(This post is dedicated to a family friend who recently passed away. I know they enjoyed reading my food reviews for years - this one's for you, mate.)
When I tell people that I review weird and interesting Japanese food and snacks, most of them end up reading at least some of these reviews.
Not everything I've covered over the years is to everyone's tastes, sure. I bet many people skipped straight past the takoyaki ice cream, for example...
Recently, I asked a former coworker who reads this blog to do some of the taste testing for me. What started out as curiosity turned into a full collab! Not even my parents have been willing to try some of this stuff.
I set myself some important rules for deciding what to review this time: I would only pick things that I would happily eat myself, nothing too weird or disgusting, and not a huge amount. (No 4,000+ calories yakisoba, for example.)
In the end, I picked out 3 limited edition Black Thunder bitesize packs from the convenience store, handed them over, and waited.
We're both (fairly) busy people, so it took a while to finish this post, but here it is.
I haven't tried any of these varieties of Black Thunder myself. After I read the reviews, I might regret that.
Reviews and score in quotes, followed by any other comments from me.
Black Thunder Ama (sweet) MAX (Majide Amakute eXtreme)
"Attacked by layers of sweetness like a mille-feuille. The intense sweetness hits like a chunk of caramel butter. The crunchy cookie base left at the end is tasty, but overall it's just too sweet. Tastes like something you'd find in an Australian supermarket. Makes you crave black coffee.
Score: 5/10."
Seriously Sweet Extreme, huh? I bet if I'd eaten these, this would've been my top choice.
I can see why other people might not like the super sweet snacks as much as I do. It was never my intention to make anyone feel like they were being "attacked" by chocolate. (Sorry about that!)
Disclaimer: I've never been to an Australian supermarket. I'm sure it's a wonderful experience.
The pack had some 'sweet words' on the back: What's sweeter than Black Thunder? Probably my heart.
On the front, 0.4% cream, 0.04% condensed milk and 2.5% butter don't sound like much on a first read. That said, the ingredients list makes it clear just how much milk and chocolate have gone into each chunk. I think trying them with coffee is a great idea, especially if you also really like coffee.
Berry Thunder W (double) berry
"Absolutely delicious. You can really taste the fruit flavors. The harmony between the tartness and chocolate sweetness is outstanding. The sourness might be just a touch too strong, but the complex flavor is very enjoyable. Strawberry, cranberry, chocolate, cookie - so many flavors spread across your palate, it's fun.
Score: 10/10."
Full marks for the double berry version! Definitely regretting not buying an extra pack for myself.
This handy diagram on the back shows off the layers and depth involved:
Starting from the bottom: a fiantine that's satisfying to crunch into, melt-in-the-mouth butter cookie crumbles, tart yet sweet strawberry chips, and a cranberry 'accent'.
(I had to look up what a 'fiantine' is for this. Apparently it's the same as a KitKat base. Learning something new about snacks every day...)
Sure, it isn't the sweetest one (what the hell's going to beat sweet MAX?), but sometimes I like my berry flavours to be a bit zingy. It sounds like a thoughtfully considered combo.
Black Thunder over 200% choco sensation
"A crunchy texture paired with a rich chocolate taste. If this were served at the bar counter of a luxury hotel, charging $5 per piece wouldn't be surprising. While it's not dark chocolate, the flavor feels grown-up. Seems like it would pair well with whiskey.
Score: 8/10."
How much chocolate is too much chocolate? Over 200% still gets an 8 out of 10. Black Thunder's got a lot more work to do.
Whenever something's described as a 'grown-up' version or flavour here in Japan, that usually just means 'less sweet than usual'. And I think this is true here - sounds like more chocolate with less sweetness. So... I'd probably hate it.
As of this post, $5 is a little over 700 yen. If you tried to charge me 700 yen for 1 piece of Black Thunder, that had better be some seriously good Black Thunder. That, or it should include the shot of whiskey for free.