never heard of Kanro before, so I bought this on a whim. The look on the panda's face implies that this is a sour candy. It looks like there's a liquid inside the candy, which is always a joy. I don't know what flavor this is, but it has a flower next to its face and the package is pink, so I concluded that it was either peach or floral smelling.

The back doesn't indicate what this candy is besides the panda running around. The English label just says, "GUMMY CANDY" as they often do, so I still have no real indication of what this candy is.

It looks pretty good

...and on my initial taste I knew exactly what flavor this was: ume. This is not my first brush with ume flavored candy, and I assume that it certainly will not be the last. Okay, ignoring my prejudice against pickled plum flavored candy, I have to say that I didn't hate this candy. The flavor was a medium sour, not quite the first taste of a warhead, but some notches below it. It had a faint sweet flavor, which is nice, seeing as how the past few ume flavored candies I've tasted were either devoid of sweetness or were overpowered by their sour and salty counterparts.
I think the thing that really gets me when it comes to ume candy though is the smell. It's a smell I'm not used to and it makes me think I'm eating something savory or vegetable-like rather than a candy. I guess it would be all and good if I were to eat real umeboshi, which I've only had once, but something about this flavor of candy just turns me off.

Kanro Suppanda Ume - 5/10, probably higher if you like ume

Mucci Mocci

The main reason as to why I don’t buy many gummy candies is because, usually, you’ll only get a few, especially if they’re individually wrapped. Also gummy candies are pretty easy to go through. I don’t count Hi-Chew, Starbursts, or Puccho candies as gummies, because, well, they’re chews and not gummies. However, I liked the previous Puré to give another gummy candy a try.

Mucci Mocci. I’m not sure how to pronounce that, but it would be ridiculous if it was pronounced mucky mocky. Anyway, I like peach, and the bag looked interesting enough to give it a go.

The initial peach flavor is very strong, so if you’re like me and you really like peach-flavored things, this is good. It also has a slightly unexpected sour twist like the Puré gummies. If they put them in the same kind of pouches, I wouldn’t be surprised if they made this White Peach Puré Gummy or something. It is a bit softer than the Puré gummies though, so they melt quicker. Overall, I liked it because not just because it was peach flavored, but because it was a good candy overall. If I had a choice of picking this or the Puré Lemon Cola, I’d have a hard time deciding which one I like more.

Mucci Mocci: 8.5/10

Puré Gummy

I haven’t done one of these in a while, so excuse me if it’s a bit unrefined. Have I stopped eating candy? No, I haven’t. It’s just that I’ve gotten a bit lazy when it comes to writing about candy, but no worries, I’m back.

Let’s get things started with Puré Gummy candies. What you’ll notice next to the label are tiny words indicating that this candy has a sour taste. I didn’t notice those words until I started eating them, so some of them were quite a surprise.

Lime Soda, Bitter Orange Squash, Muscat, Lemon Cola

So of all the Puré Gummy candies shown, which flavor which one was my favorite? Well, I’d have to say that Lemon Cola was the best because I didn’t expect it to taste so much like lemon cola. Squeeze some lemon juice into your cola and you’ll get something that’s different from what you’re used to. My next favorite was the grape flavored one. Muscat flavored gummies are generally good, but by adding that extra hint of sour, they’ve made Muscat even better. Next up would be the Bitter Orange Squash flavor. This would be tied with the Lemon Cola flavor for having the most intense flavors. It’s mostly sour and will remind you of grapefruit, but there are hints of bitter every now and then. The only reason why I would put Lime Soda last is because it didn’t really have a distinct or strong flavor. If you’re looking for something more subtle, then Lime Soda is your flavor.

Overall, these were good, especially if you like sour candy. The only thing that I could knock them on is being pretty expensive, but if you’re not bothered by paying a little bit more than usual for something new, you should check these out.

Puré Gummy: 8.5/10

Soda-flavored Cotton Candy

Cotton candy used to be something of a rare treat. It was something you would get if you went to an amusement park, fair, sporting event, or some other special occasion. However, as you grow older, you realize that cotton candy is just spun sugar. You also learn that it’s pretty widely available. The pre-packaged cotton candy you can buy in stores may not be as good as the one you pay $5 for at a game, but it gets the job done. Much like movie popcorn, it’s not just the snack, but the experience itself that enhances things.

The packaging for the cotton candy

Enter this cotton candy. I have no idea what it says, but I love soda flavored things and I like cotton candy. I should clarify this, I like cotton candy when it’s at a special event or when there’s something extra in it. What made me excited about this product is that when I’ve bought cotton candy from Japanese markets, there’s always something extra. For instance, there is a grape variety that has popping candy in it, giving you a pleasant surprise, and there’s a cola variety that turns into gum after a period of time. Think about that for a second, cotton candy that turns into gum. When I bought this soda flavored candy, I had a bit of buyer’s remorse seeing as how there were only three ingredients listed on the back (sugar, coloring, artificial flavoring) which meant that there would be a slim chance of getting a surprise.

They come in packets of two

Well, the best way to describe this candy is that it’s certainly cotton candy. You could buy pre-packaged cotton candy anywhere else and it would taste about the same. The only thing that makes it different is the soda flavoring. There’s no extra pizzazz to make you think “Oh ho ho, now that’s something.” While good and acceptable, I suppose I’m just not a big enough fan of pre-packaged cotton candy to buy it again unless it came with something special inside. If you like cotton candy, then this is worth trying,

Soda flavored cotton candy: 6.5/10

Yaki sauce potato chips

This purchase was another spur of the moment, “Why the heck not?” kind of buy. Barbecue is a great flavor for potato chips. It’s hard to go wrong with sea salt & vinegar. However, sometimes you want to break away and try something new. Sometimes you want to try something that you might not see again. Who knows how long a new flavor will last? Maybe it’ll last a few weeks, or maybe it’ll be good enough to be permanent. Regardless, you can’t take those kinds of risks and assume that that flavor will still be there tomorrow.

In comes Yaki Sauce potato chips. Do I know if this is even the right name? Of course I don’t. What I do know is that I don’t know what Yaki sauce is. There’s a cow on top, and it looks kind of tired. It’s like the Eeyore of cows. Well, maybe it looks so dejected because there’s a steak in the bottom right corner. From this, I will assume that this is something that you dress your steak in.

A Yaki sauce potato chip

The texture of the potato chip is dryer and a bit thicker than a regular potato chip, but not as thick as a kettle chip. The flavor is sweet, like a barbecue flavored potato chip, but there is no salty flavor at any point. There’s also a slight curry flavor that comes at the end. I liked this chip and found it to be very flavorful. It’s a nice detour from the flavors that are available everyday at your local supermarket.

Yaki sauce potato chips: 8/10

O'Zack Gyoza flavored chips

BBQ, Sour Cream, Cheddar, Salt & Vinegar...these are some of the flavors we normally see when we buy potato chips at the supermarket. However, instead of BBQ, why not have BBQ brisket flavored potato chips? Why not have a fried chicken flavor? Maybe it's because it would be difficult for chip manufacturers to emulate the flavors and aromas. However, in the past I wrote about chips that tasted like beef tongue sprinkled with a bit of lemon (gyutan). If that flavor can be made, why not the above listed?

From the country that brought you potato chips that somewhat did the flavor of grilled beef quite well, we have gyoza flavored chips. Gyoza, potstickers, whatever you want to call them is probably not on the top of the list of potato chip flavors that Americans want. It's probably not on any American's list. However, Japan has decided to be more adventurous with their flavors, and thus has produced gyoza flavored chips.

An O'Zack chip

The aroma of the chip is very reminiscent to that of a pot sticker. You get a hint of pot sticker skin an then you get a slight pork flavor to finish. Overall, it was quite a surprise that they were able to do this. It is not just a novel chip, but it is a good chip as well. It seems as if Doritos is the only chip that dares venture out of the normal chip flavor comfort zone. One day I would like to find steak flavored potato chips or something ridiculous like that in a grocery store.

O'Zack Gyoza flavored chips: 8.5/10

Red Ninja Umeboshi flavored candy

I pretty much made the name up on the fly. There's no English label on the back, so I had to make up a name based on the packaging. Anyway, sometimes there are candies that are seen as "acquired tastes". One of the most popular candies that have an "acquired taste" is licorice. Some people love it, others despise it. Some people don't like sour candy. This is why candy comes in all sorts of different variations of sweet and sour. However, there are some candies that are seen as, "Why would they ever make a candy that tastes like this?" This is one of those candies.

It seems as if Japan took my image and decided use it as a mascot for a candy. I'm fine with that as long as I get some royalties. There's a grape variation of this candy, which has a stockier ninja on it I've never been a fan of umeboshi; having never tried it, how could I? I've seen several umeboshi flavored candies in Japanese markets, but the idea of eating a pickled plum in candy form never appealed to me. However, you know what does appeal to me? Great packaging. I bought this candy, not knowing what umeboshi tastes like, based off of the fact that the bag was interesting. I could only pray that this would taste good, or at the very least, decent.

An umeboshi gummy

Let me give it to you straight: Don't get this candy. That is, unless you like your candy to have a salty-sour flavor, akin to, as one of my friends described, "fish sauce". The taste gets worse the longer you keep it in your mouth. I thought my students were overreacting when they said this tasted terrible. I don't think I've had a candy that tasted this wretched since the double salt licorice I wrote about some months back. The smell is that of fermented something, which is never good with candy, and the taste is salty and sour and just wrong. The grape flavor tastes infinitely better when compared with this. Most candies would taste infinitely better compared to this.

Red Ninja Umeboshi flavored candy: 0/10

Matcha Meltykiss

In America, green tea has been steadily growing in popularity. The health benefits attributed to green tea have led to the rise of green tea extracts being sold in markets. The flavor isn’t bad either, seeing as how there are things like green tea ice cream and there are many different green tea flavored drinks. However, an area that green tea hasn’t been able to gain popularity in America yet is the candy market. If one were to go into an Asian market, or more specifically, a Japanese market, one would see that in the candy aisle there are green tea flavored candies. Some find the flavor of green tea to be delicious, but I could take it or leave it. I would be more likely to buy a cola flavored candy over a green tea flavored one. However, the packaging for the next product looked so nice that I bought it anyway.

Meltykiss is a chocolate candy that comes in little cubes. The outside of the candy is dusted with cocoa powder, giving it a much stronger chocolate flavor than typical chocolate candies. Inside is a very smooth chocolate that has a rich taste. Usually they have a cocoa or strawberry flavor. I’ve had caramelized almond flavor, and now this matcha flavored variety. When I first bought this, I thought that it was mint chocolate because I didn’t read the box. I mean the box has snowflakes on it and everything.

A Matcha Meltykiss cut in half. I swear I didn’t bite this one. Okay, maybe I did, but you’ll never know

The consistency and texture of this Meltykiss is just like all other varieties of Meltykiss. The outside still has the cocoa powder which gives the candy a pleasantly bitter and cocoa flavor. As the candy melted, it became sweeter and the matcha flavor started to come out. Was there anything special about the matcha flavor? Not really, if you like matcha then you’ll like this, if you’re not that enthusiastic about it, then this won’t change much. My favorite Meltykiss flavor is still good old cocoa. This is still a good candy, but it’s not my cup of tea.

Matcha Meltykiss: 7.5/10 (increase the score if you’re a fan of green tea)

Meiji Coke Flavored Cotton Candy Gum

If you recall, last Summer, my friends Phil and Karina, brought me many candies from their trip to Japan. One of the candies that I was very fond of was a grape flavored cotton candy that had popping candies inside of it. Since then, I have found that there are some markets in the U.S. that carry that candy, which is still as delicious as I remember it. On the back of the package, the English label labels it as Chewing Gum. I suppose that it was easier to label it as Chewing Gum instead of Cotton Candy with Poprocks. Next to it, I also saw another candy in a similar package that was also labeled as Chewing Gum. I decided to take a risk.

Ninjas blowing a bubble and a frog. This has the makings of being a great candy. I felt the package, and it was as soft as the grape cotton candy from before, if not a bit more uniform and packaged, so I decided to give it a try. If it's endorsed by those characters up there, how could I lose?

A tuft of the cotton candy

There was no popping when I ate it, so I was a bit disappointed, but it did taste like cola, sot hat was good. However, at that point where cotton candy's supposed to melt away in your mouth, the candy began to turn into chewing gum. Eventually most of the cotton candy in my mouth turned into cola flavored chewing gum, which was delightful. I have to say, I would have liked it to have the popping candy and some more tart flavor. I think if there was some pop and a bit of sour flavor it would have put this candy over the edge. Otherwise, it's a very interesting candy, and one that my students enjoy. There aren't other candies readily available that can do this.

Meiji Coke Flavored Cotton Candy Gum: 9/10

Mini Strawberry Crunch Bars

It's a few weeks before Valentine's Day, and stores, such as Target, are starting to put out pink and red packages for their candies. There's nothing really different between Valentine's Day candy and regular candy outside of the little hearts on the Valentine's Day candy. However, some candies like Kisses have decided to put out raspberry flavored chocolates. I'm also glad to see that Ghiradelli has put out "limited edition" strawberry chocolate squares. Since that long explanation led to the subject of strawberry chocolate, I'd like to write about another familiar product that has also put out a strawberry chocolate flavor.

Albeit, it's a Japanese variety of a familiar American product, but I figure it's all the same. Now when they start selling Twix varieties from the UK here, oh boy. Anyway, I don't really see foreign versions of Crunch bars, so this seemed like an endeavor worth trying.

The mini "bars" actually come in two squares

It had all the texture and familiarity of the Crunch bars you can find in America, so that's good. The strawberry flavor slightly overpowered the chocolate flavor, but it didn't completely hide the chocolate, which was good. I'm hesitant to say that I would prefer this OVER Crunch bar. I'd say that it would be nice to have this every once in awhile. This was not better, not worse, but it was just different. It's on par with the regular Crunch bar. The best variety of Crunch bar, in my opinion, is the White Chocolate Crunch Bar.

Mini Strawberry Crunch Bars: 8/10

European Cheese Kit Kat

Some things are just so ridiculous that they're worth trying at least once just to know what they're like. For instance, I had tacos with brains as the meat not too long ago. Was it good? It was okay, but I wouldn't have chosen it over any other meat. Likewise, this product falls in the line of, "I don't know what it is, but I need to try it"

That's right, European Cheese Kit Kat. Just when I thought Ginger Ale was the most ridiculous flavor they could come up with, Kit Kat has this. I don't know whose idea it was to make this a flavor, but they're probably trying other ridiculous flavors with Kit Kat, like mayonnaise or something. On a side note, the box was very nice.

It's like opening a treasure chest

And finding Kit Kat inside

When I first unwrapped the Kit Kat there was a very pungent cheese smell coming from it. Think of a cheese with a very powerful smell and you have the smell of European Cheese Kit Kat. The flavor, however, was like that of a normal Kit Kat. I would say that it tasted like white chocolate Kit Kat. It was just the typical Kit Kat sweetness with no hints of saltiness or any hidden surprises. The texture of the Kit Kat wafer and the smell of the cheese reminded me of those cheese and cracker snacks that I used to like as a kid. The smell was outrageous, the flavor was not, and I came out sort of confused by the smell coupled with the flavor. All in all, it was worth the try and I was not disgusted. I must, however, knock it for being relatively expensive to a bag of Kit Kats and yielding only 10 mini bars. For the price of this, I could have bought a two bags of fun size Kit Kats.

European Cheese Kit Kat: 7/10

Apple Oreo Bar

You know what's not seen often? Apples and chocolate. When was the last time you got apple and chocolate ice cream? How about a chocolate chip apple cookie? Well, the common accompaniment to apple is caramel. There are candied apples, caramel apples, and other things that are some sort of sticky, sugary friend to apples, but that friend is never chocolate. Luckily, I found that, sometimes, apples can be friends with chocolate.

Here is, yet again, another Japanese Oreo bar. You never know what flavor you're going to get with these; I know I didn't know what flavor this was because all the text is in Japanese. However, the market where I got this from, was kind enough t label it as Oreo Apple.

The Apple Oreo Bar fortunately broke into perfect halves for me as I was driving home

Now I know why chocolate isn't apple's best friend. Chocolate likes to drape over things, but apple just wants a friend to hang on to him, not one that will smother him. When they hang out, there's a discord as to who should take the leading role. This wasn't a bad bar, but it wasn't particularly good. The oddest part of this bar was actually the Oreo bits. By the time the chocolate and apple flavored filling had melted, there were these Oreo pieces that were still lingering that left that familiar, slightly bitter Oreo cookie taste in my mouth. The other flavors of Oreo bars were much more pleasing because they used flavors that seemed to go well with each other. It was interesting, and it was worth trying, but I wouldn't want to see apple and chocolate again unless apple brought along his friend caramel.

Apple Oreo Bar: 6.5/10

Lion Angry Lemon Hard Candy

This is another candy whose real name I don't know, so I'm just going to name it myself. The English label just reads, "Hard Candy", and the brand is Lion, so that's about it. The following picture explains the name I gave it:

Is that not the angriest lemon you have ever seen? He's probably insulting you in so many different ways you don't even know. He's calling you the biggest wuss in the history of mankind, and you don't have what it takes to eat him.

A simple flow chart on the back explaining the levels of sourness I assume. Meanwhile, that lemon is still calling you out.

There are four levels of sourness, each one marked with a certain number of stars (1 being the least sour, 4 being the most sour)

It seems as if the lemon gets happier the more sour it gets. Then it becomes all shriveled and red. How now, brown cow?

Stars 1 through 4. Notice how Stars 3 and 4 have a powdery coat on them.

When I ate this candy, I was expecting the initial shock of a Super Lemon hard candy. If you're unfamiliar with Super Lemon, they are basically super charged lemon drops that give an extreme rush of tartness for the first few seconds, and later on they become normal lemon drops. This candy is the reverse in that it starts off sweet and then as you approach the middle, you there is a rush of sour liquid that comes out. The sourness of the liquid is based on how many stars you picked.

This candy was good. The sour liquid was a nice surprise, especially if you're not expecting it. Without the liquid, it would taste just like a typical lemon drop, which wouldn't be too bad either. The sour liquid makes this candy much more interesting though.

Lion Angry Lemon Hard Candy: 7.5/10