Bokksu Snack Box – September 2019 Review

Like most gamers, and people; I’m a huge fan of snacks. Little bags of crispy love have kept me going on numerous absurdly long Destiny raids. The only thing better than having loads of snacks around is having exotic snacks you’ve never tried before, and many people have stepped in to fill this need. You can subscribe to a massive variety of monthly snack boxes from all countries of the world. I’ve tried a few, and while I did enjoy them, I never felt it was really worth the price. Will Bokksu fall into the same category?

Bokksu specializes in Japanese treats and applies an interesting and cultural theme to each monthly release. Loaded with various treats, and at least one type of tea, Bokksu promises a wonderfully diverse box every month, curated by people who know the Japanese treat market front and back. This month was “Moon Festival” or “Tsukimi”. Also known as “Jugoya”, this festival honors the autumn moon and brings with it loads of moon-inspired snacks and foodstuffs.

Firstly, I want to highlight how impressive the box and presentation itself is. The box was shipped in a very protective bubble wrap and arrived with no damage present. The snack box itself is much higher quality than others I’ve tried. Trading the basic cardboard you tear open for a well-made gift style box. The printing, labelling, and construction are really fantastic. I may end up keeping it as a storage box afterwards.

Inside was a nice thank you message and a large, full color, 24-page book absolutely packed with info on the snacks, the theme, and Japanese culture itself. Personally, I love to learn more about each item’s origin or other cultural details surrounding it. I learned quite a few interesting things from the booklet, which I think is a nice change of pace to the usual info included in these boxes. I assume most people who are interested in Japanese snacks are also interested in the culture, so this is a welcome bonus.

First up was a packet of Funwari Meijin Mochi Puffs. These were delicious, sugar roasted soybean coated treats. They had a texture that I have difficulties describing…like a cross between a puffy Cheeto and cotton candy. The flavor was a unique combination similar to sweet peanut butter and chocolate, with slight molasses notes.

Next, I was greeted by a small circular man with his arms crossed near a large pepper grinder. These were Usuyaki Shokunin Chibisuke of the consomme black pepper variety. They had a crispy, cracker-like texture and tasted of roasted corn and freshly cracked black pepper.

Then I tried the Okashinai Cheese Manju. These tasty little cakes are filled with a fresh, sweet milk flavored cheese, very similar to cheesecake in texture.

Finally, something I recognized, Mitarashi Mochi. This mochi is one of the best-packaged mochi treats I’ve personally ever tried. The mochi was fresh, soft, slightly chewy…a completely unique texture that words don’t do justice describing. The flavor, while described as sweet soy sauce, has no soy sauce flavor detectable to me, but that isn’t to say this is not a very tasty little treat!

Reaching down a bit more I snagged Chocolate Azuki Beans and Usagi Chocolate Ball. The chocolate azuki beans were great, with a texture not unlike fudge, and a flavor similar to peanut butter. The Usagi chocolate balls had a very thick sugar layer on the outside, with a texture reminiscent of a gumball, then sweet, smooth chocolate on the inside.

Next on the flavor journey was a different version of the classic Black Sesame Genmai Rice Cracker: Honey Soy Sauce flavor. The coating on the outside was like a sweet teriyaki sauce, but the flavor of the cracker was a deep, dark roasted sesame and rice flavor.

Looking at me in a cute yellow packaging was the Gudetama Golden Pack: Tamago KakeGohan Flavor. These are basically large cheese puffs without the cheese flavoring. They are flavored, according to Bokksu, like “tamago kake gohan” which features rice, soy sauce and a raw egg stirred into it. The taste is hard to describe but they have a slight soy sauce, a hint of egg, and an almost ramen-like umami flavor. Overall, a very enjoyable treat!

In a black stylish bag with a beer on the cover was OFU Smoked Crackers and Peanuts: Fukairi Shichimi Seven-Spice. Now, I’m going to be honest with you all. I am not a big fan of spicy foods. The flavor of these was nice: a bit smoky, a bit salty. But the heat these pack was too strong for my taste buds! If you’re a fan of spice, you’ll love this treat.

Next was the Hakata Mitsuki: Delicious Cheese Financier Cake and Manju. The name is true: these are delicious! The cake is light, and reminiscent of angel food cake, and is filled with a tasty, cheesecake-like filling.

Nure-Agesen: Katsuo + Ume Flavor was unlike anything I’ve ever tried before. These are rice crackers, but they have a texture more similar to meat or tofu. They are strongly fishy, similar to shrimp crackers or fish jerky. An acquired taste, for sure, but a very enjoyable one.

Finally for the drinks. Organic Drip Tea: Full Moon Tea and Kuromame Black Bean Tea were the teas in this month’s box. The Full Moon tea, named due to how the leaves are harvested within the 7 days before the full moon, is a pleasant and smooth green tea. Does the harvesting practice add to the flavor? Not sure, but it wasn’t bad by any standard. The more interesting of the two, the Kuramame bean tea is a new one for me. Simply drop the black beans into a cup of boiling water and they will release a pleasant tea flavor into the cup. After you’ve finished drinking, you can then actually eat the beans for a warm, soft ending to your tea. Very different, and actually pretty good!

Finally my personal favorite of the bunch. The barbecue flavored “Scone” treat is very similar to the well-known western chip brand Cheetos. With the same shape and crunch, the real stand out here was the wonderful smokey and sweet flavor of the bbq. Not quite the usual flavor we have here, there was definitely something different going on, and I thoroughly enjoyed it.

Overall I must say that Bokksu knocked it out of the park. It is by far the most well put together, well presented, and thoughtfully combined snack box I’ve ever tried, mixing not only tasty snacks and interesting teas but also an insight into the culture and monthly themes. The amount of care and information included with each box shows a huge amount of passion. It’s a great item for anyone interested in Japanese culture and of course food.

Another impressive detail was how much info they provide about each item included in the box. Everything from how it’s made to where it originated. The included booklet is loaded with information. What better treats to pair with a cosy afternoon of gaming. I plan on doing this myself with the bit I still have left over.

If you’d like to give Bokksu a try, head over to their official site and sign up!

The ‘classic’ box was provided by Bokksu for review on ConsoleMonster.com.

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Justin Ortiz

Introduced to video games when he was only five, after dying somewhere around four thousand times while playing Star Tropics, he never looked back. Some of his favorites range from titles like Shenmue and Metal Gear Solid 3 to Half-Life 2, Manhunt, and the Dark Souls series. Justin has a passion for vinyl records, and loves to collect video game memorabilia. If he had one wish, it would be to travel back to 1984 Miami.

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