This Munchie Log is going to be a little different from what I usually do; I’ll be trying and commenting on a variety of snacks rather than just one for this one! All of these snacks are from H Mart, a grocery store that specializes in Korean (and other Asian) foods! *I also want to apologize if I get the names of the snacks wrong, some of them are written entirely in Japanese, so I have to rely on the names listed by retailers selling them online.*
1) Meiji Almond Chocolate Matcha
Meiji is Japanese company that specializes in food products, notably chocolate. I’ve had positive experiences with their confectionary products in the past; their chocolates tend to be creamy, rich and flavorful, and aren’t too sweet or artificial-tasting like some cheaper brands. This snack consists of almonds coated in a thick layer of their matcha flavored chocolate. The Olympic logo on the corner of the box indicates that the snack had been released in anticipation of the 2020 Summer Olympics, which were going to be held in Tokyo but as of now has been moved to 2021. I hold presentation in high regard, so I also want to mention how much I liked the sliding box design as well as its color scheme. It featured different shades of dark green that were accented by gold details, which drew my eye to the cross section of an almond featured just off-center. The moment I slid the box open, a delightful scent wafted out. It smelled deeply of matcha, full and rich with a slight bitter edge. The almonds were also a gorgeous green color, their surface even and shiny, which leads me to believe that Meiji tempers their chocolate, at least for this snack. The layer of matcha that encased each almond was smooth, thick, and rich. I particularly liked how it was not overly sweet, and that I could taste the edge of bitterness that natural matcha carries. I was pleasantly surprised to find that the almonds themselves were fresh, not stale, but still retained a good bite to it. Other almond snacks I’ve tasted are brittle and crumbly, but this snack was an expert mix of texture and flavor! I could taste the quality in the chocolate in both the taste and consistency, and although I’m not normally a big fan of almonds, the nutty flavor paired very well with the smooth and creamy flavor of the matcha cream.
2) Japanese Heavenly Green Tea Lovers Soft Candy
I usually associate chewy candy with fruit flavoring, so the idea of a chewy matcha candy was bizarre to me. Each individually wrapped candy was coated in matcha powder, but oddly I couldn’t really taste on its own. The center was a pale whtie color, and was apparently a matcha milk- flavored chewy candy. It was mildly sweet with a hint of green tea, and melted very quickly into a consistency resembling softened Play-Doh. Initially, I was slightly repelled by the strange combination, but I’ve actually grown to like them. Like the first snack, it wasn’t too sweet, and the flavor of green tea came through quite nicely. It definitely didn’t have a bold flavor profile, but the mellow taste and chewMay consistency were quite pleasant.
3) Languly Matcha Cookies
These cookies reminded me of the Tokyo Milk Cheese Factory Crackers I tried in Munchie Log #1 in terms of appearance; two cream-colored cookies sandwiching matcha flavored cream in between. I liked the resealable packaging of the box, and how there were two containers of crackers. The two plastic boxes could be snapped and separated, so the other container could stay fresh! The cracker portion of each sandwich cookie was crispy and slightly sweet, but mostly contributed their crunchy texture to the snack, as it had a very mellow flavor. There was a thin layer of green-tea flavored cream in between the two crackers, and while it provided a small hint of matcha flavor, the cookie-to-cream ratio is very unbalanced, with much more cookie than cream. The resulting snack was a crispy, vaguely matcha-flavored vanilla sandwich cookie. While still enjoyable, I wish that the taste of the tea was more prominent.
4) Green Tea and Azumuki Chewy Candies
This was another chewy matcha snack, but unlike #2, it had a sort of jelly-like texture. Each candy was very thick, chewy and sticky on the inside. It was covered in some white granules that I initially thought was sugar, but it actually had no taste at all. The inside of each candy has a very mild red bean flavor, but I couldn’t really taste any green tea in it. However, there is a slight matcha aftertaste that was quite pleasant, and the red bean flavor of the candy was good, so overall I still think that this was a nice snack, but the name is slightly misleading because the matcha flavor isn’t prominent at all.
5) Uji Greentea Wafers
These wafers looked like a standard wafer cookie, they were a pale green color and came individually wrapped. I also liked the design of the packaging; the background was a beautiful green gradient that featured a cup of matcha tea and three wafers in sharp detail. However, I was quite disappointed in the way they tasted. They were extremely crispy and airy, and I couldn’t discern any flavor at all; they were very bland. While there was a layer of matcha cream sandwiched between the cookie part of the wafer, it was so thin that I could barely taste it. Each wafer was just a mouthful of nothing-flavored crunchiness and a tiny hint of green tea at the end. While the texture wasn’t terrible, I would give these a 3/10 on flavor. It goes to show, appearances can be deceiving,
6) Lotte Chococo Matcha Cookie
I was disappointed by the wafers, but these cookies exceeded my expectations. The box had a slit that allowed the lid to be closed again, like the Languly cookies. Each cookie was beautiful; one side had a rich green hue drizzled with chocolate and the other was completely coated in it. I liked the crunchy texture, and the flavor of the chocolate was prominent and was complemented by the subtle taste of green tea. My only problem with this snack is how insubstantial each cookie was, they were each extremely thin and smaller than my palm. It reminded me of desserts served at fancy restaurants: delicious and aesthetically pleasing, but served in tiny portions. However, each individual cookie was so packed with flavor that I didn’t mind too much!
7) Couque D’asses Matcha Sandwich Cookies
Although these cookies didn’t look as much like the Tokyo Cheese Crackers to me as the Languly cookies did, they apparently are made with more similar components: langue de chat cookies and matcha chocolate! This box was another resealable one that contained individually packaged cookies. A strong scent of green tea wafted into the air when each packet was opened, which was a good sign that the matcha flavor wasn’t going to be weak. The sandwich cookies each had a greenish hue, and appearance-wise appeared to be composed of two pale beige cookies with the layer of matcha chocolate showing through. In terms of texture, this snack was very crispy and airy and had a rich buttery taste. The layer of green tea-flavored chocolate inside was not super thick and not too sweet, but there is nonetheless a very prominent matcha flavor that tasted rich and authentic!
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