Beard Papa's matcha cream puff: The Japanese cream puff chain Beard Papa's has made it to Boston, with a shop in the heart of Chinatown. I purchased a green-tea flavored puff, which was flaky on the outside and soft on the inside. The puff oozed cream, but the flavor was very light. So light there was basically no discernible green tea flavor. The color is the only indication of its supposed flavoring. Overall, it was not bad for a cream puff, but disappointing as a matcha dessert. 2.5/5.0
beardpapas pastry dessert creampuff matcha 2.5 boston chinatown cream puff
Horizon cheddar snack crackers: I've always had a soft spot for cheese crackers in cute shapes, but that doesn't mean I'm not discerning in comparing the several options on the market. Goldfish have long gone downhill, with Pepperidge Farm substantially increasing the sodium content and with an unacceptably high risk of getting a burnt batch. Next best are Annie's cheddar bunnies, which are perhaps the crunchiest of the bunch but have good cheddar flavor and an ideal level of salt. Slightly better is Trader Joe's cheddar r... (read more) 4.5/5.0
exceptional cheddar cheese crackers horizon cows 4.5 snack
I Mei egg roll: Box contains four individual packs of 3 egg rolls each. The Taiwanese snack is very lightly sweetened but definitely buttery, with a good amount of saturated fat. Black sesame seeds add flavor throughout. Texture is crumbly and generally satisfying. 3.0/5.0
imei eggroll taiwanese 3.0 sesameseeds blacksesame egg roll
Trader Joe's everything pretzel slims: Flat pretzel-shaped crisps flavored with sesame seeds, poppy seeds, caraway seeds, and an especially significant amount of garlic. Texture is not great-not quite a cracker or a chip, and somewhat stale. But unlike most pretzel snacks, it's not overly seasoned. Works well with dips. 3.0/5.0
traderjoes pretzels everything 3.0 pretzel slims
L'Espoir Simosan cookies: Individually wrapped sandwich cookies with a layer of cream and liquor-soaked raisins. Comes in a royal blue aluminum tin. Cookies are very faintly flavored, buttery yet slightly dry. Cream filling is light. From Japan. 3.0/5.0
simosan lespoir japanese cookies raisins 3.0
Trader Joe's Peanut Butter & Oat Bars: Honestly tastes more like a cookie than an oat bar, but I'll take it! Surprisingly moist and filling. Good peanut butter flavor and chewy texture. 3.5/5.0
traderjoes peanutbutter recommended peanuts oat fiber 3.5 peanut butter bars