review: fall snacks

time for another review!

this time i'll be looking at three fall limited edition snacks:

meiji's takenoko no sato "maroyaka marron" (mellow marron)

meiji's kinoko no yama "creamy pumpkin"

bourbon's mochi chocolat "chocolate marron" 

let's start with meiji. first, these guys are a major staple of the meiji snack line -- takenoko no sato, or "bamboo shoot village", is a crunchy cookie covered in chocolate that looks like a...bamboo shoot. similarly, kinoko no yama ("mushroom mountain") is a crunchy cookie topped with mushroom-shaped chocolate. i've actually heard that the cookie bits for takenoko no sato are made from broken and crushed up "stems" of kinoko no yama...someone confirm that for me.

ah, and for those who don't know, marron is french for chestnut, and typically has connotations of marron glacee (chestnuts that are basically stewed in sugar with rum) when used in japanese (so basically a more western yougashi kinda marron, not like buttery japanese chestnut). fall is associated with a lot of foods -- sweet potato, pumpkin, and chestnut. you can find all kinds of limited edition something or other in the fall with these flavors.

though it IS still august...

but i digress!

mellow marron

mellow marron is a nice typical marron colour and i expected that sweet marron glacee taste, but actually found it to be more of a buttery japanese chestnut flavor, which was kind of a refreshing surprise. they're not too sweet, so you could feasibly eat the entire box without feeling too sick afterwards! they did a good job capturing that freshly roasted chestnut taste. good job, meiji!

creamy pumpkin

creamy pumpkin is a lovely kabocha pumpkin colour -- oh, by "pumpkin" japan means kabocha pumpkin, which is a small, oblong squash with vivid green skin and orange flesh. buttery and rich, it's used from everything from soups to breads to sweets. i'm surprised at how pumpkin-like this smells and taking a bite only confirms it -- this guy is like kabocha to the max and i love it. you don't often see a lot of heavy flavors come in with snacks like these (unless it's like the upscale version) but these guys pack a great punch. again, not too sweet so...yeah, you could eat every last one without feeling like you're going into a sugar coma. bravo meiji, you nailed fall!

last, but not least, the mochi chocolat series by bourbon is another staple that brings out flavors seasonally. it's basically a soft choclate center wrapped gyuuhi (sweetened mochi) -- this time being marron-flavored chocolate with a condensed milk center (i see no evidence for this).

here's how they look:

the gyuuhi is soft and chewy and the chocolate is that predictable rum spiked marron glacee flavor -- not that that's a bad thing at all. it works really well with the gyuuhi, making the typically strong marron flavor a little easier to deal with by giving it a mochi cushion. this one's a little on the sweet and heavy side, so i'd say two is about my limit for one go.

and there you have it! i'm looking forward to more fall limited edition stuff (since i'm a sucker for it) and i'll hopefully get more reviews up as they come out!