Disclaimer: This review is not affiliated to or sponsored by Bokksu. All opinions are my own.
After trying the September and October Bokksu boxes, I’m sad to say that this is my last review for my 3-month subscription 😭
Let’s see what we have for November!
The theme for this month is Colors of Kyoto – each snack reflects the treats that you can find in Kyoto, which highlight traditional flavours infused with modern and global tastes.
I’ll be reviewing 13 items in total and rating them based on
- Taste
- Are the flavours as they describe them to be?
- Are the flavours good?
- Uniqueness
- Will I be able to find this snack in Singapore?
- Will I be able to find close substitutes of this snack in Singapore?
I’ll also be dropping Bokksu facts and tips along the way!
Kyoto Matcha Waffle Sandwich
Uniqueness:
As a matcha lover, I was the most excited to try this snack and it definitely didn’t disappoint! The waffle cookie is crisp, and it has a slightly sweet honey taste.
The sweetness of the matcha white chocolate filling was just right. It’s just as the brochure description said – sinfully delicious. It’s so addictive and I wish there were more than 2 in the box!
Kansai Dashi Soy Sauce Potato Chips
Uniqueness:
When I saw this in the box, I was like: Calbee again?! It looked so unassuming and boring, but this snack really proved me wrong.
The dashi broth taste complements the soy sauce so well; the unique umami flavour was on point. Couple that with the thin, crisp chips and it made such an addictive snack!
Strawberry Azuki Crunch
Uniqueness:
This puffed rice snack has a great airy texture while providing a soft crunch. The combination of strawberry and azuki beans goes well with the white chocolate on the exterior.
I absolutely LOVED this; it’s so addictive! Since it’s bite-sized, it’s easy to pop a few throughout the day. But it did feel like it can be easily replaced with a currently available granola bar in the market.
But the main question is – why is there only 3 in the box?! 😂
One Bite Sweet Potato Pound Cake
Uniqueness:
This bite-sized pound cake featured the sweetness of anno imo, a type of sweet potato that can only be found in Japan.
It was paired with a butteryness that made it the perfect snack for breakfast or tea time. (I’m a huge sucker for buttery snacks!)
The serving size of one bite is just right, as the sweetness may otherwise be surfeiting to some. But again, would be great to have more than 2 in the box!
Osatsu Sweet Potato Snack
Uniqueness:
Another Calbee snack in the box; this was something that I’ve never seen in supermarkets before, but can be bought via Shopee.
The texture is light, airy and crunchy as claimed. The salt balances the faint sweet potato taste well, but it would’ve been perfect if the sweet potato flavour is slightly more enhanced.
No doubt a unique snack!
Mont Blanc Chocolate Mochi
Uniqueness:
A Mont Blanc is a French dessert that features sweet chestnut purée in vermicelli form, with a topping of whipped cream.
This chocolate mochi is a Japanese twist on that dessert, as it’s a soft, chewy mochi with a chocolate and chestnut purée filling.
The snack is exactly as described, but the chocolate + chestnut combination wasn’t really my thing. It wasn’t bad, but it wasn’t amazing.
If you’re looking for a more affordable alternative to the Classic Box, Bokksu also offers a smaller version: Tasting Bokksu. The Tasting Box has 10-14 snacks and 1 tea pairing and goes for $39.95 for a 1-month subscription.
| Tasting Bokksu | Classic Bokksu | |
|---|---|---|
| What's included | 10-14 snacks + 1 tea pairing | 20-24 snacks + 1 tea pairing |
| 1-month subscription | $39.95 | $49.95 |
| 3-month subscription | $98.85 ($32.95/box) | $134.85 ($44.95/box) |
| 6-month subscription | $191.70 ($31.95/box) | $257.70 ($42.95/box) |
| 12-month subscription | $359.40 ($29.95/box) | $479.40 ($39.95/box) |
Buson Haiku Senbei
Uniqueness:
This assorted senbei mix was really interesting – it was inspired by poetry (haiku) written by Yosa Buson, which explains the name of the snack.
The rice crackers featured many different flavours including sesame, matcha, soy sauce, shrimp, sweet potato, sakura, ginger, red pepper and burdock root.
Overall, the flavours were very palatable and they were a unique twist to familiar flavours in cracker assortments available in Singapore. I enjoyed the sugary peanuts the most!
Sweet Potato Noir Soft Cookie
Uniqueness:
Noir is French for black.
At first look, it kind of reminded me of a macaron – with two soft cookies sandwiching the sweet potato filling.
The black cocoa soft cookies resembled the texture of a cake, it was very moist and I loved it. However, it didn’t really go well with the sweet potato filling. It was a case of 2 tasty components that didn’t complement each other.
Would’ve loved it if it’s cocoa soft cookies plus hojicha cream, or perhaps custard soft cookies with the sweet potato cream.
Hojicha Tea Waffle
Uniqueness:
There was a thin layer of hojicha cream sandwiched between the waffle biscuits. Couldn’t really taste the cream as the biscuits were too thick, but the cream wasn’t as rich as claimed.
The taste of the waffles was good; there isn’t much sweetness to it. Probably would’ve been better if the waffles were thinner and there was more cream.
Another one of those snacks that wasn’t bad but wasn’t fantastic.
Colorful Komachi
Uniqueness:
The colourful komachi featured 3 different flavours of rice crackers: green laver (seaweed), soy sauce and shrimp. The flavours were pleasant without being too overpowering, and it provided a good crunch.
However, there wasn’t anything special to it. These rice crackers can be found easily in Singapore supermarkets.
Currently, there’s a Black Friday promotion going on! Use code “HOLIDAYKITKAT” at checkout when subscribing to a 3, 6, or 12-month Bokksu plan to unlock one of these offers.
Matcha Chocolate Daifuku Mochi
Uniqueness:
The matcha powder that’s been kneaded into the mochi dough gives off a strong floral taste. The snack claims to have a white chocolate cream filling, but I couldn’t taste any in both packets.
This bite-sized mochi boasts a soft and chewy texture, but I wouldn’t reach for more.
Black Sesame Tile Candy
Uniqueness:
This hard candy is meant to be chewable and ideal as a quick snack.
I don’t know about you, but I don’t particularly enjoy food that gets stuck in my teeth. This was one of those snacks. And if it tasted better, I’d probably be more ok with the sticking.
But it was a mix of black sesame and sugar (?), which was eccentric. I didn’t like this at all, but I can see some people appreciating it and it’s definitely unique.
Uji Matcha Au Lait
Uniqueness:
Au lait refers to the addition of hot milk, instead of cold milk or other whiteners.
After finding out what au lait is, I was dreading another creamy drink. This uji matcha was creamy, but surprisingly quite light.
However, the matcha flavour isn’t strong and it wasn’t satisfying enough. It would’ve been better with more matcha notes and creaminess.
But again, it would’ve been even better if it came without milk as it would go better with the snacks.
Make sure that you create an account when you make a purchase! There are reward tiers (silver, gold, platinum) and you can earn points to redeem vouchers.
There’s also a birthday bonus of $5, and active member market discounts of 10% (silver) or 15% (gold, platinum).
Overall Ratings for Bokksu Subscription Box (Nov 2020)
Taste:Uniqueness:
Value for money:
Would you recommend this Bokksu box to others?
Yes! I have quite a number of favourites in this box that I’d love to get again! This box is definitely worth a try. You can purchase it via the market if you’re interested 😊 (I promise this is not sponsored!)
Would you buy this Bokksu box again?
Seriously considering getting the matcha waffle sandwich, kansai dashi chips, strawberry azuki crunch and one bite pound cake! 😍
Bokksu subscription plan prices
Here are the prices for Bokksu if you’re interested in getting yourself a premium Japanese snack subscription plan:
($96.00 saved) | ($42.00 saved) | ($15.00 saved) |
This marks the end of my 3-part series of reviewing Bokksu subscription boxes!
If you enjoyed this review, you can read my September 2020 review and October 2020 review as well! Till next time 😉
Have a product you want us to review? Email us at hello@bumblescoop.com!