Snack Attack: The Hunger Games: Catching Fire Chocolates

The Hunger Games: Catching Fire Chocolates

Around the time The Hunger Games: Catching Fire movie came out in theaters (I know, this was awhile ago! >.<), I stumbled across a display of chocolates inspired by the 12 districts of Panem at my campus bookstore.

Chocolate Display

It was a little strange that The Hunger Games collaborated with a luxury chocolatier brand because most of the characters live in starvation, but it wasn't the first time the franchise created a promo around food. (*cough* Subway *cough*) These chocolates were made by Wild Ophelia, a company known for making some unconventional chocolate flavors. The display only had chocolates from 6 of the districts, while the other 6 flavors were released around the time Catching Fire came out on DVD and Blu-ray. After looking over all the flavors, I decided to try the chocolates from District 7 and District 10.

Nutrition Information and Description

The Hunger Games: Catching Fire Chocolate Bar

 DISTRICT 7 LUMBER: Smoked Chipotle Chili and Milk Chocolate

Flavor Profile (from the back of the package): "Ripe jalapenos become a chipotle chili through the process of smoking in an enclosed oven, infusing the peppers with the hearty, earthy flavor of the lumber. The wood-fired taste radiates from the chili pepper and each bite of this deep milk chocolate bar leaves a warm, zinging sensation on the tip of your tongue." 

District 7 Lumber: Smoked Chipotle Chili and Milk Chocolate

I really enjoyed this chocolate bar, but I'm partial to chili in my chocolate. When you first bite into it, you taste the sweet, creamy 41% Cacao Milk Chocolate, then get tiny bursts of saltiness accompanied with a very slight crunch (due to the alder smoked salt). I don't know about getting a "zinging sensation on the tip of your tongue" but I definitely felt the heat at the back of my throat. It slowly builds to a powerful kick. Out of the two bars, this one was my favorite by far.

DISTRICT 10 LIVESTOCK: Beef Jerky & Smoked Mesquite and Milk Chocolate

Flavor Profile (from the back of the package): "Our beef jerky comes from cattle treated humanely and raised in lush, green pastures. Natural, smoked fruit woods and peppered spices linger in each bite. The salty, smoky mesquite flavor of our jerky matches our rich milk chocolate perfectly - an idyllic combination."

District 10 Livestock: Beef Jerky & Smoked Mesquite and Milk Chocolate

Now I mainly bought this one out of curiosity. I mean - how many chocolate bars have you ever seen with beef jerky?? It sounded like such a weird combination and I can say for a fact that it is very weird. When you first open the package, you immediately smell something off - kind of like smoke. When you take a bite, you're hit with that smokiness along with a smell of - what else but - beef jerky. This chocolate bar was made with the same 41% Cacao Milk Chocolate as the District 7 bar so you get the same sweet, creamy flavor. There's also crunchy little bits of salt in this bar too, but this time, it's from sea salt. When the chocolate has fully melted away in your mouth, you're left with teeny tiny bits of jerky to chew on. Really odd! If you look really closely at the lower left corner of the picture above, you can see a tiny piece of the beef jerky. I can't say I enjoyed this bar and I definitely would not buy this again, but it was certainly an adventure for the taste buds - albeit an unpleasant one!

Did any of you, Adventurers, come across these chocolate bars? Let me know about your experience in the comments below.

Snack Attack: Special Koala no March Cookie Flavors

Japanese snacks fascinate me. Not only are they delicious, but they also come in rare, limited edition flavors. If you guys have been following my blog, you know I'm quite obsessed with Pocky. (You can read my posts about special Pocky flavors here and here.) I'm also totally obsessed with Koala no March cookies, which are crunchy koala-shaped cookies commonly filled with chocolate or strawberry filling. Occasionally, I'll find limited edition flavors at Japanese markets like Mitsuwa or Marukai and it takes every. ounce. of. my. willpower. not to buy them all! I did cave and try two of the specialty flavors though.

CREAMY CAFFELLATTE

Koala no March - Creamy Caffellatte

The first flavor was "Creamy Caffellatte." When I first opened the package, I noticed a strong coffee smell.

Koala no March - Creamy Caffellatte Cookies

If you've ever seen these cookies, you know how adorable each koala is! They each have different outfits, facial expressions, and poses. I love the ones that are dressed in traditional Asian clothes. The ones with a baby koala are also very kawaii~

Koala no March - Creamy Caffellatte Cookie (Inside)

Creamy Caffellatte had a strong coffee flavor. They were sweet with a slightly bitter coffee taste and an artificial vanilla creaminess.

COCOA & VANILLA ICE

Koala no March - Cocoa & Vanilla Ice

The other flavor I tried was "Cocoa & Vanilla Ice." It said "Cocoa & Vanilla Ice" on the English nutrition label on the back, but you can see ice cream on the package.

Koala no March - Cocoa & Vanilla Ice Cookies

These cookies had a chocolate outer shell that didn't taste chocolatey.

Koala no March - Cocoa & Vanilla Ice Cookies (Inside)

They smelled like vanilla and had a very sweet vanilla cream center. The cookies were sort of like ice cream with little crunchy "chocolate" bits - a clever execution of the ice cream concept, for sure, but I wish it had more chocolate flavor.

Koala no March - Barcode

These cookies were still super cute though! Just look at the barcode! Alas, I wish I could try more flavors!  

:: BONUS:: KOALA NO MARCH ORNAMENTS

Koala no March Cookie Ornaments

As a bonus, check out these Koala no March ornaments I ordered online! They're the exact size of actual cookies and are now my favorite Christmas ornaments! I like the ninja the best.

What special flavors of Koala no March have you tried? Feel free to let me know what snacks you're addicted to in the comments below!

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Disclaimer: All products were purchased by me with my own money. The thoughts and opinions expressed in this blog post are my own.

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Snack Attack: Hello Kitty Snacks

If you guys couldn't tell from some of my previous posts, I'm a HUGE fan of Hello Kitty. (My all-time favorite character is still Pochacco though. I miss seeing a section for him at Sanrio. :S ) Every so often, I come across Hello Kitty's face in the form of snacks. Seriously, if you slap her face on almost anything, I'm tempted to get it. No joke!

Hello Kitty Rice Crackers

Hello Kitty Rice Crackers

I came across these at my local Asian supermarket and thought they were too cute to pass up. They were only $1.99.

Hello Kitty Rice Cracker Packets

I loved how each little packet had a picture of Hello Kitty.

Hello Kitty Rice Cracker

The rice crackers were light and crunchy with a hint of sweetness and the slightly salty taste of soy sauce - much like regular rice crackers. My brother claimed they tasted "just like [his] childhood." (We used to eat rice crackers a lot growing up.)

Hello Kitty Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Treats

Hello Kitty Cookie Dough Candy

I am across these at Big Lots and wanted to try them simply because Hello Kitty was on the package. (If she weren't on the box, I wouldn't have even given these treats a second glance. My Hello Kitty addiction strikes again!)

Hello Kitty Cookie Dough Candy Pieces

These were chocolate-covered cookie dough pieces. I was surprised these were actually soft like actual cookie dough. For some reason, I imagined they were going to be harder like baked cookies. The package said they're egg-free so there's no risk of salmonella poisoning and no need to refrigerate this candy. There's actually tiny chocolate chips mixed in with the cookie dough even though you can't see any in the cross section. I thought the first few candies I ate were good, but quickly got tired of them because they're pretty sweet. They seem like they'd make a good Yogurtland topping though.

Hello Kitty Pez

Hello Kitty Pez

Growing up, I wasn't a big fan of Pez. I knew it existed but actually didn't get to try it until middle school. Interestingly, that was the first and last time I ate Pez. The candy itself vaguely reminded me of Smarties and the dispenser freaked me out a little because you have to bend the character's head backwards for the candy to come out. Despite all this, I couldn't resist these Hello Kitty Pez dispensers at Big Lots. There were a few other designs in the set, but there were some paint imperfections so I didn't get them.

I know Hello Kitty snacks are everywhere. There's a Hello Kitty version of Yan Yan and even Hello Kitty Choco Pie. What interesting Hello Kitty snacks have you come across?

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Disclaimer: All products were purchased by me with my own money. The thoughts and opinions expressed in this blog post are my own.
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Snack Attack: Exotic Pocky Flavors (Part 2)

Here's Part 2 of my Pocky adventure! If you missed out on my first post about exotic Pocky flavors, check it out HERE. To be honest, these next few flavors seem less "exotic" and more "uncommon."

SWEET MILK

Pocky - Sweet Milk

Sweet Milk Pocky tasted like sweet vanilla cream. I can't recall if I've ever had a regular vanilla-flavored Pocky, but I imagine it must taste similar to this.

Sweet Milk Pocky Packet

Once again, the package is adorable. I can't tell if those white objects are supposed to be crowns or splashes of milk, but I'm leaning toward splashes of milk. :P

Sweet Milk Pocky

CARAMEL MILK

Pocky - Caramel Milk

Caramel Milk Pocky had a strange flavor that I didn't particularly like. I had high hopes because I love caramel, but this one was really sweet (almost like frosting) and had very little caramel flavor.

Caramel Milk Pocky - Front

The packet had a card game on it though! You choose if you want the top, middle, or bottom card and then flip over the packet to see what card you picked.

Caramel Milk Pocky Packet - Back

I can't read Japanese so I'm not sure what the objective of the game is, but if someone can translate what it says, I'd really appreciate it. :)

PRALINE

Pocky - Praline

Praline Pocky is part of Pocky's Mousse flavors. The only reason I know it's "Praline" is because the flavor was translated on the nutrition facts label. x]

Praline Pocky Packet

There were 4 packets of 3 sticks in the box.

Praline Pocky Sticks

I found this flavor to be too sweet. There was a slight caramel/praline flavor, but it seemed like it was just covered in frosting.

MINT CHOCOLATE (I had to save the best for last!)

Pocky - Mint Chocolate

Mint Chocolate Pocky has to be my all-time favorite Pocky! If you've ever had Thin Mint Girl Scout Cookies, they taste exactly the same! (I absolutlely adore Thin Mints!)

Mint Chocolate Pocky Packet

On the outside, they look just like regular chocolate Pocky, but there's a nice minty flavor that isn't too strong or too light.

Mint Chocolate Pocky Stick

As you can see, this looks like a regular chocolate Pocky stick, but if you look closely, this particular stick has a little extra chocolate on the tip. My brother jokingly called it a "tumor." The other sticks were normal fortunately (or unfortunately... who wouldn't mind extra chocolate? :P).

So here ends my Pocky Snack Attack! In addition to the Pocky flavors I blogged about, I've tried Tiramisu Pocky, Almond Crush Pocky, and a few others, but sadly, I didn't take any pictures before eating them. If I come across them again in the future, I'll see if I can grab some pictures to show you all. :) What interesting Pocky flavors have you tried?

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Disclaimer: All products were purchased by me with my own money. The thoughts and opinions expressed in this blog post are my own.
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Snack Attack: Exotic Pocky Flavors (Part 1)

Pocky is a common treat eaten in manga and anime. It's basically a cookie-like stick covered in a sweet-flavored outer coating. Most of us are familiar with the chocolate and strawberry varieties*, but did you know Pocky comes in a bazillion other flavors!?

Over the years, I've had the privilege to try some of these more exotic flavors. Almost all of these were bought from local Asian supermarkets like Mitsuwa and Marukai, which seem to rotate flavors and have something new every time I visit. I have no idea if Glico (the makers of Pocky) still even make the flavors I'm showing you guys since I purchased them awhile ago, but I thought it'd be fun to blog about them anyway.

MIX BERRY

Pocky - Mix Berry

Mix Berry Pocky tastes exactly like it sounds. It had a sweet berry flavor and fragrant berry scent. I particularly liked how they were packaged.

Mix Berry Pocky Sticks

BLUEBERRY

Pocky - Blueberry

The box of Blueberry Pocky claims to have 8% "Blueberry Flake." A bit of researching revealed that "tsubu tsubu" is the sound effect for grinding so there's supposed to be real blueberry bits in this Pocky.

Blueberry Pocky Sticks

These Pocky had a pleasant blueberry aroma and flavor. It reminded me of blueberry-flavored breakfast cereal. As you can see from the picture, there appears to be actual bits of blueberry attached to each stick.

PUMPKIN

Pocky - Pumpkin

Pumpkin Pocky appeared some time in the Fall when pumpkin-flavored snacks were popular.

Pumpkin Pocky Packet

The packaging was adorable!

Pumpkin Pocky Sticks

But honestly, I wasn't a fan of this flavor. It had a strange sweetness and I couldn't detect any pumpkin flavor. However, there was this vague "pastiness" that you would get from real pumpkin. How weird that it had the texture of pumpkin but not the flavor!

There's a few more flavors I'll be blogging about so stayed tuned!
(Update 8/8/13: To read Part 2, please click HERE.)

(*As a sidenote, if you haven't tried Pocky, you can find the chocolate and strawberry versions in your local Walmart in the Asian foods aisle! These delicious gems are no longer limited to Asian supermarkets. :])

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Disclaimer: All products were purchased by me with my own money. The thoughts and opinions expressed in this blog post are my own.
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