Bontan Ame - Citrus Rice Candy

Bontan Ame Citrus Flavor Chewy Rice Candy

Growing up in Vancouver, Canada I had one of the largest Chinatown districts at my fingertips, on any chosen day. Mind you, most of those days were rainy. Anyhow, at the age of eight or nine I came across the most bizarre candy. This was unlike anything I had seen before as there were foreign Asian scribes and a cartoon animal adorning the rectangular box. I believe this candy promised a toy inside so that was probably the main reason I bought it. When I opened the box I found some brown/orange caramel looking chews individually wrapped in the thinnest of thin films. Trying to remove that film proved impossible and it in fact melted on my damp, sweaty, excited child fingers. "How does plastic melt?" I asked myself. I was reluctant to eat the candy at that point so I decided to consult with a expert in these matters, my older brother. To my surprise he had known of these candies for some time and let me in on these hidden gems.

Fast forward a few decades and I find myself living in Japan where strange and unique candy is commonplace. From Wasabi Kit Kat bars to Genghis Khan Roasted Lamb Flavored Caramel, I have pretty much seen it all. In fact, since moving here I have had no time to think about my first Asian candy treat...until today.

The Bontan Ame rice candies have always been standing on the store shelves in plain sight of me however I always overlooked them as some no-name, low budget fruity caramel. It was a customer of napaJapan who asked me to bring them in a few weeks ago. As with all customer requests, I took interest in getting more information about the product and finding a good supplier. I bought a pack to have a look and nearly screamed with excitement when I found out what Bontan Ame actually was...my long lost Chinatown rice chews!

I believe Bontan Ame was distributed in North America as Botan (without the first n) and may have been produced in China. The Japanese original version does not come with a toy and it is actually available in pineapple too (Okinawa version.) The box design is very different from the import product I remember but the candy flavor is quite similar. Let's finally look at that now...

Notice the rice paper wrapping and fine rice powder on each chew. This outer wrap has very little flavor and when you first pop it in your mouth it feels like you are sucking on plastic. After about 10 seconds the film dissolves and the sweet citrus flavor fills your mouth. The consistency of the chew is similar to the inside of a very soft jellybean. It doesn't stick to your teeth like caramel does and the entire 5 gram candy can be consumed in a about a minute if chewed well.

The entire package contains 239 Calories and 0 grams of fat. It is a very satisfying candy and quite different than standard products on the marketplace. I would recommend this to everyone. In fact, it would make a very unique and well-received gift for anyone special in your life who has a sweet-tooth. If you haven't already clicked the link to the product you can do it HERE.

I encourage you to send me a message if there is a candy out there you are desperately seeking. We may just be able to track it down for you. I want you to have that same feeling I did when I rediscovered Bontan Ame again.

Happy Snacking!

Pocky Panda - Cookie & Cream

Pocky Panda Cookie & Cream sold at napaJapan

Besides the clever and attractive box design there is one unique feature about this most recent Pocky release that some fans may notice immediately. Hint: Before you read on only look at 20% of the product and you will figure it out. Yes, Glico has produced a cocoa chocolate stick, something Meiji's Fran has been sporting for some time. Let's open up the package and take a closer look...

Displaying a handful of the 15 sticks sealed in the cute plastic bag.

There is a single inner bag that contains the 13 cm sticks and it is decorated with a dozen pandas in different poses. This format is considered a mini Pocky as it contains 33 grams of product which is almost the equivalent as a standard Kit Kat bar (36 grams.) The cocoa chocolate cookie sticks are a dark brown color. The white (cream) chocolate that surrounds 80% of the stick has chocolate cookie bits embedded throughout.

To experience the whole flavor profile I first licked the chocolate off the tip of one stick. It had an Oreo white filling icing flavor. The mini embedded cookie bits also tasted like Oreo though they were very small crumbs. The actual cocoa cookie stick was very flavorful and didn't carry the gagging sweetness that some chocolate cookies do. Because of this the creamy white chocolate coating complimented the stick wonderfully. It is best to bite these and chew the flavors together and not lick off the chocolate.

This is not a flavor that will wow you but it is different enough just due to the cocoa cookie stick introduction. Also, the packaging is done so well both on the outside and inside. This product would make a great gift, Halloween treat, or stocking stuffer. There must be some panda lovers or Pocky fans in your life. Or why don't you give them a try and let us know what you think.

The autumn candy season has just begun. Look forward to many new reviews of fun and interesting Japanese candy products here on our blog. Or you can follow up on Facebook and Twitter. Just click the word links in the previous sentence.

If you have any ideas of products you would like to see us carry, please contact us HERE.

Happy Snacking!