Tag: China

REVIEW: Snickers Crisp Black Rice Wafer and Snickers Crisp Purple Sweet Potato Wafer

Rachel 3 Comments

Snickers Wafer Wrappers 1

What is Snickers Crisp Black Rice Wafer and Snickers Crisp Purple Sweet Potato Wafer?

Snickers recently released the least Snickers-y Snickers ever. It’s a 6-layer wafer bar! It’s from China!

Ground floor – crispy wafer.

Second floor – black rice or purple sweet potato flavored creme filling.

Third floor – wafer.

Fourth floor – caramel peanut creme filling.

Fifth floor – wafer.

Sixth floor – chocolate coating!

Snickers Wafer Layers 2

There hasn’t been a wafer cookie Snickers yet, nor anything with this many layers before. The flavors may seem odd to the American eye, but purple sweet potato is a common dessert ingredient across Asia and black rice is often used in sweet breakfasts and desserts in Thailand and Indonesia. I couldn’t find any info about why Snickers chose this format, these flavors, and why now.

Snickers Wafer Interior 3

How are they?

These tasted like the flavors of a Snickers dialed down, with the texture of a foam packing peanut. That sounds dire, but it’s not. Foods have gotten so cranked up with spicy/sour/sweet that it was nice to have a break and try something quiet.

Snickers Wafer Potato Fill 6

In the wrapper, these both had a strong peanut butter aroma. I tasted each layer individually at first. The wafers are exactly what you’d expect – bland, tasteless papery stuff. The caramel peanut layer was very peanutty, not very caramely, and not very sweet. There are crispy peanut bits in all the creme filling layers that give it a little crunch.

Both of the creme layers here were dry and crumbled when I tried to separate them. The purple sweet potato layer tasted earthy but not as intensely as matcha, for example. The black rice creme tasted like LITERALLY NOTHING.

Snickers Wafer Ricefill 5

The chocolate layer was where all the sugar and flavor action was. When I nibbled a piece of it alone, it didn’t taste particularly sweet, but the bar as a whole was a 6-out-of-10 on the sugar scale. I knew the other layers weren’t bringing anything to that table, so it HAD to be the chocolate. It also had an undefinable fruity tang to it. So mysterious.

Anything else you need to know?

Loving the packaging here – the pastel pink and purple is such a nice change from Snickers’ usual primary colors and earth tones.

Conclusion:

Overall, a nice but subdued wafer bar with a hint of fruit. If you like fresh-pressed, natural peanut butter, you will love these. If you’re a resident of Guy Fieri’s Flavortown, give these a pass. If you’re living in Flavortown but need to take a zen vacation for a few minutes, they might be worth the gamble.

Purchased Price: $42.99 + free shipping (24 bars, 12 of each flavor)
Size: 31 g bar
Purchased at: eBay
Rating: 6 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: (approx 1 bar) Snickers Crisp Purple Sweet Potato Wafer – 174 calories, 11 grams of fat, 5 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 43 milligrams of sodium, 16 grams of carbohydrates, and 3 grams of protein. Snickers Crisp Black Rice Wafer: – 174 calories, 11 grams of fat, 5 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 45 milligrams of sodium, 16 grams of carbohydrates, and 3 grams of protein.

REVIEW: Sakura Matcha and Peach Oolong Oreo Cookies (China)

Rachel 5 Comments

Oreo Sakura Peach 1

What are Sakura Matcha and Peach Oolong Oreo Cookies?

New spring Oreo flavors are hitting China! And I’m stuck at home with an itchy internet shopping trigger finger!

Oreo Sakura Peach 2

Sakura Matcha is inspired by Japanese green tea and the white/pink cherry blossoms of the sakura tree. In a first for Oreo, the cookie wafers are glorious Pepto PINK. I thought the fire-engine-red Supreme Oreo were a sight, but this pink/bright green combo is hitting me at my core.

Peach Oolong is inspired by Chinese flavors – Americans probably know oolong as the tea often served at Chinese restaurants, and peaches are native to China. This one’s the more traditional chocolate cookie with a muted orange-colored filling.

Oreo Sakura Peach 3

How are they?

These are both good, but the Sakura Matcha stood out a bit flavor-wise. This cookie had the potential of being “too much” – heavy matcha can border on tasting like dirt, and florals can easily overwhelm. But in this case, they both hit the right levels. The result was a moderately sweet cookie with just a bit of earthy green tea and a hint of perfumey cherry blossom. They’re not fruity, but I didn’t miss that. And I mean, the color wins everything.

Oreo Sakura Peach 4

The Peach Oolong Oreo smelled strongly like peach gummy candies, but the actual peach taste was more subdued. The oolong was even more low-key – enough that if I didn’t expect it there, I would’ve missed it. I love oolong tea and wanted that flavor stronger here. But if I held my finger over the word “Oolong,” we basically had tasty peach cookies, which I’m fine with.

Anything else you need to know?

Each box held two sealed packs of five. This is so smart – keeps half of them fresh, it’s just the right size for a taste, and they’re easy to share.

Oreo Sakura Peach 5

Conclusion:

These are absolutely worth trying, if the price doesn’t put you off. I hope a peach Oreo will happen in the US, but I suspect Sakura Matcha Oreo are less likely, so you’ll probably have to order them if you want to taste.

Purchased Price: $19.99 for both boxes (+ free shipping)
Size: 97g box (10 cookies)
Purchased at: eBay
Rating: 9 out of 10 (Sakura Matcha), 8 out of 10 (Peach Oolong)
Nutrition Facts: (per 100g) 2038 calories, 21.5 grams of fat, 380 milligrams of sodium, 67.5 grams of carbohydrates, 5.1 grams of protein. 1 serving = 19.4g / approx. 2 cookies

REVIEW: Snickers Cool Coconut, Cool Lemon and Cool Peach (China)

Rachel 5 Comments

CoolSnickers1 pkg

What Snickers Cool Coconut, Cool Lemon and Cool Peach?

Again, China is working overtime to woo me with novelty junk food flavors and I’m happy to let them.

These are basically the previously-reviewed Japanese Snickers White with fruit flavors added – coconut, lemon and peach – and a “cooling” effect. I was excited for peach Snickers anyway, but COOL Snickers? Let’s do it – I already lit this mouth up with Fiery Snickers.

CoolSnickers2 bars

How are they?

While not the best Snickers I’ve tried, these were really interesting. The caramel and peanuts were the same as a regular Snickers. The white chocolate was over-the-top sweet and the nougat bland, both like the Japanese White version. Yet each flavor was a slightly different experience.

The coconut bars had a subtle, surprisingly-authentic aroma. The flavor closely resembled sweetened coconut flakes you’d buy at the grocery store. The cooling effect was least prominent in this flavor – it’s like the sensation of menthol without the mint flavor.

CoolSnickers3 size

The lemon had a less appealing smell – a little fishy. Thankfully, once out of the wrapper, it dissipated.

The flavor was a tasty sweet lemon-meringue-type lemon. There was more of the menthol cooling effect than the coconut. I was warming up to these “cool” bars.

CoolSnickers4 inside

The peach was also fishy, but again disappeared out of the package. I really liked the peach flavor – it was strong and not too synthetic. This was the “cool”-est of the bars – the menthol was kicking! It was a really fun sensation (a little cool AND warm), and not as medicinal as it might seem.

All three flavors could have benefitted from actual fruit mix-ins – coconut flakes, lemon zest, peach chunks. Often a visual or texture element goes a long way to convince us something could be real.

CoolSnickers5 cans

Is there anything else you need to know?

The pack I purchased consisted of four small bars (each made up of two 1.5-inch squares) in containers that looked like soda cans. Slaying me. “Things that look like other things” is the third-best way to get my money – right behind “miniature things” and “animals dressed like people.”

CoolSnickers6 contents

Conclusion:

Between the unusual flavors and cooling effect, Cool Snickers were fun and were pretty tasty. If they come stateside (summer – perfect time – just sayin’), they’re worth a try. Probably only worth overpaying for them on eBay if you’re a hardcore novelty junkie.

Purchased Price: $28.99 (free shipping)
Size: 480g pack of (12) 40-oz bars
Purchased at: eBay
Rating: 7 out of 10 (Cool Coconut), 7 out of 10 (Cool Lemon), and 8 out of 10 (Cool Peach)
Nutrition Facts: (per 100 grams), 501 calories, 27.4 grams of fat, 11 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 252 milligrams of sodium, 53.6 grams of carbohydrates, and 9.6 grams of protein.

REVIEW: Oreo China Six Flavors

Rachel 2 Comments

1 Oreo Six Flavors

I’ve never been to China, but I feel like I’ve eaten enough of their Oreo flavors to be named Ambassador. Hot Chicken Wing and Wasabi, Seaweed, Strawberry, Blueberry, Orange-Mango, Grape-Peach and now – Six Flavors. Is “Cookie Ambassador” a thing? Can I be that?

A collaboration with the Palace Museum in Beijing, Oreo Six Flavors are inspired by traditional foods eaten by Chinese royalty at The Forbidden City. I took to eBay recently to track them down, since they haven’t been released here in the U.S.

2 Oreo Six Flavors Wrappers

The Six Flavors are: Green Tea Cake, Red Bean Cake, Lychee Rose Cake, Vintage Haw, Chaoshan-style BBQ Pork Pastry, and Spicy Pepper Pastry. They sounded both delicious and challenging.

3 Oreo Six Flavors Boxart

4 Oreo Six Flavors Boxart

The packaging on this collection is fantastic. The box was telling me an epic story, and each flavor had a unique wrapper with a gorgeous design. There were five cookies per flavor – a perfect size to sample and share. China – KILLING IT on Oreo beauty and practicality.

5 Oreo Six Flavors Green Tea

I’ll get right to the flavors. First up was Green Tea Cake. I wasn’t sure about this one – sometimes green tea tastes like dirt to me. But here, it was really nice. Earthy but low-key, it worked really well with the slightly-less-sweet chocolate cookie that I notice all the Chinese Oreo have in common.

The Red Bean Cake Oreo was also earthy, but not as sweet as other red bean desserts I’ve had. My first reaction was “interesting, but not awesome,” but they grew on me the more bites I took.

6 Oreo Six Flavors LycheeRose

Next up – Lychee Rose Cake. Now, Rose is a very tricky flavor. One molecule too much, and it tastes like the smell of a Granny’s bathroom. It was surprisingly well done here, though – definitely present and dominant, but not annoying. The lychee was more of a background fruit taste, but it did a lot to keep the rose in its place. I really enjoyed these.

I didn’t know what Vintage Haw flavor was, but I wanted to taste it blind. It was sweet and flowery – something in the neighborhood of strawberry, grape and a gorgeous tropical bloom. These were my favorite of the six – I could eat a whole bag. Afterwards, Google told me that Hawthorn (Haw) is a Chinese berry. I’m on board the Haw train after these Oreo cookies!

7 Oreo Six Flavors Pepper

I left the savory flavors for last. Spicy Pepper Pastry Oreo smelled a lot like black pepper, but on first taste, it was very subtle. But when I tried the creme filling alone, it was quite strong – the chocolate cookies cut the spice on it considerably. They weren’t terrible, but I wouldn’t buy them again.

And lastly, Chaoshan-Style BBQ Pork Pastry. This flavor worked a lot better than the Hot Chicken Wing Oreo – less salty, meatier, very BBQ’y (a little sweet, a little tangy). Still not a flavor I need more than one shot at, but not totally disgusting!

8 Oreo Six Flavors Cookies

These were the most fragile Oreos I’d ever handled. Some had broken in transit, which I expected, but even the intact cookies seemed to crumble when I tried to twist them open.

I really enjoyed this collection of flavors and the presentation. They were well worth the money and the wait for overseas shipping. I hope they get an official release here in America.

Purchased Price: $17.99 + free shipping
Size: 291g box (30 cookies)
Purchased at: eBay
Rating: 7 out of 10 (Green Tea Cake)
Rating: 7 out of 10 (Red Bean Cake)
Rating: 9 out of 10 (Lychee Rose Cake)
Rating: 10 out of 10 (Vintage Haw)
Rating: 5 out of 10 (Spicy Pepper Pastry)
Rating: 6 out of 10 (Chaoshan-Style BBQ Pork Pastry)
Nutrition Facts: (per 100g) 489 calories, 21.5 grams of fat, 480 milligrams of sodium, 67.5 grams of carbohydrates, and 5.3 grams of protein.

REVIEW: Seaweed Oreo, Strawberry Oreo, and Blueberry Oreo (China)

Rachel 7 Comments

Chinese Oreo 1

What are they?

First, just look at this package. Nothing says “I have a problem” clearer than when your snack foods arrive looking like they were crowbarred out of the quarter panel of a car crossing the border.

Chinese Oreo 2

China has figured out the optimal way to sell novelty flavored Oreo cookies – in a variety pack! (Meanwhile, we’re still stuck with 20-packs of Swedish Fish Oreo.) This box had two identical sleeves containing eight Oreo of varying bizarro-ness. Genius.

Chinese Oreo 3

There was a classic Oreo, Chocolate, Mango, Spicy Chicken Wing, Strawberry, Wasabi, Blueberry, and Seaweed (a flavor I haven’t seen sold on its own yet).

Chinese Oreo 4

How are they?

I expected the aroma inside the sleeve to be a mishmash of sweet and savory, but it was a general chocolate and slightly citrus-y sweetness.

Chinese Oreo 5

I’ll skip the classic and chocolate because they’re basically the same cookies we have here and the Spicy Chicken Wing and Wasabi, as they’ve been reviewed before. The Mango I’ll also skip because it tasted the same as the Orange & Mango that was reviewed earlier, just with a single color filing.

The first cookie I tried was Blueberry, which was really lovely. Not totally natural, but not unpleasantly fake. It was tangy and went nicely with the chocolate cookie. I picked up a good amount of raspberry as well, which made me think this is a single-color version of the Chinese Blueberry/Raspberry Double-Fruit Oreos (Orange/Mango). In any case, I could have eaten a whole package of these.

Chinese Oreo 6

The Strawberry didn’t work as well, mostly because it was so subtle that it almost disappeared under the chocolate. On its own, the filling was OK – actually a hair more authentic than the blueberry – but anything it’s paired with will overwhelm it.

Chinese Oreo 7

Lastly, the Seaweed. In the words of Rihanna, this is what you came for. The filling was a beige tint with little green flecks and some tiny yellowish chunks (still haven’t figured out what those were). They still tasted like the basic Oreo, but with a savory overlay. It wasn’t particularly fishy or salty, but that vaguely defined “umami.”

Unlike the Chicken Wing and Wasabi, which were downright horror shows, these were edible and genuinely interesting. I can easily see them finding an audience with people who prefer their treats on the less-sweet side. While I wouldn’t want a 20-pack of them (two is perfect for me), I liked them a lot more than I thought I would.

Is there anything else you need to know?

The flavors in the sleeve did not match the running order on the back of the box. Very upsetting for us OCD-adjacent folk.

Conclusion:

Blueberry(/Raspberry) I want more of. They’re worth buying on their own if they come here. Strawberry – meh – not great enough to seek out. Seaweed – better than I expected and worth a try for the adventurous snackers or to goad your friends into eating at a party.

Purchased Price: $14.95 + free shipping
Size: 155g box (16 cookies)
Purchased at: eBay
Rating: 9 out of 10 (Blueberry)
Rating: 6 out of 10 (Strawberry)
Rating: 5 out of 10 (Seaweed)
Nutrition Facts:: (per 100g) 486 calories, 21.2 grams of fat, 440 milligrams of sodium, 67.6 grams of carbohydrates, and 5.2 grams of protein.