Bokksu – November 2017 Review

The theme for this month’s Bokksu is “Tea Time”!  It’s all about the beautiful flavors of tea from Japan’s rich history, and the wonderful desserts that go with them.

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Japan is well known for its tea and the traditional ceremonies that surround it.  Even in daily casual settings, tea is meticulously thought out and paired with desserts that complement and enhance the flavor.  Bokksu is exploring many aspects of Japanese tea this month, from artisanal desserts to tea-flavored treats.

Bokksu’s card gives some more historical information about tea in Japan.  Everyone knows that green tea (particularly matcha green tea) is ubiquitous in Japan, but I did not know that black tea was so popular there as well.  I’m quite happy that Bokksu didn’t take the easy route and simply stuff the box full of green tea products, but chose to include an accurate representation of Japanese afternoon tea!

Earl Grey + Juicy Orange Rusk by Tokyo Rusk

I’m always thrilled to see Tokyo Rusks in these boxes!  Rusks are a slice of baguette that has been twice baked so it’s extra crispy.  Tokyo Rusk in particularly usually dusts their rusks with some sugar crystals, and have a wide variety of flavors that have appeared in previous months.  This month the rusks have an earl grey tea and orange citrus flavor.  The orange comes through quite strong at first, but the earl grey leaves a delicate after taste that goes surprisingly well with the overall sweetness of the rusk.  I love this take on the classic bergamot/black tea pairing!

Salt and Camembert Cheese Cookie by Sucrey

If you’ve been following my reviews, you know that Bokksu usually includes at least one flavor of langue de chat cookie each month.  This isn’t explicitly stated as a langue de chat, but it certainly has the appearance (and texture!) of one.  The outside cookie is buttery and crisp with a slight salt flavor, but in a sweet way rather than savory (sort of reminds me of sea salt ice cream, if anyone’s ever had that!).  The camembert flavored filling, on the other hand, is delicately cheesy and perfectly toes the line between sweet and savory.  This is such a unique cookie!  It’s like a savory dessert.  I wish I had more!

Natural Yeast Bread Coffee by Day Plus

This fluffy bread has lovely coffee swirls throughout that make an interesting pattern inside.  The texture is very chewy and doughy, and it has a light sweet flavor.  I honestly couldn’t taste much coffee – only the slightest hint –  but the minute you open the packet you smell that delicious bakery-like fresh bread aroma, and it made me not mind the lack of coffee as much!

Hojicha Langue de Chat by Uji En

Now this cookie is a langue de chat, but with a subtle hojicha flavor in the filling.  Hojicha is a type of green tea that has been slow roasted, with a very distinct nutty flavor that is earthier than most other green teas.  I’m not sure I liked it as much in the langue de chat, since the nuttiness was quite subtle and smoky, and was easily overwhelmed by the sweetness of the white chocolate filling.  Not a bad flavor, but I could have done with a bit more hojicha.

Olive Oil Salt Senbei by Kingodo

These rice crackers are deliciously savory and salty, with a crisp snap to them.  The salt hits your tongue first, followed quickly by a vinegary tang.  There’s really only a whisper of herbal aroma from the olive oil, but it’s certainly not lacking in flavor!  They’re one of the stronger flavored senbei I’ve come across, but they’ve still got nothing on American salt and vinegar chips.

Spice Cheese Black Pepper by Kameda Seika

Oh.  Em.  Gee.  These are the best snack I’ve had in a while, and far and away my favorite thing in this month’s box.  These little puffs are salty and cheese flavored, with a spicy peppery kick.  It doesn’t linger or burn, but there’s a definite hint of heat.  The puff itself is airy and crunchy, but there’s a cheesy center that is so smooth and rich.  It’s such an interesting texture: when you first bite into it, you get that crisp, but then it dissolves (as a puff does), and you’re left with this silky center.  I can’t get enough of these – Bokksu, please send more!  (I won’t even be mad if it’s not on-theme!)

Black Tea Donut by Tokyo Karinto

This donut has had black tea leaves infused into it to give it a rich Royal Milk Tea flavor.  You can definitely taste the tea leaves in the donut – they have a slight poppyseed texture to them.  The donut itself is moist and flavorful, but I expected a bit more creamy flavor, particularly for Royal Milk Tea.

Izu Guricha Crunch by Shihara Seika

This snack is a bit like a matcha flavored Rice Krispy treat.  It’s made with puffed rice bits, and held together by a mix of white chocolate and matcha tea.  It’s very sweet but still has that earthy, fresh matcha flavor.

British Morning by Karel Capek

As much as I love black tea, I won’t pretend that I can taste the difference between the various types.  I do know that this one is delicious and rich, and very aromatic!  I added milk to make it creamier.  And how adorable is the packaging?

Matcha Kit Kats

As an amazing bonus, Bokksu added a full-sized bag of matcha Kit Kats!  I see many bags of green tea Kit Kats at my local Asian mart, but I haven’t found a lot of this matcha flavored variety.  What a great extra!  These are typical Kit Kats, but covered in white chocolate infused with matcha flavor.

Overall, this might be my favorite Bokksu box.  I feel like I say that every month, but they just keep getting better and better.  That Spice Cheese snack though – amazing,  Blew me away.  And there wasn’t a single miss for me in the rest of this box.  On top of that, getting a whole bag of Kit Kats was a fantastic surprise, and shows that Bokksu really values its customers.  Can’t wait to see what they do next!

 

PR sample.  All opinions are my own.  No compensation was received for this review.  This post contains affiliate links.