Tirol Papaya Lemon チロルパパヤレモン

Papaya is not exactly a fruit I eat very often. It seems very exotic to me, so I hesitated when this flavour was released. I was curious enough to purchase it though. 

I must admit I don't eat papaya very often, maybe once every few years, so I don't know much about it. But paired with the lemon I thought it would be interesting.

The packet is very bright and has images of both fruits. Inside there are 6 individually wrapped chocolates. Also inside the packet was a small package of lemon sauce or ジュレ. 

So to eat this I put the chocolate in a small dish and poured the sauce on top. 

The papaya Tirol itself is quite sweet. The orange chocolate on the outside doesn't taste much like anything, it's only when you bite into it that you hit the white fluffy meringue and papaya flavour sauce. Then you experience the papaya Tirol. 

If you then pour the sauce on top you get a very sour punch with the sweet chocolate and meringue, followed by the sweetness of the papaya sauce.

I wasn't too keen on this Tirol because I thought the flavours were mismatched. But my husband and son loved this one and exclaimed how yummy it was.

It really depends on what your taste is, if you like tartness then you would like this. Or if not, then don't put the sauce on top. But overall it was a fun experiment!

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!

Royce x Tirol チロル x ロイス

A while back Tirol teamed up with the famous Hokkaido chocolate manufacturer Royce to make a premium Tirol (which is a little larger than the regular size).

It sold out very quickly but I managed to buy some pieces online. Unfortunately because it contained Nama cream, most online stores would not send it overseas. Mine was sent during summer and leaked inside my parcel, and the Tirol ended up mutilated, but still edible - however I didn't take photos of the disaster so the above image is the result of a Google image search.

The chocolate itself was quite dark so it seems it had a rather high cocoa content. Inside it was soft and kind of chewy. Because of the Nama cream the chocolate was creamy and had a very milky taste. Even when melted, this Tirol was everything I expected it to be and was a really good representation of Royce. It's just a shame I only had 9 pieces because I could have easily eaten double that! 

I hope that like some of the other Tirol releases this will make a comeback in the future! :)

Tirol Tsum Tsum Honey Lemon チロル はちみつレモンチョコ・ツムツム

If you're not familiar with the Japanese game Tsum Tsum made by the creators of the chat program LINE, then you should be because it's everywhere!

I was introduced to the game mid-2015 by some Asian friends who had been playing for ages, and I quickly became hooked. 

The characters are all from Disney and are very cute. It's simple to play, you just have to link up lines of the same character to erase them from the screen to earn coins within 60 seconds. If you add friends on LINE you can send each other hearts (lives), and try to beat their score.

It's only natural with the game being so popular that Tsum Tsum related products would soon follow, and now collaborations with Japanese snack makers. The first one of which I have seen is Tirol - one of my favourite snacks.

This bag is covered in popular Tsum Tsum characters and contains 7 individually wrapped chocolates. The wrapper is represented by different characters but the chocolate remains the same - Honey Lemon.

It is a very simple concept; a biscuit covered in flavoured white chocolate. The chocolate has a light yellow colour, and smells like a mixture of soap and honey. 

The biscuit is quite firm but crunchy and biting into it I immediately get a feeling of nostalgia. The honey lemon cough drops from my childhood, these are exactly the same flavour! I'm not sure whether that is a good thing though, it is chocolate after all. It's a weird combination. I can't quite get used to it. I do like the strong hit of honey though. 

I can see this is probably aimed at kids or to bring up a feeling of childishness, the flavour is something most people are familiar with. 

My 4 year old son loved them and had great fun choosing which character to eat next. Our bag had an uneven amount of characters, but the one Mickey Mouse was saved until last by my son because he's so special. 

I would recommend these simply because the concept is simple and fun for all :)

Tirol Milky チロル ミルキー

This is a collaboration with Milky and Tirol and the Milky is surprisingly white chocolate with milky candy in the centre! I wondered why it was hard to cut through even at room temperature and that is the reason! Interesting idea, mr 3 and husband loved it but although it's a very clever idea I didn't like the milky candy because it got stuck in my teeth.

Tirol Full of Strawberry チロルいちごいっぱい

There are 9 pieces in this pack, all with a Strawberry theme. 

3 pieces each of:

Funwari Ichigo Jam

Funwari means soft in Japanese so this one is meant to contain soft strawberry jam as it's focus. It has chocolate on the bottom and soft marshmallow in the middle with a strawberry sauce that reminds me of strawberry bubblegum. The chocolate is dark and bitter and the strawberry chocolate on top is sweet so it's kind of a weird mix, but somehow it works. It's actually quite pleasant eaten all together.

Ichigo Daifuku 

I've tried this one before but will try it again for this review. Ichigo daifuku is a popular traditional Japanese dessert that is pounded mochi rice with a filling of strawberry and azuki bean paste. The inside of the Tirol version is a springy jelly with a soft azuki mousse covered with strawberry chocolate. It's a bit too much strawberry but I do like this one as I love azuki.

Ichigo Shortcake 

I've never been a fan of japanese shortcake as it tastes bland to me. This one has a biscuit in the centre and a covering of creamy tasting chocolTe with a strawberry base. It tastes very similar to a real shortcake. I have to hand it to Tirol for nailing the flavours!

Overall my favorite is the Strawberry Shortcake, it really was outstanding. 

Cafe Tirol "cafe style assort" カフェチロル

I bought this pack in Daiso because it stood out, it's shaped like an iced beverage you would get from a franchise like Starbucks. The pack has 8 pieces inside: 4 of Coffee Jelly and 4 of Lemon Tea.

Coffee Jelly

I've never been a fan of coffee jelly but old people serve it regularly to guests in Japan. I could be forgiven for thinking I had bitten into the lemon tea Tirol if I wasn't actually looking when I opened the wrapper. This has a very strong butter taste of espresso on the bottom, coffee jelly in the middle followed by a hit of sour lemon on the top. It is truly awful to me - I prefer milky coffee, I never drink it black or with lemon. The chocolate was waxy too; I felt like I was eating a candle!

Lemon Tea

This chocolate looks much the same as Coffee Jelly although the chocolate on the bottom is lighter. This one has a distinct lemon smell and I can also smell what reminds me of a cold ice tea. When I tried to cut this it crumbled. Biting into a piece there was a horrible strong/sour lemon taste that was followed up with a spicy burning sensation and a faint taste of tea. I thought it smelled and tasted like what drinking a cup of dish washing liquid would be like. This is truly awful and even worse than Coffee Jelly.

My verdict is don't even buy this pack! Now I can see why it was at Daiso!!! :(

Tirol White Marshmallow Assortment チロル マシュマロチョコアソート

A pack of 9 Tirol with a theme: Marshmallow. There are 3 pieces of 3 flavours each:

Strawberry Marshmallow

This one is light pink in colour and smells very strongly of strawberry. The fluffy white marshmallow inside is soft and surrounded by a strawberry sauce. The outer layer of strawberry chocolate is more like a mousse. This chocolate melts in the mouth.

Caramel Marshmallow

This has no aroma and tastes weird to me. Not exactly caramel, very creamy though. The mashmallow is very soft once again.

Cocoa Marshmallow

Dark chocolate surrounding the white marshmallow with a chocolate sauce trickling out. The dark chocolate is bitter and rich, over-riding the sweet soft mashmallow. 

The strawberry would have to be my favorite of the three, followed by cocoa. The caramel was not a hit with me sadly. 

Tirol Royal Queen チロル ロイヤルクィーン

I've heard great things about Tirol's premium strawberry chocolates and this is one of two I am going to review.

Royal Queen sounds very deluxe, even the packaging looks decadent.

The outside is covered in milk chocolate with embossing on the top. Underneath it is pink chocolate, which adds a pretty touch.

The chocolate itself is many layers, strawberry pink chocolate on the bottom, followed by a layer of crunchy strawberry bits that remind me of popping candy and which have a sour taste, then a lighter pink strawberry mousse, and finally the milk chocolate.

The unexpected crunch of the strawberry bits are what elevates this chocolate to royalty status. It's something different and when eaten together with the chocolate and mousse gives the taste of strawberries dipped in chocolate. There is just enough tartness to imitate the real thing.

I really enjoyed this one, no fake strawberry flavour, it really is the Queen of strawberry chocolates.

Tirol Chocolat Au Confiture チロル いちごコンフィチュール

This is the second in my line up of premium strawberry Tirol. I was intrigued by the name - what does "chocolat au confiture" even mean?

Well luckily for me Google had the answer - confiture means confection or jam, and chocolat is the French word for chocolate. 

Tirol have created a chocolate featuring strawberry jam in the middle. Obviously the French word for it sounds much more exotic. 

The outside layer is white chocolate with a thick milk base followed by a large layer of strawberry jelly dead centre. 

Biting into this is like eating a cloud, it's so soft, the base is like a whipped mousse and the jelly in the middle is soft and tasty. The white chocolate outer layer is softer than normal, more like a ganache.

My only negative is that it is very very sweet and that might put some people off. In no way is it a fake strawberry flavour, the tartness in the jelly makes sure of that, but with the white chocolate and the strawberry jam, this was just tooth achingly sweet and I needed water after eating one.

Tirol Bireley's Orange チロル ビャーリーズオレンジ

Bireley's Orange is a popular juice in Japan and you can find it in almost every supermarket. To me it tastes more like orange concentrate than freshly squeezed juice, it's sweet, so popular with kids and husbands alike. My husband says this is his favorite drink.

Just like the wrapping, the chocolate is light orange and smells like an orange scented eraser.

The chocolate is soft and sweet and gives out a hint of orange by itself but it's the soft orange jelly in the centre that explodes with orange essence that has my brain shouting "orange C".

The jelly has a cool wet texture that when eaten becomes almost juice-like. It is hard to explain but I think a lot of science went into making this Bireley's Tirol.

A very creative effort by Tirol, very realistic and a great reminder of the beverage.

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?

Tirol Chocolat Au Orange チロル ショコラ オランジェ

I have a million Tirol reviews coming up! When I was in Japan this year I bought so many limited edition packs in Daiso and brought them home with me...but I haven't gotten around to reviewing them yet! Soon!

This Tirol was sent to me by a blog reader in Japan (thank you S!), and it's a flavour I did not see in my travels but is one of those classic flavours that just works. Chocolate and Orange.

Chocolat Au Orange as you can tell by the packaging is dark chocolate melded with orange. This is also a premium size Tirol so it's larger than the usual size.

I'm not usually a fan of dark chocolate, I prefer sweet milky chocolate over the bitterness that dark chocolate usually brings, and this Tirol smelled strongly of dark cocoa so I wasn't sure I would like it.
However, when I bit into it the chocolate was smooth and soft and the middle layer consisted of a sweet, mochi-like orange jelly that just melted in my mouth. The sweetness of the orange jelly contrasted well with the dark chocolate (which by the way wasn't bitter) and by the end of eating this chocolate I wanted MORE! Luckily S was kind enough to send me 3 pieces!

 

Chocolat Au Orange Tirol is not overly sweet, it is just right, a very stylish chocolat that you would expect to be in a fancy chocolate store. Tirol has made this really well, and I hope that you get to try this one, or they make it again some time in the future!

Caramel Nuts Tirol (Premium) キャラメルナツ チロル

So here is my last blog about Tirol for now. I've managed to review quite a lot of different Tirol flavours during 2012 and that's all thanks to a very kind friend in Tokyo who sent them over to me during the year. So I'd like to take this opportunity to thank her so much for her kindness, not just for the Tirol and all the other snacks she sent me but for her friendship and support. Thank you so much S! :)

Caramel Nuts....it sounds pretty good and it's one of those combinations that is used over and over by confectionery makers the world over. Just think of Snickers and Picnic for starters. 

When I opened this Tirol I couldn't smell anything but a sweet scent. However when I bit into it I could smell Snickers! It smells just like it!! The chocolate on the outside is a caramel colour and there is a layer of dark chocolate on the bottom followed by a biscuit piece, peanuts, caramel and then chocolate. There is a lot going on in this chocolate, that's for sure!

Sadly, the flavour just wasn't as good as a Snickers. The chocolate and caramel were just so sweet, that even though the nuts were plentiful, it just wasn't that good. I really feel like the peanuts needed some salt to balance out the sweetness, then we could have had that salty peanut butter and chocolate combination going on.

I'm kind of sad that this one didn't live up to my expectations either. I usually really enjoy the Tirol chocolates. I will be looking forward to trying some new ones in 2013.

If you have tried some Tirol chocolates this year, what were your favourite?

Choc Banana Tirol (Premium) チョコバナナ チロル

Sorry for my absence (again). Christmas happened, and then New Years, and life has been so hectic. I've just gotten some free time to blog and I thought I should get around to blogging about two more Tirol chocolates that I have.

This one is Choc Banana and the image on the wrapping shows some fireworks in the distance and a big banana covered by chocolate in the foreground. It's really quite cute. This is a premium Tirol so it's a bit larger than the usual size.

The chocolate is a banana yellow colour on the outside but doesn't really smell of banana at all. I can only smell a sweet chocolate scent. On the inside of the Tirol is a layer of dark chocolate on the bottom, followed by some white marshmallow sandwiched in the middle, then a thin layer of chocolate coloured banana flavoured sauce followed by the banana coloured chocolate.

The dark chocolate inside doesn't look really dark but it has quite a bitter taste to it, so much so that it overpowers the banana sauce. It's only really after swallowing that I get the taste of the banana sauce but the dark chocolate lingers on my tongue for a lot longer.

Overall I was disappointed. This could have been an amazing Tirol if not for the bitter dark chocolate. Who puts dark chocolate on their bananas anyway? I don't know why the marshmallow was in the middle either, it would have been better with a banana mousse or even a banana marshmallow. I'm sad, I was expecting so much more.

Will my next Tirol be a winner? Stay tuned!

Tirol Ikinari Dango [Kumamoto] Sweet Potato チロル 熊本いきなり団子 さつまいも・紫いも

I heard about this regional pack of Tirol on the Tirol Facebook page and a friend in Tokyo was kind enough to track it down and send some to me.

This Tirol is based around a Japanese sweet or "wagashi" called Ikinari Dango - a steamed bun with chunks of sweet potato in the dough, with anko (red bean) in the centre, a local specialty of Kumamoto.

The black bear featured on the wrapper is the mascot for Kumamoto and his name is Kumamon. "Kuma" is Japanese for bear.

I have to tell you right now. I LOVE sweet potato. It's one of my favourite foods. It's also low GI so I practically lived on it during pregnancy. I used to steam it and eat it as a snack. My favourite of all time is Murasaki-imo (purple) but it's hard to find in Australia, and when I can find it, it's expensive.

I'm happy to be able to try both types of this Tirol. So lets start.


Satsuma-imo (Orange)

The chocolate on the outside is orangey-yellow and when I put it to my nose there is a strong smell of sweetness and something earthy. In the middle there are two layers, on the bottom is a dark yellow jelly and on the top is a red-brown paste. I'm certain the jelly is representing the sweet potato and the paste is the red bean component. I can really taste the red bean in this chocolate and it's very accurate in flavour and quite sweet. Unfortunately it kind of overruns the sweet potato which is a bit too subtle. The last flavour I can taste after eating is still the red bean.


Murasaki-imo (Purple)

This is quite pretty because it's a lavender coloured chocolate covering a white inside. There is only one layer inside this chocolate, a yellow jelly surrounded by a white chocolate which I think is meant to be the sweet potato. This has a much stronger flavour and the sweet potato is more apparent. There is no red bean to drown it out, so the flavour is loud and clear. There is some earthiness to this chocolate and I think some people might be put off by it. I really like it though.

I did like both of these chocolates even though the Satsuma-imo was not as strong on the sweet potato as I expected. I'm a big fan of red bean so I did enjoy this one a lot. The Murasaki-imo was bigger on the sweet potato with the exclusion of the red bean.

I've never actually tried Ikinari Dango but I can say after having these two Tirol I really want to try the real thing! Maybe I need to take a trip to Kumamoto! ;)

I would have to say I liked the Satsuma-imo the best, simply because I like the red bean. If you get a chance to try this I would very much recommend it. The colours and inside layers remind me very much of eating Japanese sweets so even if you're not usually a fan of these flavours I recommend them just for the experience and nostalgia :)

Uji Matcha Tirol 宇治抹茶 チロル

Matcha (Green Tea) is a popular flavour for chocolate and snacks in Japan, so it stands to reason that Tirol would release that flavour over many different incarnations. In the past I've reviewed Matcha with Mochi , Matcha Milk, and Matcha Soy Latte, but I'm sure there has been many more.

This Matcha Tirol is a premium version which means it's slightly bigger than a regular Tirol chocolate and it costs slightly more. The flavour is Uji Matcha, Uji is an area in Kyoto which is popular for the green tea powder.

The design on the wrapper is striking, with a forrest green background, cherry blossom in one corner and a bright orange sunset with a cup of green tea in the foreground. There is also a temple far off on the horizon. The chocolate is dark green in colour and smells like the green tea powder from a Japanese Tea Ceremony.

There is mochi inside this chocolate that is soft and jelly-like. The chocolate around the mochi is strong and bitter, with a hint of sweetness. The matcha flavour is much more intense in this than previous versions. This is less sweet than a normal Tirol, the bitterness of the tea plays a much bigger role. While I don't normally drink the tea because I don't like bitter flavours, I really enjoyed this because it wasn't really sweet like Tirol chocolate tends to be. I felt that this was a very "adult" flavour, and very classy.

The danger is, I could eat a lot of these in one go because it's not too sweet! :) 

Have you tried this? If so, what did you think?

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?