Great balls of chocolate-covered mint gummy!
It is with great pleasure that we announce Family Mart’s first Choco Mint Fair, which celebrates the still-under-appreciated flavor of mint chocolate in Japan. I’m especially psyched for it as I fondly remember Family Mart having released a mint-chocolate mini pancake a few years ago that was among the best baked goods I’ve ever eaten.
Sadly, there are no pancakes at this fair, but the range of items is still impressive. Our writer Natsuki Gojo and a friend got their hands on seven of the nine limited-time products and gave us their review, with a particular focus on the balance between mint and chocolate and how it might suit superfans and novices to the flavor alike.
First up is a rather odd-looking creation called the Crisp Texture! Choco Mint Sand for 250 yen (US$1.60), in which “Sand” is short for “Sandwich.” It’s a somewhat avant-garde sandwich with a bar of mint chocolate clinging to a rounded chocolate cookie by wads of mint cream and chocolate cream. It’s surprisingly filling for a small snack but its complex mix of tastes and textures might be more suited to advanced eaters.
On the incredibly simple side of things, there’s the Choco Mint Pound Cake for 180 yen. It’s just a slice of pound cake made from mint-flavored dough with chocolate chips inside, but the balance is firmly on the minty side of things so mint chocolate novices might want to be careful.
A better entry to mint chocolate would be the Choco Mint Tart for 168 yen, which uses a very chocolatey crust and chocolate topping for a more mild sweetness overall.
The Choco Mint Baumkuchen for 185 yen also leans more into the sweet side of things with the chocolate rings dominating the mint ones, which also have an added sugary touch.
The steamed mint cake, or the Choco Tappuri Choco Mint Mushi Cake, for 138 yen, is loaded with chocolate chips for a very well-balanced blend of each taste for those who want a solid mint chocolate experience.
The most interesting of the bunch has to be the Choco Gake Mint Gummies for 198 yen. These are little balls of mint-flavored gummies coated in white chocolate. Natsuki’s friend, who’s a big fan of mint chocolate, declared these the best for the excitingly sudden switch between creamy chocolate coating and brisk blast of mint in the gummy center.
Family Mart has also sold Choco Mint Drinks in the past and the ones being sold now for 208 yen are the same delightful blend of chocolatey taste with a cool mint aftertaste that gives you that classic mint chocolate flavor without being too overbearing for the uninitiated.
The other two items at Family Mart are the ice creams Gisshiri Mansoku! Choco Mint and Waffle Cone Choco Mint for 214 yen and 298 yen respectively. And speaking of frozen snacks, even though it’s not a part of the Choco Mint Fair, we should also point out that a limited Choco Mint Garigari-kun ice bar is also currently on sale at convenience stores across Japan. They might be a little tricky to find though.
So, the next few weeks ought to be good ones for mint chocolate fans in Japan. Just be sure to get out there and take advantage of it all before this misunderstood flavor goes into hiding again.
Photos ©SoraNews24
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