Sakuraco December 2023 Unboxing & Review
I’ve been a Sakuraco subscriber since their initial launch in March 2021, but had to cancel earlier this year to save up for a trip – when I’m trying to cut expenses, usually snacks and sweets are the first on the chopping block. Which is why I was so excited when the company reached out earlier this month with an opportunity to review their latest December box! Themed ‘Holidays in Hokkaido’, it aims to introduce us to the largest and northernmost Japanese prefecture, and explore some unique local delicacies. Interestingly enough, my husband and I spent a week in Hokkaido in September, and I was looking forward to reading about familiar places in the included booklet.
HOW IT WORKS:
For $37.50/month + shipping ($32.50/month if you prepay for a year) Sakuraco subscribers receive a selection of premium hand-picked artisan-made snacks, sweets, and tea sourced from small shops in Japan, plus fun extra lifestyle goodies like chopsticks and small ceramics. Click here to check it out.
IN THE BOX:
1 // Fleur Confectionery Baumkuchen – Sakuraco made me fall in love with baumkuchen cakes, and they have since become some of my favorite sweet treats! This month’s roll cake has a rich buttery taste and makes a perfect companion for tea. Loved it!
2 // Naniwaya Confectionery Yuzu Kaki no Tane – Zesty, nutty, and with a touch of Japanese seven-spice mix, or shichimi togarashi, these little crackers and roasted peanuts are crispy, delicious, and bursting with complex flavors.
3 // Camembert Cheese Arare – I actually remember seeing these crackers at a station souvenir shop in Japan, I thought they looked interesting. They combine two different textures: a crispy outer shell that looks like rigatoni pasta, and a softer cheese filling. The flavor wasn’t for me, but they were still fun to try.
4 // Eguchi Confectionery Hokkaido Adzuki Cake – This beautifully made cake is a little work of art! The outside shell is made of two thin rice wafers featuring a 16-petal jirogiku, a national symbol of Japan and the Japanese royal family. Inside, the sweet filling is made with Hokkaido adzuki beans. This delicate dessert is sweet and crispy, and pairs well with bitter drinks, like matcha or brewed green tea.
5 // Basco Foods Muscat Fruit Jelly – Before reading that it’s a jelly, I assumed this is a lollipop since it comes on a stick. This little treat is delightfully sweet and tastes like ripe sugary grapes. I bet if you put it in the fridge and eat it cold, it will taste even better.
6 // Tengudo Milk Mochi – I actually had this mochi before in a past Sakuraco box and I love seeing it come back! I also bought some at a gift shop in Hakodate, which is not too far from Nanae where this mochi is produced. It tastes unbelievably good, like a soft and chewy milky caramel but not too sweet.
7 // Kitami Suzuki Milk & Chocolate Cookie – Japanese langue de chat-style cookies make popular souvenirs, so I always love trying regional specialties from across the country to help me decide which ones to bring home as gifts. This one features two thin crisp butter cookies sandwiched between a layer of white chocolate made with premium Hokkaido milk. They remind me of another classic Hokkaido cookie, Shiroi Koibito, which is equally scrumptious.
8 // Hokkaido Confectionery Hakodate Squid Senbei – Think puffed rice cracker, but one that tastes like a dried squid snack. I’m a fan of squid so I loved it! Fun fact: Hakodate is famous for its seafood, particularly their fresh squid, so the locals lovingly call their town “Squid City.”
9 // Maruichi Confectionery Okinawan Salt Daifuku – Who else loves getting a whole bag of mochi in your box of snacks? These daifuku have an unusual flavor: soft and chewy mochi dough that is a little bit salty meets a sweet red bean paste heart in the middle. I liked the white and blue packaging, too, because it looks very wintery.
10 // Showa Confectionery Hokkaido Butter Cookie – These butter cookies are a Hokkaido classic, and they’re made with some of the finest local dairy. They are crispy and sweet, and pair perfectly with a glass of warm milk. I usually buy the ones from Sapporo Agricultural College, but these are just as good.
11 // White Chocolate Strawberry – This Sakuraco original features decadent dried strawberries soaked in white chocolate. It’s like biting into a strawberry that tastes like sweet milk – a very unique experience!
12 // Seki Confectionery Momiji Cookie – I remember these cookies from a past box! I don’t think this is an official product this month because I couldn’t find it in the monthly booklet, but sometimes Sakuraco includes little extras from their overstock, so it must’ve been that. Who doesn’t love getting free snacks? These cookies are super adorable and taste like gingersnaps but less sweet and with a more refined texture.
13 // Sennarido Wasabi Pistachios – If you like wasabi peas, you will like these wasabi pistachios! The wasabi flavor is very strong, almost overwhelming, and instantly gets to your nose. A fun experience, but I wish I could taste the pistachios better. 🙂
14 // Takuma Foods Fried Corn Snack – If you love popcorn but hate how it gets stuck in your teeth, check out this fried corn lovingly crafted in Aichi prefecture! It’s crispy but not hard at all, didn’t get stuck in my teeth, and was full of buttery and salty flavor. I honestly wouldn’t mind buying a whole bag of these to enjoy as a snack, it was that good.
15 // Bloom Ichigo Yuzen Dish – This hand-crafted little plate is made in the style of ‘kintsugi’, an art of repairing broken ceramics with gold. And although the tradition of repairing old pottery is slowly fading, it’s nice to see it preserved in some parts of the world. This tiny serving snack plate was made to look like a kintsugi piece as a nod to this ancient craft.
16 // Hagiri x Sakuraco Matcha Genmaicha Tea – Getting fancy tea was one of my favorite Sakuraco experiences when I was a paid subscriber, because the teas were always so unique! This one features three distinct flavors of Japanese tea in one cup: toasted Hokkaido brown rice, astringent and aromatic sencha, and a touch of matcha for a boost of energy! This blend actually reminds me of the traditional Japanese ‘good fortune tea’ which highlights the same trio of flavors. I already ordered some from Ippodo and and it’s due to arrive any day now. 🙂
THE VERDICT:
Sixteen unique products in this box and so many new snacks to discover, isn’t that amazing? This is the experience I’ve come to love from Sakuraco, and the December box exceeded all of my expectations. It was fun to rediscover some old favorites and try new-to-me treats. I think my favorites this month are Hakodate shrimp senbei cracker, the baumkuchen, the milk mochi bar, and the fried corn. I also enjoyed reading about an area that I had just visited a few months prior. Visiting Hokkaido was a last minute travel change because we didn’t expect 100-degree weather in the middle of September in Kyoto where we originally planned to go. So we pivoted to Hokkaido instead and didn’t regret that decision one bit!
Do you like Japanese snacks?
BONUS:
Here are some photos I took in Hokkaido!
Famous Nikka billboard in Sapporo.
Sapporo Ramen Alley.
Steep slopes of Otaru.
Narrow restaurant alley in Otaru.
Jigokudani ‘Hell Valley’ hiking trail.
Lavender ice cream in Furano.
Flower fields of Biei, as far as the eye can see!
Hakodate Snaffles cheesecake souffle in a cup 🙂
