Reviewed by
Mary
Bokksu is the only Japanese snack box that sources directly from snack makers in Japan, so many of our artisanal products cannot be found anywhere else. Start your cultural journey through Japan by subscribing to Bokksu and receiving a curated box of premium Japanese snacks and teas delivered to your door every month.
They have two levels of subscription: the Tasting, which is smaller, and the one I have received, The Classic. Subscriptions are prepaid for one, three, six, or twelve months.For the Classic box they work out at $39 (around £30), $37, $35 , and $33 per month.As usual, they are priced in dollars, so GBP conversion is according to today’s exchange rate. Obviously this will vary, but it gives you some idea of cost.
All the goodies come beautifully presented in a lovely orange box. It’s nice and sturdy enough to be reused, and would make a lovely gift box, especially for Christmas!
Christmas isn’t a big event in Japan, so this month’s Bokksu celebrates the winter season with the theme Snowy Hokkaido.
I love that it features both the colours and flavours of winter.
The menu booklet is a really lovely keepsake. It has an detailed menu of all the items inside, including and allergy guide, plus lovely and interesting information about the country and culture.
Hokkaido Cream Natural Yeast Bread is simple and delicious. There are many different varieties of this bread, but this one is layered with cream and has a wonderful flavour. Japanese bread manages to be both light and dense, and even though this is prepackaged, it tastes magically fresh. A fantastic snack with a cup of tea!
Shiroi Koibito is one of Hokkaido’s best-known treats, and is a delicious sandwich cookie made from langue du chat with a creamy filling. These versions are in dark and white chocolate, the perfect combination.
Another Hokkaido classic, this is the Hokkaido White Raspberry. This is a light crunchy rye cookie dipped in white chocolate with crushed dried raspberries. The chocolate and raspberry are lovely contrasting flavours.
The potatoes of Jaga Pokkuru are grown in Hokkaido, and these savory snack is a cross between fries and crisps. They look like regular fries but are actually buttery and crunchy, and completely yummy.
Kitsune No Shippo looks a little like a croissant, but is a roll of pastry with maple white chocolate. The shape is meant to resemble the tail of a fox cub, which are a major part in Japanese folklore.
Calpico Mochi is inspired by the classic Japanese soda Calpico. This is something like a fizzy milk soda, which sounds peculiar but is actually delicious. These mochi contain marshmallow with the very centre being creamy Calpico-flavoured jam. A delicious squidgy treat.
These Onigri Senbei: Ginshari are a beautifully simple crunchy senbei. Ginshari means cooked white rice, and the pale colour is reminiscent of the winter snow.
These are a version of one of my favourite Bokksu snacks ever! They are Funwari Meijin Mochi Puffs: Hokkaido Milk, and are incredibly light and crispy mochi. Bokksu have done several different versions of this magical mochi, but this one has a light coating of Hokkaido milk for a dreamy creamy taste.
Something savory now, Negi Baka Okaki Rice Crackers: Green Onion. These are rice crackers fried in scallion oil which are coated with more green onion and seasoned with garlic, pepper, and wasabi. They are intensely flavoured, but if you’re a fan of onions they will be perfect! They work very well with a cold beer too.
Mayo Arare Rice Crackers have an unexpected flavour – mayonnaise! It’s quite an intense taste, but it makes a wonderful contrast with the crispy texture of the cracker, which is made with rice, seaweed, and sesame seeds.
On the left is White Black Thunder, a white chocolate coated version of the famous Japanese chocolate candy bar. This is a mix of chocolate, chocolate biscuit, and puffed rice, and this one is a special limited edition only available in the Hokkaido prefecture.
On the right is Fried Buttered Corn, a tasty crunchy snack of fried corn kernels. The sweet corn is coated with soy and buttermilk for a complementary sweet/savory taste.
Sapporor Okaki Oh! Yaki Toukibi is another snack made from the famous Hokkido corn, but this time the corn is incorporated into little crunchy mochi, or rice cakes. It includes a savory soy seasoning for flavour contrast.
We might associate the citrus flavour of yuzu with the summertime, but they actually ripen in the winter, so these Yasashii Yuzu Gummy celebrate this very special fruit which is unique to Japan.
Finally, this month’s tea is Sencha Tea, the traditional green tea of Japan with a wonderful fresh and grassy flavour. A great accompaniment to the yeast bread featured in this month’s box!
