Chu Grape Jelly

Chu Grape Jelly

(Japan Crate July 2015)

[Japan crate description: Japanese jelly in a convienent package. Open the tube from one end and enjoy the grape goodness.]

Melissa Says:

This was a unique taste, and even weirder packaging. It comes out of the package, and it's this tube.  It's pretty purple-y, tasting a bit like grape jelly, but in clumps and a little bit wetter-ish. 

Pretty good, with the grape taste more hidden. I liked to eat it between foods, as a bit of a palate cleanser and reminder life is still good (mainly after the next item!) 

I'd definitely eat this some more, but not a whole ton more. Mainly because I don't like grape, but I like the texture. Maybe in another flavor?

Kimberly Says: 

Well, I knew what to expect with this one, because I had taken it to work a while back and shared with people (using spoons, so it was totally sanitary!)

I don't really like grape flavor much to begin with. The texture is weird. Somehow I think it might taste better chilled? (It made me think that someone took grape soda and mixed a gelatin powder into it.)

Fun idea, and if it wasn't grape flavored I might eat it.

Kirby Blend-Blend Mix Gum

Kirby Blend-Blend Mix Gum

(Japan Crate: June 2015)

[Japan crate description: Create your own gum flavors using the five included base flavors. Watch out for grey! It's a prank color that blocks sweet flavors from your tongue.]

Melissa Says:

You can be creative with this gum! Apple, orange, ramune, and yogurt are your choices, and you can mix and match to your heart's content. I went for orange ramune (basically orange soda), and it was really tasty. Very flavorful, and very fun. It had a definite orange taste, but I'm not sure what the ramune tasted like. 

But all-in-all, very good. Definitely would eat more. 

The best part is the last kind, though - gray gum that blocks your sweet receptors. When eaten with the other gums, you could get a taste of the apple, or orange, or whatever, without tasting any of the sweet. An odd effect. 

Previously, though, I had a chocolate cookie after chewing the gum, and I could not taste the chocolate at all. It's pretty fun to play with.

Kimberly Says:

This is another one from the original box that we had tasted before, so tonight it was no surprise.

The fun thing with these small gumballs is mixing the flavors to create a custom flavor: Want to try orange flavored soda? Have a blue one and an orange one. Apple flavored yogurt? Pink and yellow is the way to go.

Want to not be able to taste anything sweet, so it leaves the flavors of the others feeling strange? Eat a purple one.

Cute, taste, and the flavor lasts a...decent amount of time, considering the small size of the gumball.

These are gonna replace the ramune gum I currently keep in my purse when I run out of those. :)

Chameleon Candy

Chameleon Candy

(Japan Crate: July 2015)

[Japan crate description: Hard candies that change colors like a real chameleon. Choose a red one and the chameleon grants you good luck.]

Kimberly Says:

Well these look...rather like the Moose Poop they sell in Yellowstone.

However, they're not chocolate covered chewing candies, they're a hard candy that reveals a color once you suck off the (somewhat unappetizing) outer covering.

I believe the flavor might change depending on which color you get underneath - once I got into the yellow color under the blandly sweet brown covering, it started to taste rather lemony. (Or maybe that was just the remnants of the sour lemon gum we had earlier?)

It was...good. Not thrilling, but good.

I'm not a huge fan of hard candies personally, so I found it somewhat meh.

Melissa Says:

It looks like chocolate balls, except they feel hard and firm. The brown outer shell doesn't really taste of anything, but when you suck off the outside, the inside is one of three colors, and might be flavored: red, yellow, or green. The yellow seemed to taste like lemon, but after the lemon gum, I wasn't entirely sure. 

Apparently, the chameleon likes the red ones and will give you luck if you get them, but neither of us got a red one, so I guess we won't know right now. Pretty good after you got past the outside (not entirely sure if it was just sugar flavored or if I couldn't taste things from my sweet receptors thanks to the gray gum). Lasts a pretty long time, too. 

I'd probably have more, especially if the red one's not flavored cherry! The package was pretty cute, too.

Kajiri Chew

Kajiri Chew

(Japan Crate: July 2015)

[Japan crate description: A refreshing, chewy cola taffy filled with a layer of citrus soda flavored taffy.]

Melissa Says:

After the last two items, we were understandably cautious, but this was pretty good. It looks a bit like a Cow Tail, actually, with a light-brown outside and off-white inside. And eating it, it's like eating a few days old fondant or crème - soft, but with a bit of an outside shell that makes it more interesting. 

The flavors, though, combined to be pretty good. It was the fake cola taste, mixed with cherry-citrus background taste. 

I'm enjoying thinking about having some more. However, I'd probably go for a different flavor combination if I was going to eat it again.

Kimberly Says:

This one looks kind of like a vanilla flavored CowTail. It smells a lot like the ramune flavored gum we had a while back (and that I still keep in my purse for emergencies). Tastes a lot like it, too, actually, albeit with a sort of lemony sourness to it.

Or wait, maybe it's kind of like that gummy hand we had a while back, which was also cola flavored.

Texture wise it kind of reminds me of many of the gums we've been eating, except that it just...disappears after a while.

If it had a different flavor, though, I think it would be a lot better. The texture was startling at first, because it was a lot 'drier' than most taffy I've had, but the flavor was just kind of...meh.

Sour Lemon Gum

Sour Lemon Gum

(Japan Crate: July 2015)

[Japan crate description: 10 pieces of super sour lemon gum that will leave you feeling like the lemon on the package.]

Kimberly Says:

You know how they say 'Don't judge a book by its cover'?

JUDGE THIS BOOK BY ITS COVER.

It's called 'Sour Lemon Gum', the package shows a lemon with sour faces, everything about it warns you of sourness...AND WITH REASON.

I mean, I like sour stuff. I eat it a lot. And my eyes were watering from the intensity of this sourness.

It was delicious, but I won't be eating any more, because it's just TOO intense.

Hey, unlike most of the gum so far, though, the flavor lasts quite a long time...or maybe it just FELT long. xD

Melissa Says:

You open the package, and bam. There it is: lemon. After you take the foil off the gum, it gets worse. Sniff the gum itself? Lemon, overpoweringly lemon. After you put it in your mouth, you get to die from sour lemon flavor. And not only is it lemon flavored, not only is it sour, it's the longest lasting gum we've had yet. It was a good 2-3 minutes of pure agony, trying to keep from choking and dying on laughter, spit, or tears. It was so overpoweringly lemon, I'm pretty sure some of my taste buds died while I was chewing. 

All in all, I'd likely not have more later. Not that it wasn't humorous, but that I rather like my taste buds intact! 

(It's great for a one-time experience, though. Only if you aren't totally against overpoweringly sour stuff, though.)

Wow, Such Banana?!

Wow, Such Banana?!

(Japan Crate: August 2015)

[Japan crate description: A chocolate cream filled marshmallow banana with a hilarious name.]

Kimberly Says:

Wow, it's...such banana. xD

It's very intensely banana tasting. Like...90 percent banana, 9 percent marshmallow, and 1 percent chocolate.

It's sort of like eating a banana flavored Moon Pie without the crunchy parts.

I"m not a huge banana fan, but if someone handed me one I'd probably eat it again, I guess.

Melissa Says:

We pulled it out of its package, and it's just a yellow lump. Then, we squished it, and it squished a bit.

A chocolate-banana coating, which was pretty fun to squish. After taking a bite, you get hit in the head with banana flavoring. (Not actually that bad, after the Tomyum food)

It was very reminiscent of a Moon Pie, except oval, lacking a crunchy layer, and tasting incredibly of banana. In fact, I couldn't taste any chocolate.

I was pretty impressed. Overall, though, I'd eat more of it.

Chocolate Pucca

Chocolate Pucca

(Japan Crate: August 2015)

[Japan crate description: Crispy pretzel biscuit shells filled with creamy chocolate goodness. Yum!]

Melissa Says:

These are the oddest little food. The pretzel is hard and crunchy, with a soft chocolate cream in the center. Pretty sure they're made by the same people who made the little panda cookie-cracker things, as they contain the same kind of chocolate.

They're really good, to the point we kept snacking on them throughout the night.

All in all, I'd eat these things again. The two flavors are really good together.

Kimberly Says:

So the picture for this one does not include the actual container it came in. That's because about a week before we reviewed it, we (Kimberly, Melissa and our brother, Steve) had a fun game night and ate foods and stuff, and these were one of the things we ate and although we thought to keep a couple of them for when we actually reviewed it, Kimberly didn't think to keep the container for the picture. Oops.

So onto the eating.

Pretzel fish (and jellyfish) filled with chocolate. Honestly, no way to go wrong with that.

Delicious. I would definitely eat this again, and if I see it in a store, I will buy it.

Little Gang Grape

Little Gang Grape

(Japan Crate: June 2015)

[Japan crate description: This pouch is packed with grape fun. Gum that starts off with a Pop Rocks-like crackle and ends as tangy grape gum.]

Melissa Says:

You smell the package, there's so much gum in it smells like grape medicine. It was a kick in the face with grapes.

After that eye-watering smell, we took small handfuls of the gum/pop rock, and tossed them in our mouths. And waited. An incredibly long time. I kept waiting and was rewarded with the popping of the "pop rocks", which was extremely odd considering the gum didn't melt away and tasted incredibly grape-y. Then, when I grew tired of waiting, I started chewing.

It's the hardest gum to chew, and it just feels kind of weird. You'd need the whole bag to get a respectable amount of gum, but that little bit was enough to leave my mouth tasting of grape (at least, until the Tom Yum).

Not a bad snack, but personally wouldn't choose it again. Not particularly fond of grape.

Kimberly Says:

The pop rocks part only sometimes works, and not for very long at all. If you're willing to sit with it on your tongue for forever it might work. Maybe.

The flavor is really intense, for a short while. Very intensely, tangily grape.

Unfortunately the gum itself is very tough and becomes hard to chew in a very short time, and the flavor starts fading very quickly.

The flavor is good, as long as it lasts, but the gum is so tough after a short while that my jaws started to hurt.

Tom Yum Pretz

Tom Yum Pretz

(Japan Crate: August 2015)

[Japan crate description: (There is no description for this one)]

Melissa Says:

They look like those Pringle's sticks, even down to the packaging. However, they aren't quite so nice and friendly.

Once you take a bite, you get the lime flavoring for a bit. Then, slowly, like a dragon in the back of your mouth, your throat and back of your mouth just burn. It does not lie when it says hot.

As I am not quite so fond of spicy things, it's definitely not one I'd eat again. It tasted good, but…the flames are killer! (I was racing for a water bottle!)

Kimberly Says:

Man, I wish I'd gotten the soy sauce flavor instead of this one. It's very rare for me to outright dislike something we get, but I'll just say it outright.

Bleh.

Okay, so, actual review.

Smells weird (lime mixed with...something), tastes awful. First you taste lime, then you get kicked in the mouth with weird tasting spicy blech.

Not eating any more, not ever buying if I get the chance.

Just...blech.

Lifeguard Paste

Lifeguard Paste

(Japan Crate: July 2015)

[Japan crate description: Lifeguard started off as a soda and now comes in many candy forms, like this paste!]

Kimberly Says:

Hee hee.

I took this to a sort of 'pot luck' at work. This and spoons, so people could squeeze some out without germ contamination.

It was entertaining watching people try to figure it out. It and the grape...stuff (which we haven't reviewed yet)

This is a SUPER sticky, bright green, sour flavored...stuff. Thing. Something or other. Three packs of it come in each package.

It's quite tasty, but it's almost more fun to play with than eat. It has the consistency of half melted gummy worms and, well...why don't you just watch?

(Apologies for blurriness - I could not seem to get it to totally focus.)
[Edit: I am working on fixing the video]

Final thoughts? Just sour enough to be delicious, and oh so much fun to play with.

Melissa Says:

This is extremely sticky, extremely odd-looking paste. If you stick it to your fingers, it will stretch out between them. 

It reminds me oddly of melted gummy snacks, and tastes a little like lemon. Together, it tastes really good (but extremely sticky!) 

It’s amusing to play with and fun to eat. I’d definitely eat more of it!

Creamy Melon Soda

Creamy Melon Soda

(Japan Crate: August 2015)

[Japan crate description: Delicious and creamy soda with a nice melon flavor. Melon might be your new favorite soda flavor!]

Melissa Says:

This is something between cantaloupe and honeydew, in smell and taste. I’m not sure which it is, but whatever it is, it’s good. The taste shifts between the two, and it has the fizziness of soda. 

Though it was a bit of a surprise how loud it was when it popped open! 

I would drink it again if given a chance.

Kimberly Says:

Cute little can, to start with. I like the design of it, and I don't feel like my fingers are short and tiny. xD

This soda smells and tastes EXACTLY like honeydew melon. I feel like someone just juiced a honeydew and injected it with carbonation. (Although once in a while when it sits on my tongue it kind of tastes like cantaloupe, too. Strange.)

I'm not normally fond of fruit flavored sodas, but this one is quite delicious. I had a hard time sharing and not just chugging the whole thing myself. xD

Potekoro Cubes

Potekoro Cubes

(Japan Crate: July 2015)

[Japan crate description: Savory bite-sized cubes with bold black pepper.]

Kimberly Says:

So I knew going in what these would taste like - we opened this package a while ago and have been snacking on it off and on. xD

(Actually, I even took it in to work and shared with my coworkers - I do that a lot, to mixed reviews. x3 )

I really like these. They're delicious and crunchy and addicting.

After much discussion about them with various people, I've come up with how to describe them to someone who hasn't tasted them:
Take some McDonald's french fries and cut them into cubes. Drizzle them with oil, sprinkle with black pepper, bake until crispy like a crouton, and you'd end up with something that tastes just like this.

Definitely would eat again, will be sad when they're all gone.

Melissa Says:

These are weird, little fried-crunchy potato-like crisps…that are cubed. They are also a bit spicy. 

The seasoning is pretty good, making them a fun-to-eat snack which leaves quite the aftertaste. (Luckily for me, we didn’t end on them, or else I’d likely still be tasting it.) 

They’re pretty good, so I’d likely eat them again.

Maken Gummy

Maken Gummy

(Japan Crate: July 2015)

[Japan crate description: Hand gummies shaped after rock, paper, scissors. You'll try a cola or grape hand in 1 of 3 poses.]

Melissa Says:

Rock, paper, scissors…and really weird. 

It feels cold to the touch, it smells like VapoRub, and it tastes like really firm gummy bears. 

It actually tastes pretty good. I dislike gummies, but that was pretty yummy. After you get past the smell and the cold. 

Definitely not a bad thing. Would eat again.

Kimberly Says:

Okay, so, I'm not actually a big fan of gummies. Fruit snacks, gummy worms, gummy bears, I don't...really like them much, which is funny since in almost EVERYTHING else I like a chewy texture.

We ended up with the cola flavor, in the 'scissors' hand shape. (There was also a small star shaped gummy that got eaten before I got the picture taken. xD )

First impression, opening the package, is that it smelled very strongly. It smells like a mixture of soda (almost more root beer than cola, though) and Vick's Vaporub, which did not lessen our trepidation.

Of course, any time you get a long stretchy thing, what do you have to do first?

Play with it. A lot.

It was fun. xD

Eventually we got around to the eating, and it was strangely cold. My room is in the basement, it's fairly cool all the time, but not enough to warrant how oddly chilly the gummy was.

It's also a softer gummy, and sort of a strange texture. I keep feeling like it was fizzing on my tongue somehow.

It tastes really good, actually. Better than I was expecting. (I would not have enjoyed the grape near as much, I think.)

I would definitely eat this again, if we ever found it. (And play with it, too!)

[Update: 

So we always share everything with the rest of the family, if they want to try, and took everything we tasted tonight up to share with our brother. There was the hand of the gummy and part of the 'string' left and he ended up popping the whole thing into his mouth.

It's a good thing he ended up liking it, I guess! xD ]

Kids Beer

Kids Beer

(Japan Crate: July 2015)

[Japan crate description: Of course there's no alcohol in this yummy apple soda]

Kimberly Says:

Okay, so, they have Apple Beer in a couple of soda fountains around here, and I've tried it, and...it's absolutely disgusting.
So I was...concerned, to say the least.

When we opened it and it smelled super, super sweet, though, I started to feel relieved.
Only slightly, because MAN it smells sweet.

Basically it tastes overwhelmingly of cream soda, with a slight (very, very, very slight) apple taste.

I wouldn't go out and buy it, certainly, because it's waaaay too sweet for me, but I like drinking it once. Just once, though. xD

Melissa Says: 

We approached this one with more worry than others. One of the soda flavors we’ve tried out of fountains is apple beer, and that is some nasty stuff. 

However, we realized this smells incredibly sweet, and tastes like crème rather than apple. There’s a bit of an apple aftertaste, but it tastes (thankfully!) better than apple beer. 

The best part is, we have more of it to drink. Hey, if that was a choice to drink, I’d consider it.

Japanese BBQ Scones

Japanese BBQ Scones

(Japan Crate: August 2015)

[Japan Crate description: Like Cheetos, but better. We think the Japanese BBQ flavor is better than the American. What do you think?]

Melissa Says:

Though tried with a bit of trepidation, it’s actually not too bad. 

The texture is unique, but the barbeque is sweet. Ended up being quite different than expected. 

Definitely worth having more of, but probably would only get if it was on sale or something…if it was found in the US, that is.

Kimberly Says:

All right, so I admit to having eyed this one with concern ever since I saw it in the box. BBQ cheetos, basically? Eeeeeh.

So when I opened it, I sniffed at it warily and...and smells weird.
Let the wariness increase!

However, when I finally got up the nerve to taste one, it tasted...sweet. Actually, it reminds me of the sweet BBQ pringles chips.

It's really, really strange, though. It has the texture of cheetos, but doesn't taste like cheese. It's...strange. Good...in a strange, strange way.

I don't think I'd choose it again, though. And the aftertaste is not nearly as good as the first taste. It kind of just...sticks with you.
(In fact, we shared these and the soda with other family members, and our mom said "BBQ things aftertaste--not so hot", with which I agree. xD )

Ramune Marble Gum

Ramune Marble Gum

(Japan Crate: June 2015)

[Japan Crate description: Citrus-y and delicious ramune flavored gumballs. These pack a small hint of fizziness just like a real Japanese ramune soda]

Kimberly Says:

So I have to admit that when we picked this one to taste tonight, I already knew I liked it - this is from the original Japan crate, most of which we've already eaten. :)

In fact, I had to pull the bag out of my purse where I've been keeping it, and we're lucky there was any left to taste for the review!

I love the taste of these gumballs, but I wish they were larger, and that the flavor lasted longer.

They're so small that you have to eat a couple to get a decent size, and even then the flavor only last for a few minutes.

However, it's delicious enough that that's only a minor complaint. The flavor is fun, with the sensation of fizziness without actually HAVING fizziness.

Not only would I choose to eat this again, but I will actually be disappointed when I run out of it. :)

Melissa Says:

Ramune gum doesn’t have a whole lot of taste, but it’s got quite the texture. For at least 2-3 minutes, you’re chewing and it feels like bubbles! Somehow it pulls off the feeling of carbonation without carbonation. 

Beyond that, though, it lacks any kind of real flavor (definitely after a few minutes). I’d probably pick other kinds of gum over it…or maybe I’ll put it with another kind of gum? 

Either way, it’s not something I’d choose specifically to chew on.

Corn Potage Chips

Corn Potage Chips

(Japan Crate: July 2015)

Melissa Says:

I'm actually still eating these as I write this review. :)

They taste like a puffy, air-filled creamed corn. Really a good taste sensation, and kinda fun to eat. Not only that, but the package had a picture of a happy pot on it!

Reminds me a bit of funky chip flavors, like ketchup or something. 

Would eat again, but not go out of my way to get more. (But hey, if we happened to find them again......)

Kimberly Says:

The package is super cute. I don't know, I just like when things are smiling at me. xD

When you open the bag, you get a puff of CORN smell. There is NO doubt that this is very, very CORN.

The puffs are a cute shape. I actually like it better than normal cheese puff shapes - only one bite to eat these, but without being too small like cheese balls.

It's about normal for a puffed snack texture - maybe a little 'softer' than some, which I like.

As for taste? Well, it is DEFINITELY like a can of creamed corn hid in a cheese puff in order to punch me in the taste buds. xD

Supposedly it's some kind of corn soup flavor, but it just tastes EXACTLY like creamed corn to me. Tasty!

I don't think I could eat a whole bag of these by myself (I type as I continue to munch slowly on them). However I would definitely eat these again, if I found them somewhere and they weren't too expensive.

The one downside I'm noticing is that the taste really sticks with you...and sticks with you...and sticks with you. xD

Chocolate Banana Pocky

Chocolate Banana Pocky

(Japan Crate: June 2015)

Kimberly Says:

Unfortunately this JapanCrate sat out in our mailbox for a few hours during one of the hottest days that month, so we have a delightful...chunk...of pocky instead of individual sticks. Takes some of the fun out of eating it and makes it difficult to share with other people, pooh.

I love pocky, but banana flavoring is not my...favorite. It tastes weird to me and not like real bananas. And this is VERY intensely weird banana flavored.

However, it's not bad. It's not something I would seek out to eat, but I'm willing to finish the box. (I think perhaps if I could eat it as sticks and not as 'giant melted chunk', I'd like it a tiny bit more.)

I do really like the chocolate flavored stick, it makes for an interesting difference.

I would definitely eat it again, but only if someone gave it to me - I'm not going to look for it in the store to buy.

Melissa Says:

The banana and chocolate mix to become pretty tasty - certainly a different flavor than you imagine pocky.

Probably would've been easier to eat if it wasn't melted together, but ah, well, summer heat.

It leaves a pretty good aftertaste, and pocky is fun to eat. Would definitely eat again, if given the chance.

Red Potion / Black Potion Gum

Red Potion / Black Potion Gum

(Japan Crate: June 2015)

Melissa Says: 

When you start chewing, it's a pretty good shock of sour. But then it mellows out pretty quick. Not a bad taste after it loses some of the sour.

The color change was not as evident as it could have been, and it lost taste really fast.

The aftertaste is killer, too - not the best of tastes to stay in your mouth.

Definitely wouldn't go out of my way to get more.

Kimberly Says:

The first few bites are really dusty tasting. Only after chewing for a moment do you get hit with the flavor, which is mostly sour. I can't tell if it's supposed to be a specific flavor, I just taste...sour.

Not for long, though. After a relatively short time the sour shifts to some sort of fruitish flavor before fading away completely.
[Addendum: The flavor goes away, but MAN the aftertaste will stick with you for a long time. Almost half an hour since I got rid of the gum, and I can still 'taste' it on the back of my tongue.]

I do like the texture, though, once you're past the first 'dryness' of it. Soft and pliant. After you chew it for a while it turns sort of rubbery, but still in a soft way. I felt like my teeth bounced off of it.

And then, suddenly, after only a few minutes of chewing, I couldn't wait to get it out of my mouth - the flavor changed or the texture or something.

The first time I tried this, my tongue was faintly darker, but not black. And the second time, with a larger chunk of gum, I noticed no change at all. (My sister's tongue turned a darker red, so maybe the red worked better than the black?)

Don't want more, probably won't finish what we've got.

Maybe I can find someone else to try it and see if their tongue gets colored. *grins*