Bireley's Orange

Bireley's Orange

(Japan Crate: October 2015)

[Japan Crate description: This orange drink actually originated in California back in the 1920's, but was discontinued. Asahi, one of Japan's largest drink manufacturers, was able to begin manufacturing Bireley's and is now only available in Japan.]

Kimberly Says:

This was...neither terrible nor wonderful. Honestly, it just tastes like slightly tangier Sunny D. I chugged the rest of it after we both had our samples (and let my sister finish off the caramel puffs), but really it was just...not memorable? Drinkable, but not exciting.

Melissa Says:

This drink doesn’t lie – it’s basically orange juice. In fact, it tastes and smells similar to Sunny D! It’s just a bit tangier. It was kind of fun to drink. While I’d probably not get it again, it was pretty good once.

Tohato Caramel Corn

Tohato Caramel Corn

(Japan Crate: October 2015)

[Japan Crate description: A caramel corn snack that's just in time for Halloween! The texture is more like Cheetos than popcorn, with a subtle, salty caramel flavor. Just like Umaibo sticks, you can find this snack in an array of yummy flavors.]

Melissa Says:

This was…unique. The taste of these little Cheeto-styled caramel corn bites was actually fairly good. It’s a subtle caramel flavor paired with a slight salty taste and something more I can’t quite identify. Actually rather good! 

The downside to this snack is that it looks outright vile when you pull it out. It’s like little, short, fat Cheetos that appear to be like insects. It’s rather odd. But really, they’re quite nice. In fact, I’m snacking on them while I write this. If we found them again, I’d consider getting them.

[Edit] I remember! The caramel thingies remind me of corn puffs!

Kimberly Says:

After the absolutely awful long puff sticks in the last review, I was wary of trying another puffed snack.

However, these ended up being surprisingly good. Maybe it was just in comparison, and it was a little weird to have what looked like small cheese puffs (or, what I first pictured, maggots. >.> ) that tasted sweet, but overall I actually enjoyed these.

The bag was cute, too. x3

Gyutan Umaibo Stick

Gyutan Umaibo Stick

(Japan Crate: October 2015)

[Japan Crate description: These airy corn sticks come in a huge variety of flavors. This one is Gyutan - a grilled cow tongue dish in Japan. Don't let the flavor discourage you, this salty snack is a tasty flavor experience.]

Kimberly Says:

It's not often anymore I try something that I outright dislike to the point of wanting to spit it out.

This was one of those.

I can't even really tell you much about what it actually TASTED like, because my brain immediately decided to forget everything about it except that it was absolutely disgusting.

We each had one bite, then threw away the rest of it, and will be finding somewhere to get rid of the rest.

Melissa Says:

We had three of this little stick things, which are flavored like grilled cow tongue. That would’ve been alright, except this is one of the few things I’ve eaten out of these crates that I downright did not like. It’s not the flavor, per se. I mean, it wasn’t a great flavor. But actually, it’s overwhelmingly salty with a really weird texture. The flavor was just the cherry on top. Er, cow tongue? 

Anyways, we ate half a stick and decided enough was enough. I’ll not be having any more of it!

Meiji Fran - Chocolate Cream

Meiji Fran - Chocolate Cream

(Japan Crate: September 2015)

[Japan crate description: Meiji's take on Pocky. Each thick cookie stick is made with real butter & covered in a generous layer of whipped chocolate cream.]

Melissa Says:

This was amazing chocolate! It was smooth and yummy. The stick was fairly flavorless, but it provided a good crunch in the chocolate. I definitely will eat more of these. It was really good!

Kimberly Says:

After the bleh and meh of the previous candies, we decided to go for some chocolate. xD

It was really good! Thicker than a pocky stick, and with MUCH nicer chocolate, it was delicious. I don't think my tongue totally forgave me for the spicy sticks, but this candy certainly made it happier with me. x3

Purple Sweet Potato Sticks

Purple Sweet Potato Sticks

(Japan Crate: November 2015)

[Japan Crate description: Here's a flavor that's just as seasonal as Pumpkin Pie, but a little less common. Purple sweet potatoes are a fall/winter treat in Japan. These light, crispy sticks taste perfectly like a sweet potato!]

Melissa Says:

These were really flavorless at the start, another flavorless stick of nothingness. Then, out of nowhere, sweetness jumps out. Not sugar-sweetness, but some really odd relative that happens to also be bland. Somehow this stick was simultaneously really sweet and really savory. I can’t really wrap my head around it. The stick itself seemed slightly bitter, too. I won’t eat any more of them, but it was quite the sensation!

Kimberly Says:

These were...very strange. I don't know that they were bland, just...really, really strange. Somehow it was simultaneously flavorless and...had an odd flavor. It was weird that it was so sweet, because it also...wasn't.

At least it wasn't as spicy as the last snack. xD

Hot Chili Salad Pretz

Hot Chili Salad Pretz

(Japan Crate: November 2015)

[Japan Crate description: A Japanese take on a tasty Thai dish, these crispy sticks are packed with flavors ranging from chili spice to basil and spring onion. Which flavor sticks out the most to you?]

Kimberly Says:

This was a strange mixture of bland and spicy. At first there...really wasn't any flavor. As I continued to eat, though, the spiciness came through at the back of my tongue and moved forward, until my whole mouth was hot...but still no real flavor.

It's not often I outright don't like something...but I didn't like this one. >.<

Melissa Says:

They were really kind of just flavorless when first eaten – a mushy stick of nothingness. But then, it begins to burn at the back of the mouth. It moved forward as I ate the rest of the stick, burning up and down my tongue.

It wasn’t bad, all considered, but I definitely wouldn’t be eating more of them. I’m rather fond of my taste buds as they are!

Hia Shuwa Cola

Hia Shuwa Cola

(Japan Crate: December 2015)

[Japan Crate description: A cola flavored adventure with 3 different levels: Fizzy, soothing, and gummy. Each bag also includes one big tropical flavored hard candy.]

Kimberly Says:

I got one of the fizzy candies. It...wasn't bad. I actually kind of liked it and the way it popped against my tongue. I don't understand why so many things in the Japan crates are soda flavored, though. xD

It wasn't...bad, but it wasn't thrilling.

Melissa Says:

While one of them was fizzy, I had the “soothing” candy. It had a covering of sugar over a normal, cola-flavored candy. It was as it said – oddly very soothing! I wouldn’t mind having it again. I didn’t have all of it, though, since it gets boring after a while. Tasted exactly like cola, too.