Karamucho! Pokémon chooses you for a collab!
On 13 July the chip world was shocked by the arrival of two kinds of Pikachu themed Karamucho and Suppamucho potato sticks. These are long-running snacks by Koikeya, known for their bold spicy (Karamucho) and sour (Suppamucho) seasonings, so it seems natural that they be chosen to recreate Pikachu’s electric attacks in the medium of flavor.
Prior to their release, anticipation was high and as soon as they hit the shelves, there was a big rush on bags. Especially because, as an added treat, rare bags with “a Pokémon pretending to be Pikachu” were also scattered around the country.
▼ Also if you follow Koikeya and retweet this by 26 July, you can win a case of these snacks and a limited edition T-shirt.
Luckily, I was able to get a hold of some regular bags to see what kind of base stats these things had. But I would need some help, so I let loose my own Pikachu, whom I call Pika Hayworth.
I figured the Karamucho brand would be the wilder ride so I decided to warm up with the bag of Suppamucho Denkosekka Lemon, named after Pikachu’s Quick Attack (or Denko Sekka [“Lightning Speed”] as it’s called in Japanese versions of the games) move.
▼ Let’s go, Pika Hayworth!
Upon opening the bag, a fruity scent emerged. That’s because these potato sticks were seasoned with a blend of vinegar and lemon. I’ve had sour umeboshi-flavored chips before so figured this would be something along those lines.
However, I wasn’t prepared for the added effect of the vinegar which was very generously applied. The texture of the vinegar and flavor of the lemon also made these potato sticks seem juicy. It was an interesting sensation, and under other circumstances would be a really refreshing taste during these summer months.
But since these also had a really intense vinegar and lemon flavor, it was remarkably sour. I had slightly nicked myself shaving this morning and the combination of vinegar, lemon, and salt, made that tiny cut feel like a gunshot wound.
Still, it was pretty good, if not intense, but overall it was kind of difficult to get through a whole bag, so I offered some to Pika Hayworth.
However, she didn’t really offer any insight except for “Pika Pi!” so I banished her back to her Poké Ball.
I know it’s cruel, but my mouth was stinging and I was in no mood for her BS. After finishing the whole thing, my mouth felt like a vat of acid, and as a testament to the “juiciness” of these snacks, my fingers had slightly pruned by the end.
I would need to cleanse my palate before starting the next bag. Luckily, a water-type Pokémon happened by and topped of my water bottle from her cloaca.
After blacking out for a while, I picked up the bag of Karamucho 10-Man Volt Pepper which is named after Pikachu’s Thunderbolt (“100,000 Volt” in Japanese) move.
Oh, a wild Pikachu appeared…
This little fella seemed attracted my limited edition potato sticks so I decided to let him join me for a taste.
Karamucho are said to be the spiciest of potato chips in the land, but I should temper that by saying what Japan tends to consider “insanely spicy” usually equates to “pleasantly spicy” by other countries’ standards.
That being said, Karamucho are indeed very tasty, so I was looking forward to see what they did with this variation. Rather than the usual chili pepper flavor of Karamucho, this bag was seasoned with a blend of black pepper and Sichuan pepper.
As a result, Pikachu Karamucho had a less tangy, and much more dry kind of spiciness to it. It was a little more spicy that regular Karamucho, but still nothing I’d call “crazy spicy.” It was a clever bit of interpretive seasoning too, as I could get a sort of “electric” sensation from the black pepper and Sichuan pepper flavors which burn in a tingly way rather than a hot way.
Very satisfied with this take on Karamucho, I felt confident enough to give this Pikachu a chance to try some…
I liked his moxie, so I chucked a ball at his face, took him home with me, and changed his name to Pika G. Robinson.
Overall, both of these snacks were tasty, but I thought the Suppamucho was a little overboard. I usually lean more towards the spicy end of the taste spectrum, so would easily go for the Karamucho if given a choice.
▼ Here. Take care of this, will ya?
Either way, they’re both bold tastes, so make sure you’re even remotely into either spicy or sour tastes before embarking on a purchase of either. But most importantly, make sure you don’t have any open sores in or around your mouth when consuming, and use chopsticks or a Potechinote if possible, because they’ll do a number on your fingers too.
Photos ©SoraNews24
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