Kinoko no Yama Tiramisu - きのこの山・ティラミス味

Kinoko no Yama (Mushroom mountain) has been around since my husband was a boy, and this year marks their 30th anniversary. It's a favourite of Japanese children and originally just came in chocolate top with plain pretzel bottom. The past few years have seen more and more exciting and interesting flavours being developed for Kinoko no Yama, and Tiramisu is the latest, released for their anniversary celebrations.

I've only recently jumped on the Tiramisu bandwagon and realised how great the dessert is, so I thought this would be a good way to try out more of the flavour.

Kinoko no Yama is a favourite treat of mine. I really love the cute little mushrooms and my favourite way to eat them is to bite off the top first.

The mushrooms are 4cm high by 3cm wide, double the usual size. That means that while the package weighs 22.4 grams, you only get 7 individually wrapped mushrooms, not as many as usual. A great waste of packaging and space.

The individual bags are see-through with red writing. It's evident that the mushrooms have been bumped around abit in transit as there is a fair bit of chocolate dust on the inside of the bag and the chocolate itself looks abit rustic.

There is no obvious smell from the chocolate, but once I bite in I get a brilliant taste of a rich, golden roasted coffee, it is so divine. The chocolate is smooth like silk and at the end has a small bitter bite. The layer of chocolate underneath is mild, not too tangy or sour, but creamy and has slight black flecks in it which might be vanilla. On the box it says this layer is marscapone cheese, something I have never tried so I'm not sure if this is a true taste or not.

The pretzel itself is dark chocolate, lots of cocoa in there, some salty notes and finishes off with a slightly bitter note. It's almost music for my mouth. This chocolate-cookie combination is a triumph and well done to Meiji for getting it right! It really tastes like a Tiramisu but alot crunchier.

This would make a nice, albeit less-is-more gift, or just be a little bit decadent and treat yourself!

To learn more about Kinoko no Yama you can visit this site.