Bokksu “Kyushu Kitchen” Review + Coupon – September 2018

Bokksu is a premium Japanese snack subscription service. Each box includes an assortment of authentic Japanese snacks as well as a tea pairing chosen to complement and enhance that month's flavors.

This box was sent to us at no cost for review. (Check out the review process post to learn more about how we review boxes.)

About Bokksu

The Subscription Box: Bokksu

The Cost: $39.00 per month + free shipping

The Products: 20-25 premium Japanese snacks including a tea pairing.

Ships to: Worldwide

My Review

This box always starts out with a quick intro to the monthly theme from their founder, Danny:

This month we are headed to the smaller island of Kyushu, known for it's street food culture!

The included info card is really nice and includes a map referencing where this month's snacks are from, plus a lot more information.

Each snack is described in detail and common allergens are clearly listed– always helpful!

There are 11 different treats to try this month, so let's dig in!

Mentai Curry Karinto

This is described as a snackified version of a popular fried dough snack in Japan, seasoned with curry and a spicy cod roe.

I'm not a fan of fishy snacks really, but these were shockingly good. They're sweet and curry is the most prominent flavor, with a delicious crispy crunch. They'd be delicious on top of an actual curry dish or added into a salad!

Seriously, I'm not a big savory snack person, but this generously sized bag was a treat.

Kakinotane Yuzu Pepper

This next snack mix is filled with peanuts and rice crackers seasoned with yuzu and pepper.

This was actually another home run for me. Something about Japanese peanuts is always so good! And the rice crackers add a nice extra boost of crunchiness. The pepper really helps it pop, too.

I honestly wish there was a huge bag of this, as I think it's something my husband would appreciate too. I could easily see it replacing his usual peanuts when we get a chance to see a baseball game.

Pione Grape Chocolate Crunch (2 pieces)

I definitely have a big sweet tooth, so I was curious about this white chocolate and puffed rice snack. The Pione grapes featured here are grown only on Kyushu.

Admittedly I was expecting some kind of raisin treat, but this amazingly tasted of fresh grapes! This snack was almost refreshing in its flavors and was totally unique to me; I can't remember ever having something that combined white chocolate and grape flavors before.

Strawberry Kirara (2 pieces)

These petite strawberry cookie sandwiches contain a layer of fluffy strawberry cream and freeze-dried strawberries.

These were simple and small and tasted almost like a strawberry cheesecake. Once again, not what I expected, in a totally delightful way.

Romance Sandwich (2 pieces)

First of all, I love the name of this snack. This is more cake-like than cookie, with sugar pearls on top and a sugar-paste filling.

This was drier than I expected from the appearance, but kind of unremarkable to me in actual flavor. I think I'd have liked it better paired with a sweet coffee drink.

It was pretty messy to eat, too.

Saga Brown Sugar Marubouro (2 pieces)

This is an "iconic sweet" hailing from the Saga Prefecture.  While it looks like a cookie, it's definitely more spongey and cake-like.

I preferred this to the Romance Sandwich. It's not strongly flavored, with both the sweetness and primary flavor coming from the featured brown sugar. It reminded of a molasses cookie but without such a strong flavor.

Surprisingly not too sweet, too.

Kumamoto Melon Langue de Chat (2 pieces)

Langue de Chat (or Cat's Tongue) cookies have been one of my favorite Japanese snack box discoveries. They're usually pretty delicate and have a nice crunch with a flavored cream inside, usually chocolate.

This one is a totally unique melon flavor, and wow– it tastes just like a cantaloupe! These were small but they packed a lot of flavor!

Uni Rice Crackers (2 pieces)

Confession: I know uni (or sea urchin) is a delicacy when it comes to dining on sushi, but it's one that I've just never liked. So I opened this one up a bit begrudgingly. For science. 😉

They were somewhat better than expected. The rice crackers are delightfully crunchy and a nice size (maybe about the size of a quarter?). And despite being a bit fishy, they weren't overly so.

Oita Kabosu Sable (2 pieces)

I think I'll still stick to the sweets and cookies mostly. 😉

These little buttery shortbread cookies were both cute and tasty! The info card tells me they are flavored with kabosu fruit, which is a citrus variety I've never heard of. There seems to be a lot of fascinating citrus in Japan that we don't typically see here in the states.

Okukirishima Tea (3 packets)

Bokksu always includes a premium tea in their boxes, too. This sencha green tea is described as having "Subtle sweet notes and a rich, full-bodied silky mouthfeel."

The actual tea sachets were silk and definitely feel like a higher-end tea.

As far as flavor goes, I really enjoyed this tea. Bokksu helpfully includes brewing instructions, since it's important to get the amount of water and temperature and timing right for some of the more delicate tea varieties. I often find green tea to be rather bitter, but by following the directions I was greeted with a very pleasant and delicious cuppa. I agree that this tea is somehow a bit sweet and very smooth.

Kurobo Meimon (2 pieces)

Finally, one last brown sugar treat! Kurobo originates with a brown sugar dough which is then further sweetened with a brown sugar syrup.

The result is like a sweet, molasses-like cake shaped like a biscotti (but without the crunch). These were definitely the sweetest item included in the box and were one of my favorites, a nice match with the green tea (and with my regular coffee).

Verdict: If you're interested in Japanese snacks and culture, I think Bokksu is a really nicely curated box. So far, every snack I've tried has had an obvious quality to it– I feel like I get exposed to new flavors and snacks without getting overloaded with novelty gummies or wasabi pea snacks, like some boxes. The curation and themes are always interesting to read about, too, and the whole package is nicely done.

To Wrap Up: