Bokksu – March 2018 Review

This month, Bokksu is shining a light on Glamorous Tokyo!  Tokyo is one of my favorite cities in the world, and I’m excited to explore its ~glamorous~ side.

The Classic Bokksu subscription features 20-25 snacks curated around a monthly theme, and a tea pairing.

$39/month with free shipping worldwide!

Bokksu also features a Tasting Bokksu subscription for $19/month, which includes 8-10 snacks and a tea pairing.

Use code BEEJU to get $5 off your first box with any Classic or Tasting Bokksu subscription!

Both boxes are available at a slight discount with longer subscriptions.

This review is for the Classic Bokksu subscription.

For the month of March, we are exploring Japan’s best-known city, Tokyo!  It’s modern and traditional at the same time, and I encourage everyone to visit if they have the opportunity.  I’m actually hoping to go back in the next two to three years, but this will have to hold me over until then!

The snacks this month were selected by Chika Tillman, a renowned chef at the New York City restaurant ChikaLicious, which is famous for its take on Japanese and French desserts.  That certainly sounds glamorous to me!

As usual, Bokksu’s information card is beautifully laid out, and includes important information and fun facts about each piece in the box.

Premium Almond Rusk

You’ll see rusks – sweet, twice-baked baguette slices – pretty frequently in this box, but I have yet to come across one I didn’t love.  They all follow a similar formula, but the flavors are unique and delicious every time.  This one was coated in slices of crunchy almond, as opposed to crystallized sugar, which gave it a warm nutty flavor.  There’s a hint of maple baked into the baguette that adds to the sweet crispy goodness.  This one is definitely a more sophisticated flavor than previous ones I’ve tried.

Tokyo Chocolate Tea

Wow, this was a very unique treat!  The biscuits inside are infused with actual tea grown specially in the Totoro Forest (!!!), and you can really smell the black tea fragrance the second you open the wrapper.  The milk chocolate layer on the outside is delicate and smooth – you have to eat quickly or else it will melt in your fingers!  This was like a fancy afternoon tea in one bite.

Vegetable Potato Sticks

Admittedly, these potato sticks are not what I think of when I think “glam”, but that doesn’t make them any less satisfying.  They’re basically a cross between a french fry and a potato chip, with tiny flakes of pepper and onion throughout.  They are less salty than you would expect, which really allows the potato and pepper flavors to shine through (and probably makes them a little healthier, so feel free to devour the whole bag like I did).

Apple Caramelized Cobbler and Chocolate & Banana Cobbler

These are the stars of the show, coming straight from the ChikaLicious pastry shop in Tokyo!  The apple caramelized cobbler is delicious, like a blondie brownie with generous chunks of sweet apple and a hint of caramel throughout.  It’s so moist and decadent – definitely a special treat.

I’ll be honest and say I didn’t get a chance to try the chocolate and banana, because it was snapped up right away by my dad!  That one appeared to be more of a standard brownie, with banana throughout.  Just as soft and rich as the apple flavor, according to my (pleasantly surprised) dad!

Horn Milk Chocolate

These little buttery biscuits have a generous helping of Meiji-brand chocolate sandwiched between the layers.  Meiji chocolate is in a class of its own, and I’m genuinely not sure how to describe it!  It’s rich and smooth and sweet – not overpoweringly so like milk chocolate, but still sweeter than dark.  I love these, and I would encourage anyone to try Meiji chocolate if you can find it!

Black Sesame Goma Senbei

Perhaps it’s because we receive senbei (rice crackers) in every box, or perhaps it’s because the rest of this box seems so luxurious in comparison, but for some reason the senbei were just not doing it for me this month.  I’m also not a big fan of sesame, so this was one didn’t stand a chance from the beginning.  They are delicately salty and crunchy like a typical senbei, but for me this was a bit of a miss and just not very glamorous!

Koala’s March Strawberry

Okay, these are also not “glamorous”, but honestly I have to give them a buy just for the nostalgia factor!  These little strawberry-creme-filled cookies have been around since 1986, and I remember eating them as a kid!  The koalas have different expressions, and the creme inside is sweet and fragrant and pink!  The perfect snack for a child.

Mini Fried Rice Cracker

These were so good.  I’ve always preferred savory over sweet, and these little fried rice puffs coated in soy sauce really hit the spot.  The soy sauce makes them just salty enough, and the fried rice gives a hint of sweetness to perfectly complement the savoriness.  I want more!

Maple Butter Cookie

First of all, how cute is the vintage design on the wrappers of these cookies?  I love the old-school feel – and just look at the little bulldog!  The cookies themselves don’t disappoint either.  They are langues de chat cookies, which are typically a sweet buttery cookie filled with a layer of white chocolate creme.  This version has been infused with maple flavor for sweetness, and the white chocolate is mixed with vanilla to really amp up the sugary buttery flavor.  It really tastes like something you would put on pancakes or waffles!  I really love the buttery texture of the white chocolate inside, especially when combined with the syrup flavored cookie.

Cafe Latte Stick

There was a period of about four months when my mom embarked on a statewide journey through multiple Asian supermarkets to search for these coffee packets.  They’re basically instant coffee, but better.  The flavor is a little sweeter and creamier than western instant coffee, and is more about enjoying the experience rather than getting a quick caffeine jolt – although make no mistake, this is certainly caffeinated!  Bokksu recommends trying it both hot and cold, but I only got to test out the hot version since my mom snatched up the other packet right away!

Overall, Bokksu continues to be one of my favorite subscription boxes!  Most of the snacks in here definitely lived up to the “glamorous” expectation (with a few exceptions – looking at you, sesame senbei!).  My favorites were the Meiji chocolate biscuits, the maple butter cookies, the fried rice puffs, the potato sticks, the koala crackers… basically everything!  Don’t make me choose!  Even the latte sticks were a huge thumbs up from me!  I love seeing what Bokksu puts together each month, and I really enjoyed sharing this box with my parents.

 

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