On this blog generally I shy away from explicit advertising of products (except books that I personally produce), and I’ve turned down a large number of such requests over email. But Sakuraco snack boxes are one of the very few exceptions to this, which I reviewed two years ago here. So when they contacted me again offering another box in exchange for a review on my blog, I just couldn’t turn down the offer.
Sakuraco snack boxes are packed with a variety of delicious, traditional treats from various companies local to Japan that have been around for decades––in fact one of the companies has been around a century. Each month they produce a different box with a different lineup, generally based on some theme.
The box that I received this time was their “Kyoto’s Crimson Leaves” that contains a tasteful mix of snacks from, yes you guessed it, Kyoto. You can find little treasures like arare and senbei crackers, sweetened fruit pieces, dorayaki (made from wheat dough with a bean paste filling), and cookies. There are also some hard candies, hojicha tea packets, and even a jelly.
Generally traditional Japanese confectionery like these are less sweet than typical candy sold in the U.S., and you will find more of an emphasis on texture, appearance, and a mix of unique natural ingredients like yuzu (a citrus fruit), pear, matcha, and plum. Not only are these culturally/historically relevant, but the subtle flavors and unique textures offer a good change of pace for sweet-tooths.
I shared the snacks with my family and friends, and of course had a bunch myself. My favorite was the Matcha Cream Cookie, a sweet rice cracker roll made with matcha sourced in Uji, Kyoto. The Yuzu Dorayaki was also delicious.
Each Sakuraco box contains a booklet with descriptions of all the products (including allergen information), in addition to some details about Japanese culture and some of the candy producers.
Even for those of you who have access to Japanese food sellers locally (like Uwajimaya in Oregon), there’s something to be said for the careful selection and beautiful presentation done by Sakuraco to give you a big dose of tasty Japanese culture in a small form factor.
You can get a single box for a little under $40 USD, and the price goes down for multi-month subscriptions. See Sakuraco’s website for more details.
