Snacks

Twisties Fizz (Limited Edition)

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twisties fizz display

Twisties just came out with a limited edition (oh, these magical
words ;)) flavor to add to the existing Twisties line of snacks.
There’s a huge rack promoting the new Twisties Fizz in supermarkets.

twisties fizz display close

I don’t really like eating Twisties, but what got my attention was the Fizz
bit…it seems that this snack is effervescent! I couldn’t help it –
the unusual nature of the snack coupled with the “Limited Edition” tag
compelled me to purchase one.

twisties fizz pack

This is what Twisties Fizz looks like – it has a blue motif and
bubbles all around. There’s even a red mouth and tongue with
effervescent (excuse me, it’s the word of the day ;)) fizzy bubbles all
around it. To top it off, there’s a speech bubble going “aaaah…”,
with four (4) a’s.

twisties fizz howto

It must be good, I thought. It even has a how to guide at the back
to explain to the less intellectual ones amongst us the methodology
involved in enjoying this effervescent (sorry, I can’t help myself)
snack.

twisties fizz fizzzz

The actual implementation was rather disappointing though…I had to
finish the whole pack coz no one else would eat it – descriptions
ranged from “strange” to “Twisties are not supposed to taste like
that”. Twisties Fizz is actually orange flavored, with fizzing bits (look at the crystals).

It’s definitely an acquired taste and I can see why it’s Limited
Edition – I don’t think it would sell. It’s more of a novelty snack.

Newman’s Milk Chocolate TV Mix

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newmans tv mix choc

The most interesting about the TV Mix blue tins of chocolate from
Newman’s is the solid and well made build quality. The experience I’ve
always had with (suffix/prefix) TV snacks have always been slightly
disappointing with regarding to the aesthetics. Case in point: Arnott’s
TV Snacks with cardboard boxes. It shouldn’t need a fancy container,
really, coz it’s likely to be consumed while watching that episode of
The Sopranos, but still…

newmans tv mix latch

Newman’s, now, they went at it in a whole new approach. The Milk
Chocolate covered assorted TV Mix chocolates is housed in an impressive
Colonial style (actually I don’t know what art/masonry influence period
it came from, I just pulled that out of my ass) metal housing, complete
with a fully functional gold latching system that looks archaic, but
pleasing, at the same time.

newmans tv mix latch side

The latching gold piece with a hinge goes around the circumference
of the Newman’s milk chocolate TV Mix metal box and functions to secure
the container when it’s not supposed to be ajar. The latch piece and
cool metal box of these chocolate TV Snacks makes it a pleasure to just
put it on my lap for easy access whenever I wanted one of the chocolate
covered snacks.

newmans tv mix latch sys

The push down and flip up double action golden latch piece is
intuitive to use and did not cause any accessibility problems with the
chocolate. The solid feeling latch opens with a satisfying click and
flipped shut using the same mechanism too. The gold latch manages to
stay shut every time with no degradation in terms of wear and tear
despite the much higher than average times it was flipped open, just to
feel the latch and hear it go “Click!” 😉

newmans tv mix lid

The other thing which stands out in the Newman’s Milk Chocolate TV
Mix casing is the felt lined blue and red recessed top, seemingly to
isolate the ambient moisture from affecting the chocolate produce. It
looks normal on the outside, but the red and blue interior lid
poly/foam adapter goes flush against the four sides of the metal
container and the latch circumference when the lip is in a closed
position.

newmans tv mix pack

The Newman’s Milk Chocolate TV Mix opens up to reveal a wrapped
package of chocolate covered candy. Newman’s, in addition to making
precision custom containers, also makes chocolate, in case it slipped
anyone’s mind. Confectionary is their primary line of business.
Newman’s is an Australian brand, operating from Victoria; which
happened to be the same state I was staying in before I started
working, so I’m familiar with their product line. It tastes like
chocolate should…rich, creamy and (cloyingly) sweet. 😉

newmans tv mix open

I love the variety that the Newman’s TV Mix offers too – there are
several types of nuts (hazelnuts, almonds, etc.) covered with chocolate
and a few (I counted three) surprise non-nut item to add variety. It’s
one of the things you either love or hate.

I love licorice. 🙂

Giant Kobe Wine Pocky

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glico pocky kobe wine

This is the giant Pocky featuring the Rose Kobe Wine flavor that’s
only available in Japan. I’m told that each prefecture in Japan has its
own district exclusive coating that best describes the character of the
place.

P/S – Please ignore the underwear in the upper right hand corner on the photo.

glico pocky kobe wine logo

Going back to the regularly scheduled programming, the giant Pocky
contains 24 individually wrapped Pocky sticks. The huge box has “Pocky”
in gold font as well as stylized “Rose” lettering to indicate the
flavor.

glico pocky kobe wine pic

There is a logo on the box which indicates the special flavor of
this Pocky – Kobe Wine. For those who are not familiar with this
popular Asian snack produced by Glico, Pocky is a long and thin
biscuit, and comes in various flavors, with some only available in
certain areas, like this one.

glico pocky kobe wine 24 pax

The pink box has the number of Pocky sticks in the box written on the front of the box. 24 sticks.

glico pocky kobe wine side

The side of the box gives a hint on what is about to come – wrapped pink Pocky sticks.

glico pocky kobe wine nutrition

The other side has the nutritional information listed.

glico pocky kobe wine size

To show the impact of this gigantic Pocky box, here’s a size
comparison with a standard pack of cigarettes. It can go three up and 2
1/2 over. It’s that huge…

glico pocky kobe wine wrap

Opening up the box, the wrapper is pink, with gold lettering and graphics featuring the Kobe Wine theme.

glico pocky kobe wine 3

The graphics on the wrappers on the Kobe Wine Pocky sticks are
nicely detailed, starting with the Pocky label, with the regional
specific flavor (Kobe Wine), followed by a bottle of wine, a cork and
then a corkscrew…

glico pocky kobe wine open

The giant Kobe Wine Pocky has a purple-red hued coating and tastes like blueberries with a slight rose wine touch to it.

giant pocky

Download: Giant Pocky (Kobe Wine Flavor) [sixthseal.com]

Pocky makes for compulsive eating…you can’t just have one. 😉

Japanese choco mochi with peanut fillings

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ff mochi peanut trio

I got these from ff (see post below) during the weekend – it’s from
Japan, and since I can’t read the script, except the Romanized “choco”
word, I thought it would just be perfect for a sweet ending to the
dinner I just had. I’m in the habit of eating something sweet after a
salty meal…

ff mochi peanut single

Closer scrutiny reveals a photo of mochi – the glutinous rice based
food, and this looks a lot like the ones we eat at the paternal side of
the family during the festival. The maternal side makes it into a soup,
while we eat it dry, with either colored sugar (red), finely grounded
peanuts (optionally mixed with brown sugar) or both. There is an
outline of a peanut on the wrapper, so I figured I’m in for a treat.

ff mochi peanut open

There are two wrappers – the outer decorative one the inner
protective one, which reveals a confectionary that looks like toffee. I
took a bite of it…

ff mochi peanut bite

…and it has that melt-in-your mouth, saliva inducing soft and
chewy texture of mochi together with a peanut jelly filling which
tastes like peanuts. The integration of different and unexpected
textures is impressive – I couldn’t help but eat all of them.

It tastes more like toffee than chocolate, but they’re both cool with me, so it’s all good. 🙂

Anyway, I’m going to pack now – will be going on the 7 am flight out
of Kuching tomorrow and I’ll be staying at Cititel Hotel, Mid Valley
(the one just beside it) while I’m in KL.

Big nuts

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japan big nuts

I have a bag of really big nuts. No, it’s not what you think, but
thanks, I have a set of really big nuts too. 😉 I’ve been told that I’m
a little nuts as well, but that’s besides the point and the wordplay is
getting cheesy.

japan big nuts logo

The product I’m referring to though is this bag of big assorted
nuts. It’s made in Japan and retails for RM 19.50 for a large packet of
individually wrapped assorted nuts. I brought it to the office today.

japan big nuts five

The packaging on these snacks is very aesthetically pleasing, as
with most products originating from Japan. The packs are ingeniously
shaped like a pyramid, and opening it makes the packet “flat” for
easier extraction of nuts. There are five different varieties of nuts
and snacks in the pack.

japan big nuts green

The first packet is green and since I can’t read Japanese, I can’t
say for sure what kind of nuts it contains, but inference from taste
and sight suggest that it’s not a common nut.

japan big nuts green nuts

Here’s a look inside the green packet. I’m not sure what this
particular variety of nut is called…I’ve had them before, and it’s
not cashew nuts, peanuts, macadamia nuts or pistachios. It’s a crumbly
sort of nut with a lingering texture that sticks after you’re done
chewing them.

japan big nuts pink

The second packet is pink and the nuts on the packet illustration shows a familiar sight.

japan big nuts pink nuts

It’s peanuts with a twist – the nuts are coated with a sweet and
sticky substance and have dried seaweed (nori) pieces on it. It tastes
good, nori and peanuts naturally go well together.

japan big nuts yellow

This is the yellow pack and it’s the first to feature a non-nut product.

japan big nuts yellow nuts

The contents feature deep fried rice puffs with the same sweet
coating that’s on the peanuts pack. This is the best one from the pack.

japan big nuts blue

Next up is the blue colored pack, which contains another non-nut product.

japan big nuts blue nuts

It’s filled with long snacks which tastes really bland. It’s also
made from deep fried rice based flour and has bits of what seems like
peanut skin in it. Unlike the other pack contents, this one is neither
salty nor sweet…it’s just…bland.

japan big nuts orange

The last pack is orange colored and it’s a mix of nuts and snacks.

japan big nuts orange nuts

There are plain salted peanuts inside as well as deep fried salty
rice sticks. It’s a nice, if common, integration of nuts and snacks.

There are some good offerings in the big nuts pack, but the best
thing about the snack pack is in the presentation – it just looks good.
🙂

Samjin Mochi Ginseng Pie

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samjin mochi ginseng pie

Samjin is a South Korea based confectionary manufacturer which has a
line of Choco Mochi Cake as their signature line. Mochi is a made with
glutinous rice and comes in a deliciously chewy texture. It’s a
traditional Korean and Japanese snack.

ginseng mochi pie

My parents went to Korea for a vacation recently and bought back
several packs of Samjin Choco Mochi Cakes. It’s supposed to dominate
the market share in mochi confectionary in Korea. My favorite one is
the Ginseng Mochi Cake.

ginseng mochi slice

Ginseng Mochi Cake comes in a box containing five individually wrapped packs of the “Ginseng Pie”. The promotional spiel goes ‘Ginseng
Mochi Cake’ is enhanced in its taste as inserting Ginseng cream mixed
with extracts and powder from world famous Korean Ginseng in a rice cake, which doesn’t exactly make much grammatical sense. 😉

ginseng mochi wrapper

Samjin products are currently only sold in souvenir shops in Korea
and it’s surprisingly addictive. I’ve had the regular ones and the
Ginseng ones and while both have a wonderful chewy texture that makes
it impossible to eat just one, I like the Ginseng Pie better.

ginseng mochi inside

The interesting thing about Samjin Choco Mochi cakes is that the
chocolate is beige and crumbly…there’s a filling covered by the chewy
mochi and covered with chocolate. The Ginseng Mochi Cake has Korean
Ginseng added. I brought several boxes over and realized that I’ve
absently eaten one after another continuously…it’s really that good!

Mmm…chewy. 😉

Nescafe Ice review

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nescafe ice can

Nescafe Ice is the newest lineup in the canned drinks portfolio of
Nestle Nescafe brand of coffee products. Nescafe already has a canned
drink range, in the slimmer and taller canned and ready to drink form
factor, with a variety of flavors. Nescafe Ice is the new product that
conforms to the standard 330 ml canned format.

nescafe ice deep chill

Nescafe Ice is the latest product in the Nescafe drinks line to jump
on the X Ice bandwagon. It is marketed as Nescafe coffee with a “deep
chill sensation”, which is a phrase for making “it contains mint” sound
better. 😉

nescafe ice mint

Nescafe Ice has mint added to it like all the other X Ice products
out there. However, it is the first non-carbonated canned drink in
Malaysia to add mint and the “Ice” suffix to it. It does have a mint
aftertaste to it, which can be pleasant on a hot day, but still, coffee
is coffee. Nescafe Ice doesn’t offer anything new, but it’s a
refreshing drink…

Nescafe Ice is great for those who want the convenience of coffee in a
can. Personally, I drink a lot of coffee (not the euphemism, coffee
coffee) in a working day, and I like the mint aftertaste, so I consider
it a great addition to Nescafe’s canned drinks portfolio.

Chocolate umbrellas

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chocolate umbrella canopy

I noticed this whimsical chocolate umbrella display in a grocery
shop just now. There are two different colored display umbrellas
housing arrays of smaller chocolate umbrellas underneath the canopy.

chocolate umbrella ribbon

The chocolate umbrellas come in two flavors – strawberry cream and
orange cream. It retails for RM 1.50 each. These mini replica umbrellas
have a hooked handle and a tapering cone, making it look like an
unopened umbrella. It comes with a pretty ribbon to boot. 😉

chocolate umbrella wrapper

Upon removing the wrapper, I found another paper-foil wrapped around
the chocolate umbrella. These things are called gizitas umbrella
chocolate & (orange or strawberry) cream.

chocolate umbrella shiny

The unwrapping of the second layer reveals a shiny cone of
chocolate, with a plastic base that acts as a handle and also doubles
as a decor.

chocolate umbrella inside

The strawberry cream and orange cream chocolate umbrellas taste
pretty much the same to me. It’s an Indonesian product, and you know
what their chocolate tastes like, no offence. 😉 The chocolate umbrella
is made up of a cream center, followed by a layer of wafer, which is
filled with actual sugar granules (!), followed by another layer of
wafer, which is then coated with chocolate.

It’s nothing to write home about. I just thought the chocolate umbrella display was interesting. 🙂

Wall’s Paddle Pop Hip Hop Jelly

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walls paddle pop hip hop jelly

Hip Hop Jelly is the latest variant of the Wall’s Paddle Pop series
of iced confectionary and it offers something unique – it’s not ice
cream.

paddlepop hip hop jelly

It goes for RM 1 each, in line with the Paddle Pop pricing structure, which has always targeted children as it’s primary market.

hip hop jelly wobble

The Paddle Pop Hip Hop Jelly is described as an apple and peach
flavored ice confection, but the thing that makes it stand out is
it’s…well, malleable nature.

hip hop jelly

Download: Hip Hop Jelly [sixthseal.com]

Look at Mr. Happy. 😉 In short, it’s very flexible. I imagine a lot
of fun can be derived from shaking said ice confectionary by its
primary target market. It doesn’t lose its structural integrity by
being shaken. That’s probably where the “hip hop” name comes from – it
wobbles instead…

hip hop jelly china

Hip Hop Jelly is made in China and seems to be made primarily from
jelly and a lot of air bubbles. The inside is made up of an unknown
substance which seems to be a cross between jello and ice.

hip hop jelly inside

The jelly tastes surprisingly good too…the apple and peach flavors
is very thirst quenching and I had five of the Paddle Pop Hip Hop
Jellies in a row. It’s a hot day, and these things are fun to eat.

Tiny mandarin oranges

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tiny mandarin oranges bag

These are mini mandarin oranges in a netting bag that Penny brought
to the office. These tiny mandarin oranges usually comes into season
about these time of the year and is smaller than the usual mandarin
oranges that are traditionally available for Chinese New Year.

tiny mandarin orange

These mandarin oranges are really small and some comes with the stalk and leaf still attached to it.

tiny mandarin orange size

Here’s a RM 0.10 coin to show the size of these tiny oranges. I’ve seen oranges the size of limes, but these comes pretty close.

tiny mandarin orange open

The skin peels off easily and the orange segments are seedless and
wonderfully sweet. I’m not a big fan of oranges (or citrus fruits, or
any fruits, come to think of it), but these are nice and sweet.

Anyway, I’ll be going to Bintulu tomorrow on a business trip. I’ll
be leaving in the morning and coming back in the evening. It’s another
presentation. Wish me luck!

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