Ukraine…not going to lie, we had no idea where it was on a map. When we opened the box we were delighted to find a fun variety of treats. From the jump the unique flavor profiles drew us in. I was very excited to dive into this box!
#1 Roshen Lazy Cow
I am quickly becoming an advocate for chocolate wafer sweets; they give the perfect balance between richness and lightness. The lazy cow wafer treat was composed of thin light wafer strands with a thin layer of sweetened condensed milk – this gave this treat an extra sweet touch, but the milk chocolate balanced out the sweetness with richness. The dessert is 80% wafer, but that 20% of chocolate held its own in flavor. There are not enough positive words to describe the delight of the wafer & chocolate combo, it’s both packed with flavor, but light enough that it doesn’t sit heavy in your system. 10/10!
#2 Konti Bonjour
Described as a dome-shaped dessert with three layers – a sugar biscuit, cappuccino jelly, and whipped cream with a chocolate coat. Imagine a large truffle candy. The cappuccino flavor was dominant and delicious. It tasted exactly like a cappuccino covered in chocolate- a perfect combination. The chocolate was creamy, the whipped cream was light, the jelly was soft, the biscuit…also soft. That was the only negative, the Konti could have benefited from a crunchy sturdy biscuit. A near perfect dessert with a flavor profile that is going to stick with my palate for a long time.
#3 Big Bob Nuts
Big Bob has delicious nuts! These wasabi coated peanuts give the essence of wasabi, but the flavor is muted. It does have the spicy flavor without the overwhelming heat of wasabi. I am normally not into hot and spicy, but these are phenomenal. Not to mention the exterior coating is light and crispy with the roasted peanut adding more crunch. The wasabi hits the palate in the front followed by the peanut flavor. These are a refreshing snack food that I would absolutely eat over and over again! I love Big Bob! Also worth noting…do not put “Big Bob Nuts” into the amazon search bar…it will not take you to this product.
#4 Kresko Sticks
Imagine the canister of vanilla icing packed into a light chocolate wafer tube and that would create this “cereal tube loaded with sweet milk cream.” The icing is quite sweet, but it gives a Dunk-a-roo nostalgia vibe. What is even better is this is supposedly “loaded with essential vitamins and minerals,” which to me means healthy. Just kidding, but I’m sticking with it! These are a bit on the sweet side, but still very delicious!
#5 Potato Boom
Ukraine is onto something with the seemingly odd flavor of ketchup, but wow I LOVE THESE! These skinny straws of delight taste like good ole bottled Heinz ketchup in crunchy form. I never thought I’d want to eat ketchup straight up (mostly since I am not a ketchup fan), but these are a game changer! I’m surprised Lays or UTZ hasn’t come out with this flavor for Americans because what is more American than Heinz, but if you can get your hands on this junk food they will not disappoint you!
#6 Timi Bahaha
The Ukraine loves their chocolate wafers and I’m into it! This is another iteration of one of the many types of wafer desserts they are bringing to the table – chocolate banana. Now, imitation banana flavor can be quite awful, so I was fearful that this was going to be terrible. I was dead wrong. The banana flavor tasted exactly like the double stick banana popsicle that I picked out of the fruit pack as a kid. It was my absolute favorite. It also smelled and tasted like a banana runt, also my favorite in the bunch. The only miss about this dessert is the chocolate doesn’t stand up to the strong banana flavor. It is just a hint of chocolate that is dominated by the banana.
#7 Artek Waffles
Another near perfect wafer dessert in my eyes. The chocolate cream between each layer is absolutely decadent. It has a wonderful milk chocolate taste and a smooth light texture. The wafer is also light and crunchy with great flavor. The only downfall of this particular sweet chocolate snack is the dryness of the two exterior wafers. At first you wish for the light chocolate coating that housed all other wafers, but then you realize that’s what keeps this particular dessert light and airy.
#8 Roshen Dark Choco
Usually dark chocolate is too bittersweet for me, but the fondant filling gives it a slightly sweetness I needed to enjoy the chocolate bar. However, the fondant doesn’t have the best flavor. I’d describe it as just okay. It’s not really creamy, it’s more on the liquidy side. It doesn’t shout decadence, which is what I was hoping for knowing it was named for the former President (and owner) of the country. Roshen chocolate hasn’t completely let me down seeing that the #1 dessert comes from the same country.
#9 Fizzy Booms
These are a uniquely fun treat! With orange, lime, and cola flavors this hard candy has a foaming center that gives it an interesting mouth feel. The candy itself is very smooth and long lasting. The foamy sensation from the core lasts just the right amount of time. The orange flavor was refreshing, the lime tasted of true lime if it was covered in sugar, but the cola flavor tasted like the crappy storebrand.
#10 Crazy Bees
Described as “soft and chewy gummy candies filled with just the right amount of sweet fruit jelly.” True about the sweet fruit jelly, it was the right amount in relation to the gummy exterior. The filling flavors (lime, orange, cherry, & berry) were authentic to their natural counterpart. The gummy texture was a bit odd; it had more resistance than a gummy bear, but less than a Dot. Overall not a bad treat, but I didn’t appreciate that I had to open each package to know what flavor I was going to get. I’d like to select the flavor, not have it surprise me.
#11 Salute Corn Sticks
These may look like cheese curls, but they don’t bring the same level of airy crunch as a cheese puff. I enjoy the sour cream and dill flavoring, but the minute they hit your mouth they completely melted into a mush. They almost reminded me of when a snack is stale. I enjoyed roughly three puffs before calling it a day on these.
#12 Flint Croutons
These croutons taste like if you placed pieces of toast with the Kraft mac n’ cheese powder in a bag and shook it up. These are unevenly coated and the taste of toast overpowers any hint of cheese. The ones coated in cheese are slightly more appetizing, but overall it’s not a really good crouton. The dry cheese and extra crunch of a crouton make these incredibly dry and have a rough mouth feel. My tongue is already scratched up from a few pieces. I won’t be reaching for another handful of these anytime soon.
#13 Super Kontik Cookies
These are supposed to be reminiscent of the oreo with a lemon cream. Well the “black sugar cookie” had a strong chocolate flavor that overpowered the citrus filling. The lemon cream was so subtle that it basically was nonexistent…probably because it was the thickness of a piece of paper. They were very stingy. The cream was dry and the cookie was even dryer. This desperately needed to be paired with milk. I’m going to stick.
The Ukrainian snack box produced some of the most delicious snacks I’ve enjoyed so far, particularly the wafer snacks! The best way to describe them is BALANCED. They had the right amount of sweetness and lightness that made them the most crave-able snacks in the box.
Thanks for visiting the Ukraine with us. Grab your boarding pass and see where we fly too next!
Stay Messy,
The Okayest Chef
The Okayest Chef 