Calbee Granola Review

Following the last few extremely disappointing Japanese snacks from Calbee+, I did find a gem from Calbee except its not from Calbee+. This is from a Don Quixote store instead. 

Calbee Granola Snack

Calbee Granola! This is a multi fruit one

Multi fruit as the picture says

Oooh lots of different fruits and grains. I'm liking this already

Very nice colours and mix

Stays nice and crunchy even after a short soak in full cream milk

I used some cheap ass UHT milk from Phoon Huat

Taste Review

Taste - 10/10

This is one of the BEST granola mixes I've had! There's a good variety of grains and different dried fruit bits that you can actually get a different taste in each bite as you chomp down on the granola. The taste of the grains dominate, followed by nutty bits of pumpkin seeds and then nice refreshing apple and raisin bits. Full marks!

Texture - 10/10

This is also superb in the texture department. The soft fruit bits add a nice chewiness and pops of flavor while the different grains and seeds add different different distinct crunch and pops with each bite. The granola also stays crunchy after a short soak in full cream milk. The different grains also means you will still be munching on them, abated a bit goat like, after the initial crunchiness has passed. 

Cost - 2/10

Good things are not friendly on the wallet. You can actually get this granola in Singapore at Asanoya in Queen Street except is bloody expensive. It costs SGD$19.80. That's a crazy price to pay for cereal. Unless you bring it back from Japan which then it only cost about... SGD$10 which is comparable to other premium granolas on the market.

This is daylight robbery

Tasting Notes

There's nothing else to add! This is gold!

TLDR version
If you have good friends travelling to Japan, get them to buy this back for you. 

Calbee Roasted Green Tea Shrimp Snack Review

So I was in Japan in December for a holiday and managed to net try out the famous Calbee+ experience where you get to taste freshly fried potato chips and raid their amazingly well stocked and marketed snack store. First up is this roasted green tea potato stick thing that came free with every purchase. That's got my alarm bells ringing but hey, I dug in.

Calbee Roasted Green Tea Shrimp Snack

Got this free for any purchase at Calbee+ in Tokyo

Taste Review

Taste - 0.5/10

First of all, it's supposed to be a shrimp snack. My bad. BUT this did not taste anything like shrimp. In fact, there was no shrimp taste. None. Zilch. The shrimp image they had on the packaging is a lie.
Furthermore, this is sweet, a very unexpected sharp sweet. Then there is an intense green tea taste that just screams artificial! I'm all artificial!

Texture - 6/10

It's a shrimp snack and is supposed to be crunchy and it is competently so. Though it had a hard crusty surface that felt like a sugar glaze. Not exactly what one should find on a shrimp snack.

Cost - 0/10

It's free. But seriously if I had known how it tastes, I would not have wanted it. It's basically dead weight once you know how it tastes.

Tasting Notes

This is an abomination. A pox on whoever made this. This is like a restaurant serving you the best dinner you ever had, then gifting you a dead rat as a parting gift.

TLDR version
It's horrid. Don't eat this. Ever.

Calbee Assorted Potato Snacks Review

Next up is a mix of potato snacks that can be grabbed separately.

Calbee Assorted Potato Snacks

I think this is mentaiko

Very erm straight stick

I think this is some vegetable. Maybe seaweed? Someone help me out here

I think that definitely looks like seaweed

Taste Review

Taste - 5/10

The mentaiko one tasted like Maggi's curry noodles except in stick form. Not great to be honest. The vegetable version was a tad nicer.It was a bit saltier (yeah how can something be saltier than mentaiko) and has a slight sour kick too which was great.

Texture - 4/10

Very dry and crispy but in a tough hard way. Not in a good potato stick way. It feels like you're biting into rabbit food. 

Cost - 2/10

It was expensive. I think it came up to about ~SGD1 a packet or something.

Tasting Notes

Calbee+ bring home merchandise is a con job. The marketing looks superb and it all looked pretty appetizing. All promised interesting tastes and all disappointed!

TLDR version
Eat the freshly fried chips in the Calbee+ store. Don't buy any of its packaged merchandise out to bring home.