Smitten Salted Caramel Ice Cream: The two things I dislike about the Bay Area are 1) almost everything is overpriced, and 2) people see technology as the solution to everything. If there were any type of snack that represented these fundamental problems, it would be Smitten. At Smitten, ice cream is made to order using liquid nitrogen, which, in theory, freezes ice cream faster and produces smaller ice crystals and, as a result, a smoother texture. Because each flavor is produced on its own machine, Smitten can only carry... (read more) 2.5/5.0
icecream sanfrancisco smitten salted caramel ice cream 2.5
Meller Caramel chocolate chews: Not-quite chewy caramel candies with a chocolate filling. Texturally comes closest to American Nips candies, but with a waxier texture and bite as if it had been sitting out a little too long. The sugary milk chocolate on the interior holds it shape when you bite into the caramel. Overall, passable as a mass manufactired candy - neither good nor bad, it meets expectations. Purchased from the Copenhagen airport with loose Danish kroner coins. 2.5/5.0
candy danish junkfood meller caramel chocolate chews 2.5
Lotte Caramel Latte Koala Snacks: I had these Koala snacks all the time growing up in America, but the only flavors I could regularly access were chocolate, strawberry, and matcha. I was excited to find this flavor I hadn't seen before in the local 7-11 in Tokyo. This box contains koala-shaped-biscuits filled with a sort of icing / creme that's caramel latte flavored. Definitely a strong coffee and caramel flavor, but on the dessert-y side, like you're having an ice cream flavored like a caramel latte. I thought the flav... (read more) 2.5/5.0
japanese cute 711 lotte caramel latte koala snacks 2.5
Poppy Mix Cheddar and caramel popcorn: I received a snack box from work containing a few products I haven't come across before. This hand-crafted popcorn contains a classic mix of cheddar and caramel popcorn and tastes exactly like you'd expect, a bag that could be substituted for any other gift basket popcorn in the world. Which is to say that it is neither good nor bad and entirely ordinary. 2.5/5.0
poppymix cheddar caramel popcorn 2.5
Lake Champlain Caramel Five Star bar: These "snack" bars always seem to be at the check out at Whole Foods. I'm not one to purchase chocolate on my own, but I received one for participating in a research study at my lab. Inside the fairly thick milk chocolate shell is a very sweet honey caramel mixed with nuts. The size of the chocolate is awkward: too big for a snack, and requires a knife to reasonably share with others. Overall, I found the caramel milk chocolate combo to be far too sweet. Unfortunately, this five star bar is ... (read more) 2.0/5.0
chocolate lakechamplain caramel almonds 2.0 candy five star bar
Toppo Caramel and Butter Sticks: Toppo is sort of like Lotte's response to Pocky, with a very similar stick-like form factor but with the flavoring on the inside. The exterior is a sort of pretzel / cracker hybrid, and this particular one has a strong buttery flavor and a salted caramel-flavored filling inside. Sweet and savory, like chicken and waffles, this snack could have been good in theory but is somehow both too sweet and too savory at the same time; in other words, not well balanced. This standard size you can fi... (read more) 2.0/5.0
familymart japanese toppo caramel butter sticks 2.0