Welcome to Thailand! Time to step off the plane and dig in!
#1 Mentos Soda Mix
I love the American mentos fruit pack (mainly the strawberry) and this “soda pack” delivers! I didn’t get the “bubbly soda surprise” that was promised, but the flavors are all refreshingly fruity. The melon was spot-on vibrant ripe honeydew. It was refreshing. The grape soda was mild. I was expecting medicinal grape flavor, but I loved this. The strawberry was actually more artificial tasting (similar to a strawberry Pez, not the American strawberry mentos which was surprising). I expected the pale pink, but what I saw was a neon hot pink (very odd). The lemon was what you’d expect – lemon. Overall, I really enjoyed the entire pack and they reminded me why I used to love eating mentos. I love a chewy, non-gummy, candy. The flavor profiles were well thought out as a collective, but not sure they remind me of soda flavors?
#2 Beng Beng White
Wafer snacks have really found their place in my heart and this one is no different. This is delightfully crisp wafers sandwiched with coconut cream. Then it’s dipped in white chocolate and covered with coconut flakes. It’s bursting with the tropical coconut flavor and very light on the palate. The sweetness of the white chocolate was tasted at the first bite, but the coconut then took over. I would eat this over and over again!
#3 Glico Pretz Sticks
The Thai box blessed us with two flavors of Pretz sticks, Larb (never heard of him? Just kidding) and corn (boring). The thin little pretzel sticks are baked to perfection and deliver a mighty crunch for the size. The coating is even and bursting with flavor. First up, Larb! Larb is a dish, not an individual ingredient. It is described as a meat based salad that is citrusy, salty, and a little bit spicy. In the snack I wasn’t tasting citrus notes, but the depth of heat was complex. It was the type of spice that lingers in the back of the palate. They are delicious, but now it is time to hunt down some Larb…So my initial reaction to the Pretz sticks had the corn labeled as boring, but I retract my statement. The corn sticks tasted exactly like sweet corn from a Delmonte can and it was delicious! I loved every bite, however one stick doesn’t pack as much flavor they are better consumed in a small bundle.
#4 Manora Pumpkin Chips
Thailand blessed us with a Pumpkin snack for Pumpkin Palooza season and I am thankful! Each lattice square was light, airy, and crunchy. I didn’t get a taste of pumpkin. They tasted like a sour cream and onion flavored chip with a hint of sweetness on the back end. The true bonus – for a processed snack they are actually good for you, nutritionally speaking. I would have eaten the whole bag myself if I didn’t have to share!
#5 Glico Alfie Bars
When I opened the candy bar wrapper I was immediately greeted with the smell of strawberry. The first bite into the milk & strawberry candy bar reminded me of a strawberry milkshake, which made me crave the cold dessert. They reminded me of the Good Humor strawberry ice cream from the ice cream man! The more the taste lingered on my palate it started to become overwhelmingly sweet. Also, it was laced with some flavorless puffs to give the bar a little textural crunch. I didn’t mind them, but I think the decadence would have benefitted from the omission of the crunchies. Overall I enjoyed having a chocolate bar with a different twist, it was fun to enjoy!
#6 Tamarind Hard Candy
Although the packaging was in Thai, the light purple made the hard candy very inviting. I was eager to place the pale brown oval into my mouth, which I thought was going to be a cola flavor, and was pleasantly surprised by the slightly sweet and tangy flavor. It was unlike anything that I have ever had, which made sense after looking at the fine print on the packaging. The flavor…TAMARIND. It is something I know is popular in Thai and Indian cuisine, but I learned it is also used in African and Middle Eastern cookery. It is a tree that produces fruit pods with an edible interior. Apparently it has also been used as a potential alternative fuel source, how cool is that?! Anyway, the fruit is full of antioxidants. I’m sure in candy form it is not good for you, but I am going to pretend it is because these are fantastic!
#7 Sunsnack Dunk
Described as an unusual combination of sweet corn and cheese, these sunflower seeds were oddly satisfying. Upon opening the cylindrical packaging I was disappointed to find that it was mostly filled with air. It basically contained a single small handful of seeds. No one can possibly eat one single seed at a time, so I ate a very small handful to maximize their flavor. The sweet corn flavor was much stronger than the cheese. The sweet corn hit my taste buds almost immediately and the umami from the lowkey cheese notes followed. The flavor combination almost reminded me of Trader Joe’s “Everything but the Elote” seasoning blend, but much much simpler. I enjoyed the odd combination, I just wish there were more.
#8 Lay’s Shrimp & Seafood
The classic wavy crunch of a Lay’s potato is the only thing familiar about this chip! The flavor is a combination of grilled prawns & the signature Thailand Chili sauce. These chips have an indescribable flavor. They are not fishy tasting, but it’s a unique saltiness? I can identify the in-balanced sweet heat that they give from the chili sauce. Even though it’s store-bought in the U.S, I am familiar with using sweet Thai chili sauce and these chips remind me of the Blue Dragon sweet chili sauce. Your palate is greeted by the sweetness and then met by a robust heat. The best part about this heat is it is not the burning type that you get from hot sauce. As I type this, the flavor of the chip is really lingering and it’s been about 5 minutes…I’m not sure I’d grab for this flavor or chip again, but it’s a privilege to be able to enjoy it once.
#9 Lush Chocolates
If you can pull the taste memory of a tootsie roll out these are exactly them. However, I actually enjoy this version better than the American and here is why. They are more firm, less chewy. A tootsie roll makes your jaw work too hard, these don’t have nearly the level of chewiness. The lush chocolate lives up to their name because in the center is a small burst of smooth chocolate cream (described as a chocolatey drizzle by Snack Crate).
#10 Dynamite Candy
This candy had a very familiar mint taste, identical to the interior of a york peppermint patty. The mint lasted a very long time before I reached the chocolate center. With the mint lingering on my taste buds, the creamy burst of milk was the exclamation point on the familiar combination. I enjoyed that they were able to create the sensation of two flavors even though the hard candy had disappeared. This is in the running for a solid mint.
#11 Yoyo Cola Jelly
Oh wow…before I could even put the jelly in my mouth I was assaulted with the smell of cola…the smell was incredibly strong and almost identical to a CocaCola Slurpee. The big gelatin blob tasted exactly how you’d expect – cola; the off brand that you wish you liked, but don’t. They even evoked the sense of carbonation in the flavor. The cola flavor is lingering and what is left over is better tasting than when actually chewing the gummy.
#12 Cougar Yoghurt Candy
Um…I am not positive how to evaluate these because I cannot remember the taste of just plain yogurt. These are mildly sweet, but the actual flavor is difficult to describe. I did enjoy the texture, which was almost identical to a starburst. I enjoyed the taste, but they don’t have that addictive reach for more quality that I use to rate the snacks.
#13 Jack ‘n Jill Fun-O Sandwich Cookies
What a sad version of a chocolate sandwich cookie. The cookie itself doesn’t have any snap, it is very soft. It almost melts in your mouth. It has the taste of the outer unfrosted bits of a chocolate poptart. There is a devastatingly small amount of vanilla “cream.” Its taste is dominated by the chocolate as if the “cream” wasn’t even present. I am putting cream into quotations because that “cream” was gritty. Other than the hilarious man on the package, there is nothing to like about these cookies. Nothing fun about these, just plain “oh-ful” (see what I did there).
#14 Coconut Cream Flavour Coated Peanuts
Tied for last are these coconut cream flavored peanuts…these are boring. They taste more like cardboard than coconut cream. The light and crunchy texture couldn’t save this treat. The peanut itself has no taste – no level of roastiness or saltiness. The coconut coating had no sweetness. I was left feeling very underwhelmed and wouldn’t reach for these again.
#15 Tae Kae Noi Big Roll
A seaweed cigar, that is what this reminded me of. I preface my review by stating I absolutely love seaweed salad and sushi. However, the dried grilled seaweed has a strong fish forward but also sweet taste that I just couldn’t get past. Also, it had a very sticky flakey texture. Once it flaked from the roll it was like gold leaf paper…If you know anything about gold leaf…it’s a pain.
Thailand presented an array of flavors; some familiar, most unique. It was interesting to see how many individually wrapped snacks it came with; it was definitely a shareable snack box when it came to the sweets. The savory snacks however I was left wanting more quantity wise…although on second thought some of the savory snacks actually tasted bad. Time to fly to the next country, which is….MOROCCO!
Stay Messy,
The Okayest Chef
The Okayest Chef 