Bourbon Mochi Chocolate Berry Fromage もちもちショコラ・ベリーフロマージ ュ

The box of this Mochi Mochi Chocolate by Bourbon attracted me from the very beginning. Bright pink and with a fantastic image of cream cheese and berries covered in sauce on the front. It looks very inviting.

The box has two individually wrapped packs of 4 mochi balls each. They don't look as appetizing as the cover of the box I have to admit.

The mochi on the outside however was soft and smooth to bite into. The fromage inside was light in flavour with a slight taste of white chocolate and a strong hit of both blueberry sauce and what we thought tasted like alcohol. Upon checking the ingredients we found that these do in fact contain alcohol!

Surprising, as I've never seen fromage or mochi containing alcohol. Interesting to be sure, but the alcohol and blueberry overpowered the fromage so in this case I really feel it wasn't needed as an ingredient.

Overall, these were not as good as the box promised, they didn't look anywhere as good and the flavour was a miss. But the mochi and fromage inside was soft and smooth, and the blueberry sauce was very nice. If you like strong alcohol in snacks then give these a whirl!

Tirol Sesame Mochi チロルごま団子

I am a big fan of traditional Asian sweets and also a big fan of Tirol as you might guess from the amount of Tirol products I review.

So when I saw this Goma Dango release I knew I had to try it. Besides, the packet is so cute, and there are two flavours inside, not just one! Good value right there :)

This pack contains 7 individually wrapped pieces. 4 of the "金" (white sesame) and 3 of the "黒" (black sesame).

Each chocolate piece contains either black or white sesame seeds, azuki (red bean paste) and mochi gummy.

White sesame is a creamy white chocolate on the outside and it has a sweet smell. The middle is soft and then chewy as my teeth hit the mochi. There are lots of white sesame seeds inside so the sesame taste is quite bold, but it's not overpowering. However, I'm not sure why the azuki paste (which is more like a sauce) is there because it's not very apparent.

The black sesame is a grey and black mottled white chocolate on the outside. Biting in, there is an ample amount of black sesame seeds but I couldn't locate the azuki paste. The black sesame seeds are not very strong in flavour so the white chocolate is centre stage followed by the texture of the sesame seeds. A major let down as I expected the black sesame to be the best but it's actually too sweet and not interesting enough.

That's a shame, and possibly the reason why there were only 3 in the pack. Did Tirol know they bombed out?

Either way, this was a fun pack to try out, even though it wasn't as reminiscent of traditional Asian sweets as I would like.

Have you tried these and if so what did you think!? I would love to hear your thoughts in the comments!

Tirol Sakura Mochi チロル桜もち

It's nearly time for girls day to rock around again and here I am still catching up on last years Tirol! They have been kept in the fridge though, so no harm done. A big shout out to my friend S for sending these to me! 

Sakura Mochi is a variety of "wagashi" or Japanese confectionery consisting of a sweet pink rice cake that is filled with smooth red bean and wrapped in a Sakura leaf. Because of the leaf it smells strongly like Sakura (cherry blossom) and may also have some essence in the rice as well as colour to give it the pink hue.

I must admit I go crazy for Sakura Mochi, mochi sweets are one of my favorite. 

Tirol releasing Sakura mochi in a chocolate form just has to be a winner!

The chocolate smells very strongly of Sakura and has a light pink hue on top and a milk brown base. This is a premium Tirol so it's a little bit bigger than average size Tirol.

The middle has a thick layer of mochi-like jelly which is chewy and has a very sweet flavour, and a strong perfume. The chocolate tastes like vanilla, and the milk chocolate adds another layer. 

Overall it was a really good take on what an actual Sakura mochi is like but the red bean was missing. I can overlook that though and say that this was a really nice treat. Maybe if you didn't get a chance to try it last year you will sometime this year?

Kinako Mochi Chocoball きなこもちチョコボール

Kinako is one of my favorite flavours so I was delighted to see this release when we were in Japan last year. I bought about 5 boxes of them and just discovered I had one box left and thought I better review it!

These Chocoball have a thick layer of kinako flavored white chocolate around the outside of an oval shaped mass of kinako mochi. The thick chocolate is divine when chewing together with the mochi in the centre.

It's a small packet and I had to share with my 2 year old son and husband as they both love kinako too, so it didn't go far! Now you can see why I needed 5 boxes... These were about 88 yen in the supermarket (just under $1.00) and very good value. Great as a treat for kids too as it has a small opening and a game on the lid.

If rate these as one of my favorite kinako treats and definitely my favorite Chocoball so far!

Kinako Mochi Tirol (Premium) きなこもち チロル

Kinako Mochi seems to be a flavour that Tirol brings out every year or so. I guess in part because it's so popular. I reviewed this same flavour in 2010 but it was a smaller version that came in a pack.

This version is a premium Tirol which is slightly bigger (and costs a bit more) and the added bonus to this newer version is there is kinako powder inside the chocolate. Nothing else has really changed all that much, the wrapper colour is more orange this time around, but it has the same mochi character as last time, and only one big ball of kinako mochi instead of 3 small balls.

I guess Tirol know that you don't have to mess around with something when it's guranteed to be a winner no matter how many times you release it.

I am a kinako lover so I was looking forward to trying this one. As in the previous incarnation, the chocolate looks the colour of kinako, a kind of caramel colour. I can smell the kinako through the chocolate and it's so nice!!

Although I knew there was kinako powder inside, what I didn't expect was that when I bit into it kinako powder would explode out and fall down the front of my shirt. Yum though!! It has that lovely nutty flavour and also the sweetness of the chocolate. There is a piece of mochi inside although it's quite hard to bite through, there is powder surrounding the mochi and it just melts in the mouth. So buttery and nutty at the same time. There is so much powder, you really can't eat this in bites like I tried to do, because the powder gets everywhere!

This was so delicious, I just wish I had about 10 more!! I love how they added the powder, it gave it such a kick in flavour. I'm so glad that this was a premium too as you get that bit more than the usual size. I hope Tirol release this one again soon, can't wait!!

Did you try this? If so, what did you think?

Tirol Hinamatsuri Milk Mochi & Strawberry Mochi ちょこっと 気餅 みるくもち と いちごもち

 

 I'm pretty late with this review I must admit. But better late than never right? This is a pack of Tirol that was released for Hinamatsuri (Girl's Day in Japan) 2012. On the front of the pack it says ちょこっと 気餅 which you read as "chokotto kimochi". Chokotto means "just a little bit" and usually "kimochi" means "feelings", but because both of these Tirol chocolates have mochi centres, the "mochi" is the kanji for glutinous rice. It's a play on words and it's cute. 

There are two flavours in the pack, milk mochi and strawberry mochi. For some reason there were 6 pieces of strawberry mochi and 4 pieces of milk mochi, even though there were 10 pieces, so they could be divided evenly. If anyone knows the reason please let me know! :)

  

 

 The wrappers have really cute images on them, they are very sweet.

The milk mochi is off-white in colour and smells very sweet. There is a light yellow mochi in the middle which is the consistency of jelly. It's creamy but not overly sweet, and the mochi part is quite chewy. It does taste like milk but also has hints of vanilla. Its plain, and I like it because it's not over the top in terms of flavour. Sometimes its nice to have something normal you know? ;)

The strawberry mochi is a light pink colour and smells tart. The jelly inside is softer than in the milk mochi. The strawberry chocolate on the outside is quite floral and reminds me of musk candy. There is some tartness towards the end, but to me it wasn't really "strawberry" as we know it. Maybe it's a tad overdone.

In all, this pack of Tirol was fun. The wrapping is cute and great for a gift or sharing with friends, and the play on words is educational. I prefer the milk mochi and would have liked 6 of them and 4 of the strawberry given a choice. I was glad to be able to try it out though! 

Did you get to try this one? If so, what did you think?

Echigoseika Cheese Mochi 越後製菓 チーズもち

I recently did a review about Ebi Senbei which is made by Echigoseika, the same company who makes these Cheese Mochi.

If the Ebi Senbei are anything to go by then we thought these should be a hit - and they are!

My son, now nearly 14 months spied the packet and came running thinking it was his ebi senbei but when he saw these he still wanted some.

The cheese mochi are really bright yellow, I mean really "fake" yellow like the cheese on the burgers at McDonalds.

But that's the only thing fake about them! They have such a big crunch when you bite into them and a really soft centre that melts in the mouth. Then there is a really strong cheddar cheese flavour that explodes in the mouth and lingers.

My son is such a fan of these too. He kept coming back wanting more but I had to close the pack and put it away so we didn't eat them all because they are so moorish. I alone could eat the whole pack myself!

If you like cheese, definitely get some!

Tirol Kinako Mochi チロルきなこもち

I recently reviewed Kinako Mochi Cheetos and this is the same but without the Cheetos component.

The chocolate is quite dark, it reminded me of coffee. It smells very nutty and the chocolate tastes like roasted peanuts. There is a mochi centre which is similar in colour to the outside. It is soft and chewy but doesn't really enhance the flavour any.

This flavour came in a pack of 9, and it was the kind that hangs on a hook at the end of an aisle. Each chocolate comes packaged in its own bag that is torn off via a perforation at the end of each one.


I really liked the flavour when combined with Cheetos but when it is alone it just doesn't seem as good. I like the texture of the mochi in the middle, which is something the Cheetos didn't have, but the depth of flavour just doesn't seem to be the same.

This was disappointing. Yasu and I will eat the rest of the pack, but I won't buy any more. A shame because I really expected to like these much more than I do.

Cheetos x Tirol Kinako Mochi Corn Snacks チートスｘチロルきなこもちコーンスナック

I am a big fan of Tirol chocolates and also a very big fan of Cheese snacks like Cheetos. I was still surprised though, to see the two had been combined into one snack!

Nevertheless, I am an adventurer. Well, not really, but I force myself to try new things for the sake of my readers...

What this is essentially is a twisty cheetos with kinako mochi chocolate covering. Now, on the packet it looks like quite a thick covering, so I thought it would be equal amounts of cheese to chocolate or even a bit more chocolate than cheese.

However, when I opened the bag I discovered this was not the case. It looks like the cheese stick has been rolled in chocolate and then hung from the washing line to drip dry - leaving a very thin layer of chocolate coating.

That is a bit disappointing.


And while I'm here I just have to mention that picture on the left-hand side of what is supposed to be mochi or a mochi man. It kinda looks abit "manly" to me, or is that just my dirty mind? We have kinako balls on the plate and we have long cheese sticks covered in chocolate.....makes me wonder if a man came up with this packaging idea? Hmph.

Anyway, moving on! Opening the bag up, a smell like an icecream truck tickles my nose. Icecream truck as in the cone and the vanilla soft serve. Don't ask me why, it just smells like that to me!


Most of the sticks are about 2cm long. As I said previously they have a very thin layer of light brown coloured chocolate that feels very waxy. From the outside they smell like vanilla and peanut. Biting in, there is not much flavour at first. I feel the crispy texture and hear the crunch crunch crunch as I chew, but that is all. Then, right at the end as I swallow there is a slightly toasted peanut flavour. It's very light, not too sweet, not too peanut-y, very middle-of-the-road.

Cheese snacks are usually pretty rich I find, so this is very light compared to what I expected.

I tried eating them a different way, as in eating them 3 at a time. This brought out much more of the kinako flavour. It tasted less like peanut and more like toasted kinako.

I tried sucking the chocolate off the stick, and then I got alot of the sweetness from the chocolate, more than the kinako flavour. The stick, to my surprise is quite sweet, but I could not detect any cheese. It was then that I looked at the ingredients and discovered that there wasn't any cheese in these cheetos.

It's just a "raw" cheetos without the cheese flavouring, covered in kinako mochi chocolate. Where is the fun in that I ask you? Here I was looking forward to eating cheese and chocolate and there is no cheese!! Boo Hoo.

In any case, these were ok. I really was disappointed about there being no cheese, but I really like the kinako mochi chocolate on the outside. Pity it wasn't a cheetos shaped kinako mochi chocolate. Besides the crunch crunch there is no real bonus of having the cheetos in the mix.

You can now buy this at napaJapan, where I bought mine. I wouldn't eat them again, because I'm just not a fan of the texture, however the flavour is very good. If they changed it into a chocolate instead of on a cheetos, I would definitely buy it.

Yasu's Rating: These are good, I enjoyed them. I don't care there is no cheese, the flavour suits me fine. I am more interested in the texture and the crunchiness, combined with kinako, a traditional flavour of Japan.

*Yasu's Rating is a new addition to my post and is there to give a Japanese person's perspective on the snacks I review. Sometimes we may differ, and sometimes we will be the same. It may give perspective on why Japanese companies make the products they do.

Tirol Mochi-in Uji Matcha チロルもち入り宇治抹茶

In Japan I was on the hunt for various Tirol flavours. Yasu is a big fan of Tirol, has been since childhood, and I wanted to find some interesting flavours for him. I managed to find the Salty Vanilla, and this one at Family Mart.

It's not just a plain matcha flavour though, it has 'mochi' or sweet rice, inside. I bought two of them at the time, and just uncovered them in a box of snacks I sent home from Japan.

Uji matcha is a famous blend of matcha powder from Kyoto. Accordingly the chocolate on the outside has that dark green colour and powdered tea smell. It is so rich in smell, it really smells like the powdered tea from tea ceremonies.


Biting into the chocolate, the powder gives the chocolate a very certain texture, which I love. The 'mochi', is more like a gummi, but it is sweet and kind of reminds me of red bean, or I could almost imagine it there. The chocolate is the absolute winner here, I just love the powdery tea texture, and the strong matcha flavour, with a slight bitterness at the end. It really is true to the real thing.

The bitterness of the tea matches well with the sweet inner mochi. It's a match made in heaven for matcha lovers.

I really wish I bought more than two of these!!