Calbee's Jagarico crunchy potato snacks are something I only got into after a few years of living in Japan. I hate to admit it, but I thought they were boring.
Salad flavour? Unidentified cheese? I'll stick with weird packets of crisps, thanks - is what I thought. Once I realised that Jagarico, too, has limited flavours, I started looking out for them more often. I discovered a bolognese version (no longer on sale) that tasted scarily authentic, and the double cheese flavour outdoes the original by a mile.
This season's limited edition 'black truffle salt' version caught my eye straight away. I mean, the pack's almost completely black (with gold bits, because black truffle's meant to look expensive right?). And it's a much larger cup than usual.
That's because these crunchy sticks are LONG and LARGE compared to the normal ones. The pack says so. With an arrow for emphasis. (No cm measurement given, but I'll take their word for it.)
In fact, on closer inspection they're long and large enough that you can balance them across the top of the cup. Like this:
Note the big white chunks of salt you can see, those'll be important later.
As an aside, what's up with the 'do not microwave' warning on the lid? People eat these hot? Please don't try and eat these hot. And if anyone's genuinely mistaking this snack pack for a Cup Noodle, then they need more sleep.
Once I'd gotten the balancing act out of the way, it was time for the taste test. And that's where things went a bit wrong.
I had to stop after a few bites, to search the phrase 'what is black truffle meant to taste like'. Because I seriously couldn't tell what I should've been tasting. This is the top result:
"Some may describe the taste of black truffles as a mixture of chocolatey, nutty and earthy, and others may describe it as having a subtle woody flavour mixed with a slight mushroom taste."
My tastebuds weren't picking up any of that stuff. No earthy or woody notes, no nuts and mushrooms, nothing that enhanced the flavour. These tasted mostly like salt (those huge salt crystals). Slightly weird, slightly off salt.
I was so disappointed!
I don't want to believe that Jagarico really is just this boring at heart. I've had better versions. And this is a waste of a LONG and LARGE version. (Bring back the bolognese!) No choice but to wait and see what new flavour they announce next.
Verdict: 4/10. To be honest with you, I'm still salty about it.