Monday, May 25, 2015

What Japan's Green Tea Oreos Taste Like

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Why does Japan always get the exotic snack flavours? With over 200 varieties of Kit Kat and Pocky to choose from, the Japanese must be really spoilt for choice. Now, add another one to the list. Two of the most-loved creations from the East and the West are finally together in a destined marriage to create the ultimate teatime snack - Matcha Oreo Bits Sandwiches! Yes, matcha, the finely milled and antioxidant-rich vibrant green powder from Japan which is different from normal green tea, is finally paired with the world's favourite cookie (and one of the biggest proponents of obesity) from America, Oreo in a dream pairing for matcha and chocolate aficionados all over the world.


100% rich cream concentrated matcha

This is Japan Quality is written all over the packaging. Tempting mini oreos with pea green matcha cream sandwiched in the middle adorn the beautiful packaging. The colour accuracy is also spot-on, with different hues of green represented consistently. Note the font and colours used in the text too; each text stands conspicuous on its own and serves its own purpose, not detracting from the others. The dimensions are even carefully thought-out, light and compact, easy to bring around as a snack. A single hole is even perforated on the packaging, saving the effort of finding a hole puncher and making it easy for convenience stores to arrange on their hooks. The confidence behind the consumer satisfaction of the product is so high that bold claims are made even before one has yet to taste it. "Concentrated matcha (koi maccha)" and "100% rich cream matcha" are displayed proudly.

Vivid green matcha-filled Oreos greet you when you open the packet

Illustrations may be deceiving and more too often than not, many of us have been deceived by the promising advertisements of burgers with juicy, succulent beef patties, only to unwrap our order and find a small, miserable dry beef patty inadequate for the onerous task of sating our stomachs until the next mealtime. Crispy minuscle black oreo bits with the same vivid green matcha filling greet you when you open the packet. You catch a whiff of the distinctive aroma of rich matcha escaping from within and your brain begins to get excited. Nothing can go wrong with Japanese products, especially food, can they?

That exquisite little morsel of rich, creamy matcha oreo

Look at that. My goodness. Are you feeling hungry already? Time for the taste test. I pop one into my mouth and savour the moment, sinking my teeth into the crispy chocolate wafer and feeling the creamy matcha saturating my taste buds. One is not enough and I take another from the pack, disassembling it into its three constituents and licking the matcha cream off from the wafer this time. Delicious. Exquisite. I feel like I am in matcha heaven. The intensity of the matcha cream is overwhelming and hits you right after you pop one into your mouth. When paired with the crunchy Oreo wafer, it feels like the two were fated to be together, from the beginning. The Japanese have indeed delivered on their promise. Now to reach for another packet...

These look good too, don't you think?

The Green Tea Oreo Bits Sandwiches is another ingenious creation by Yamazaki Nabisco, the joint venture established between Japan's largest baking corporation, Yamazaki Baking and United States' Nabisco. They are also responsible for other decadent and exclusive-to-japan Oreo snacks such as the Oreo Green Tea Chocolate Bar and the Green Tea Milk Oreo Soft Cookies. I got this from the local Yamakawa Super store, which imports a wide range of Japanese confectionery. At two dollars a pack, it is not too pricey although I wonder how much it costs in Japan. I see US-imported Lays, M&M's, Mars and Snickers everywhere but not many Japanese snacks on the shelves. I wonder if it is a matter of the local consumers' tastes and preferences or an issue of the Japanese companies not mass-exporting their tidbits for overseas consumption.

Matcha Latte Oreo Bits Sandwiches

I heard that there is also a Matcha Latte variation of these Oreo Bits Sandwiches in Japan too. Although going by the reviews on Amazon, I might hesitate to eat it.

Would you like some Green Tea Ice-Cream Oreos from China?

Don't you wish if only there was a regular version of these bite-sized morsels? Well, If you are dropping by China, they also have some Green Tea Ice-Cream Oreos of their own too. I am unsure of how they taste although you could always give them a try...