One “Ring” to rule them all.

If you’re familiar with Japanese donuts, you’ve probably heard of Mister Donut’s Pon de Ring. It’s popular for its chewy, mochi-like texture, and it has the appearance of many donut holes linked together in a ring shape. They also come in many seasonal and collaborative flavors, so it’s likely you’ll never get bored of them.

Have you ever heard of Ring da Pon, though? This eerily similar donut is produced by Jack in the Donuts, a Japanese sweets chain that was established in 2011. For reference, the first Mister Donut in Japan dates back as far as 1951. Can the new guy oust the new guy? Our own Mr. Sato bought one of each to test them out.

▼ Ring da Pon is typically sold in two flavors: plain and chocolate.

▼ Under the plain flavor is the text “It’s mochi-like texture will leave you hooked. Try comparing it to other donuts!”

“Alright, I’ll compare it to others,” Mr. Sato thought. A Pon de Ring, to be exact. He headed over to the nearest Mister Donut to see if they had any in stock.

Luckily, there were several varieties on hand: plain, brown sugar (kokuto), and strawberry. For this experiment, Mr. Sato went with a plain Pon de Ring.

Ring da Pon proved to be trickier to track down, though. He first tried the Akihabara location in Tokyo but was told they didn’t have any available. His only other option in Tokyo was in Nishi-kokubunji, which is almost 50 minutes by train from Akihabara. The things Mr. Sato does for the sake of science–er, SoraNews24.

Fortune smiled upon him as he saw Ring da Pon available in Plain or Chocolate. Again, he went with the plain version for the most accurate comparison.

▼ Left: Pon de Ring (151 yen [US$1.02])
Right: Ring da Pon (154 yen).

Mr. Sato started with the Pon de Ring.

The chewy texture of the Japanese sweets staple–made possible by the use of tapioca powder–was familiar to him. After all, the Pon de Ring has been on sale for  over 20 years.

Ring da Pon, on the other hand, proved to be softer than Pon de Ring. It also proved to be much more mochi-like. And the sugar glaze? Sweet and thick, making it even more delectable.

When Mr. Sato took a bite of each in succession, he found the Pon de Ring to be a bit firmer. He now understood why Jack in the Donuts had the guts to say “Try comparing it to other donuts.” It really did have a great, mochi-like texture.

If you’re curious to try the Ring da Pon for yourself, it’s also available in Chocolate and, right now, a version with a white chocolate bear. Try it out with the Pon de Ring to see which you like better. Its an experiment Mr. Sato enjoyed, and he bets you will too.

Photos ©SoraNews24
● Want to hear about SoraNews24’s latest articles as soon as they’re published? Follow us on Facebook and Twitter!
[ Read in Japanese ]