Bokksu – May 2018 Review

This month, Bokksu is taking us on a tour of Japan and showing us all the All-Stars!  They’ve picked out some of their most popular snacks to celebrate their two year anniversary.

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.

Breaking News: We will be holding a giveaway for this box in the next few weeks!  Keep your eyes peeled for the announcement and the rules to enter.  If you don’t want the contents spoiled for you, avert your eyes now!

Happy Two Year Anniversary to Bokksu!  I’m so excited to be able to celebrate this milestone with them, and to watch them grow as a brand.  Their curation gets better and better each month, and they’ve done some major things this year including offering worldwide shipping directly from Japan and partnering with a Michelin-starred chef!

There were so many snacks this month that the normal information card ended up having even more folds than usual!

Olive Oil Salt Senbei Herb and Vinegar Flavor by Kingo Do

These rice crackers are lightly flavored with olive oil and herbs, with a kick of vinegar at the end.  The savoriness from the oil and salt is nicely balanced with the acidic tang at the end, which gives this deceptively simple snack an interesting depth of flavor.  I like that the typical senbei flavor (crispy, salty, baked-y) has an unusual twist to it.

Okinawa Soba by Nampo

These soba noodles are made from buckwheat and have been deep-fried and tossed with Okinawan red pepper to give them a hint of spice.  They have that delicious fried flavor, like wonton strips in a salad, and I love the slight heat from the pepper.  I do feel like these would be better as a topping to something, since the little noodle shreds can get messy to eat on their own (not that I didn’t devour the whole packet anyway).

Fruit Pound Cake by Nakajima Taishodo

This deliciously moist fruit cake has pieces of sweet orange, raisins, cranberries, and fig baked in.  It’s been lightly drenched in a syrup to make it even richer, and the slight tart from the orange and cranberries ensure it isn’t overwhelmingly sugary.  I see this fruit cake a lot in Japanese snack boxes, but it’s one of the best ones I’ve had.

White Raspberry by Bon Bon Seika

This cookie from Hokkaido is made from a famous local sweet corn, and has been baked into the crispiest, airiest texture.  It’s coated with rich white chocolate and dusted with a layer of tart crushed raspberry.  It has the light texture of a crispy wafer, and a delicate sugary flavor.  Plus it’s so visually appealing with the bright pink colors!

Matcha + White Chocolate Covered Azuki Beans by Denroku

This snack, called amanatto is made by a Tokyo store that first opened in the 1800s.  It’s a little sweet red bean that has been dipped in white chocolate and dusted with matcha powder.  Overall it’s sweet, but comprised of two kinds of sweet: a smooth white chocolate sweet, and a deeper red bean paste sweet.  The two pair together surprisingly well, and don’t overwhelm at all.

Edamame Senbei by Senbei Lab

These rice crackers have actual chunks of edamame, or soybeans, baked into them.  They’re also dusted with a layer of kinako, or soybean flour, for an extra nutty kick.  I love the saltiness of these crackers, and the edamame pieces give them a little more interesting texture.

Okinawa Chinsuko by Nampo

Yesssssss – I love these little cookies!  They’re made with Okinawan brown sugar, called kokuto that is a local specialty.  It has that rich brown sugar flavor, but with a slight smoky-nutty undertone that gives it depth and makes it hard to describe.  These buttery shortbread cookies are so amazing that people often bring them home from Okinawa as omiyage, or souvenir gifts.

Kinako Mochi by Eichigo Seika

Everyone knows mochi, right?  It’s a chewy snack made from pounded rice.  Well this mochi has undergone a ~secret process~ that somehow turns it into a cloud.  It’s amazing, like if you took a little puff of cotton candy and baked it.  It’s airy and crisp but melts in your mouth instantly.  These mochi have also been dusted with kinako from Hokkaido to give it a delicate nutty flavor, almost like peanut butter but slightly saltier.

Takoyaki Corn Puffs by Japan FritoLay

Okay, I must admit, as much as I love Japanese food, I’m not a fan of takoyaki – I know!  They’re little octopus balls that have been fried and coated with a special sauce, mayonnaise, green onions, and bonito flakes.  It’s a very popular street food, but I just don’t really like octopus (it’s the texture, I think).  But fear not, these corn puffs only have takoyaki flavor, and contain no actual octopus.  They definitely have that “fried” flavor, along with the taste of the special sauce (almost like a sugary soy sauce) and the sweet mayonnaise.  Unlike actual takoyaki, I love these!

Sweet Potato Langue de Chat by Tokyo Fuubian

Langue de chat cookies are a popular Japanese cookie consisting of two buttery white cookies surrounding a layer of rich white chocolate.  This cookie has infused its white chocolate with sweet potato flavor, adding another dimension to the taste.  It’s creamy and sweet, and I can certainly understand why it’s so popular in Japan!

Hoshu Tea by Kagoshima Seicha

This sencha tea is made using very high quality tea leaves, and has a rich smooth flavor.  Sencha, a form of green tea, is the most popular tea in Japan, and has an earthier but less bitter taste than matcha.  To me this tea tasted very soothing and calming, less bright than most other teas I’ve tried.

Overall, there wasn’t anything new for me in this box, but I did enjoy re-discovering some old favorites.  I can certainly see why Bokksu included these in their All-Stars box – I can distinctly remember receiving each of these snacks and thinking they were quite unique.  My favorites are probably the Okinawan sugar cookies and the kinako mochi, but I’ll happily take another slice of fruit cake and more takoyaki puffs as well!  I can’t wait for a lucky reader to join me in exploring this box!

 

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