Pocky: Kiwi Fruit

I love the seemingly endless flavors Glico pumps Pocky out in. No matter how many of them I try, there is always something new and different. I came across these kiwi Pockys on my last trip to New York City. I had seen them on J-List that same day, and was lucky enough that they pretty much fell into my lap while walking through Kam Man Foods on Canal Street.



These Pocky have the classic biscuit coated in what I am assuming is white chocolate (the label is in Japanese, so I can't be sure). The chocolate coating is a greenish shade that is indeed the perfect color match to an actual kiwi. The chocolate is also studded with little darker green bits -- bits of kiwi, I would assume.

The smell was a little off-putting. It smells like sour melon -- or maybe kiwi left out in the sun too long. It's the kind of smell that makes you wonder if it's something you shouldn't eat. But then a weird thing happens...that same smell starts to smell good. Not sure how that happens, but it does.



The Pocky in the box are divided into four individual pouches of five sticks each. Nice lunch box or Bento sized portion! I like when Pocky is packaged like this because it not only helps control portion size (OK, my self control is often not that strong, but it sounded good, right?) but it keeps the Pocky that you don't eat right away nice and fresh.



We now know what it smells like and that it's fresh...so what does it taste like?

Believe it or not, it tastes like real kiwi! I have never dipped pieces of actual kiwi in chocolate, but I have a feeling that if I did, it would taste pretty darn close to this. The fruit has that nice sweet, yet tart edge that kiwi has. (Yes, it does sort of taste like a cross between a strawberry and a banana -- just as kiwi does.). The white chocolate adds a nice milky contrast. The biscuit balances everything by keeping the sweetness of the fruit from being too much, and keeps the chocolate from overpowering the kiwi. It also adds a nice crunch.

This may just be my favorite fruit flavored Pocky yet!

Be sure to check out Jim's review of them here.



PURCHASED FROM:
I purchased mine from Kam Man Foods in New York City, but my friends at J-List also carry it... so be sure to check them out!

Pocky Mikan

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Glico Walky Walky- Dark Chocolate

At first I couldn't decide if Walky Walky was just for people who found Pocky a Little too pocky...
And then once I opened the really cute packaging- it looks like a little to-go coffee cup- I started to think that maybe it was for people who like they're candy to resemble rabbit pellets. It is not often I take actual product photos but here you go folks:


You know if rabbit pellets taste as good as Walky Walky I am in trouble!

The walky (walki?) are roughly the size of Chiclets's. The candy's are your standard pocky biscuit enrobed in dark chocolate. The chocolate if I am not mistaken is the same dark chocolate used on the Men's Pocky. They have just the right amount of sweetness and crunch. To really get any hit of flavor you need to eat a few pellets at a time. One by one they are a little weak but together they are just right.

For a new twist on an old favorite I liked them.


PURCHASED FROM:
Sunrise Market NYC

Glico Dessert Pocky- Chocolate Banana

I wonder if chocolate covered banana's are what King Kong gives to his girlfriend before a hot date?
I don't know why I wondered that, it's just one of those things that run through my mind when I probably should be working.

What I liked about this Pocky right off the bat is that it smells like Circus Peanuts. And since I am one of five people alive on the planet who like Circus Peanuts I considered this a good thing.

The sticks themselves are first dipped in a thick layer of banana flavored fondant. Again, it really does remind me of a Circus Peanut. The banana is then topped with a heavy drizzle of milk chocolate. Not only does it look lacy but it adds an interesting bit of texture.

All in all these were good- I think they are the Dessert Pocky I have liked the most.

PURCHASED FROM:
Kam Man Market NYC

Glico Halloween Pocky

Am I really late for this Halloween or really early for Halloween 2009?
In either case I don't think you are going to regret my timing.
The Halloween Pocky (which comes in a very cute popcorn style container) is supposedly a pumpkin flavored Pocky.

I say supposedly because if you made me blind taste it, I would never, ever have guessed that I was supposed to be looking for pumpkin flavor. No my friends what it smells like is vaguely fruity, fake butter. And what it tastes like it salty fake butter. You know how movie theater popcorn can sometimes smell so salty and strong it's almost chemically?- that describes the taste perfectly.
Did I miss something? Has anyone had it and they really thought it tasted like pumpkin? Should I be worried that while it never stops being gross the taste does grow on you?

PURCHASED FROM:
Kam Man Market NYC

Pocky Mousse- Tiramisu

OK even I am starting to think I need a Pocky 12 step program!

Tiramisu when done right is one of my favorite desserts. It's coffee, it's creamy and there is chocolate. C'mon what's not to love?!

The Pocky version of Tiramisu that's what!
The smell was the first hint that things were not going to go well. Rather then a creme or a coffee smell it's vaguely coconutty. To be fair on it's own it is not unpleasant, if it were in fact coconut Pocky it would be pretty good. But it's not coconut Pocky and coconut is just not Tiramisu.

The coffee flavor comes through well, if this were a mocha Pocky it would really work. The chocolate is a light "mousse" milk chocolate that is just sweet enough to take the bitter edge off the coffee. What kills this Pocky is the creme potion of the flavor. There is no nice way to say it, it tastes more of sour milk then the creamy mascarpone taste you would be expecting- AND it leaves a rather nasty after taste.

There are MUCH, MUCH better Pocky's out there -and life is too short for bad Pocky (or Tiramisu)

PURCHASED FROM:
Sunrise Market NYC

Pocky- Strawberry

Another day, another Pocky!

There are two main types of Strawberry Pocky, one type is just a coating of strawberry candy and the other has the strawberry candy with bits of dried strawberry embedded into it. That is the kind I have tried.

I will be honest I am not a huge strawberry fan. I like fresh strawberries as much as the next person, but strawberry flavored items never get too high up on my list. Actually I pretty much hate things like strawberry milk, strawberry gum and most strawberry candy... kinda makes you wonder why I even tried these doesn't it?

You guys know me I will try anything!
And unsurprisingly enough at first try I didn't like these either!
When you open the inner packet you get the strongest smell of artificial strawberry. It actually reminded me exactly of these Strawberry Shortcake Vitamins I took as a kid- they tasted awful but they came in these cool containers that looked like giant plastic strawberries! But anyway...
The Pocky has a base of strawberry cream and that is speckled with dried strawberries. The whole thing just tastes fake. Cloyingly fake at that. After working my way through about six of them they did start to grow on me. Despite the fakeness it started to make me think of white chocolate covered strawberries, and who doesn't like white chocolate covered strawberries?!

Strawberry Pocky will never be my favorite but if you like fake strawberry flavor you will love these.

PURCHASED FROM:
Kam Man Market NYC

Pocky- Marble Green Tea

It's Macchariffic!
I loved this Pocky!
The green tea flavor is a crisp, clean taste. Exactly like unsweetened green tea. The chocolate that is swirled lightly throughout isn't terribly noticeable to be honest. It looks cool but it doesn't bring a lot to the party. What I do taste a little of is a malted note- although as far as I can tell there is no malted milk in the mix.

What I also liked about the green tea Pocky is that the candy coating seems to be a little thicker on this one then it is on the regular chocolate ones.

I can see getting more of this in the future.

PURCHASED FROM:
Kam Man Market NYC

Glico Hazelnut Pocky

Pocky!!

Yes, the nerd in me can't wait to go to all the different Asian markets in the neighborhood to rummage up new and rare pocky. I found the Hazelnut pocky at the local Duane Reade (drugstore).
I liked it but not as much as the Men's Pocky.
The chocolate was a sweet milk chocolate. It was ok but nothing special. I had been hoping for chunks of hazelnut but what the Pocky means by "hazelnut" is that the chocolate is vaguely hazelnut flavored. It's more like someone ate something that had hazelnuts in it close to where the Pocky was made. Again it's not bad but it is not a very strong flavor either.

Worth the try but I will continue on my quest to find Pocky as good as the Men's Pocky!

PURCHASED FROM:
Duane Reede NYC

Men's Pocky

If Mountain Dew is the drink of geeks and nerds worldwide then Pocky is the candy

I know that I have had it before but I just don't remember it one way or the other. I was at Cost Plus World Market today and they had the Men's Pocky which features bittersweet chocolate. I thought why not and bought them.

Oh, now having eaten more of the package then I care to admit I am both chocked and saddened by the fact that I made it through 30 years of life Pocky free. The damn things are addicting!

It's so simple. Pocky is an almost flavorless wheat cracker rod (I say almost because it actually reminds me of the cookie in a Twix bar) that is dipped in a thin coating of chocolate. To be honest the chocolate on the Men's Pocky reminds me exactly of a Toll House morsel. It's a little sweet, vaguely salty, crunchy. If that doesn't sound like a perfect food then you are just weird. Now I want to try some of the roughly million other flavors they make!