Bokksu is a premium snack box that features authentic Japanese snacks, as well as a tea pairing to go with it. There are three levels to choose from: Classic Bokksu ($39.99 USD) includes an assortment of 20-25 premium Japanese snacks and a tea pairing; Tasting Bokksu ($25 USD) includes 10-14 premium Japanese snacks and a tea pairing; Vegetarian Snack Bokksu ($39 USD) includes 20-25 vegetarian snacks and a tea pairing. All boxes offer a discount for longer terms. The snacks sent are not easily found outside of Japan and this subscription ships internationally from Japan. Shipping is already included in the price. I am reviewing the Classic Bokksu.
Other Japanese snack subscription services use mass-produced mainstream snacks that can be readily found in most Asian markets outside of Japan. Bokksu directly sources its artisanal snacks from local snack makers in Japan (some of whom have been around for over 200 years!). We only curate high quality and gourmet snacks, never filler items. We are also the ONLY service that handselects a tea pairing for each box to complement that month’s flavors.
DEAL: Save $5 on your first box with coupon code HELLO.
The box is always packed to the top!
When I opened my box I found a card on top.
The back of the postcard had a little info about the theme for the August box.
August’s theme is FIREWORKS FESTIVAL. I am always impressed with the booklet that is included in the box, and now it’s new and improved! Each level of Bokksu comes with this booklet.
I am always happy to learn new things and so the expanded booklet is welcome.
There was a key to which snacks you should find in your box. The vegetarian box will have less items to experience, but they send multiples of the items you do receive.
Each product was shown and even listed which part of Japan it originated from, brand name, common allergens, and a description.
It now lists the manufacturer and notes whether or not the product is vegetarian.
A map shows where the items originated.
Some members were in the spotlight.
The back of the mini mag had info on how you can earn points plus a glimpse at the next box theme! So much info!
Everything in the August 2019 Classic Bokksu!
Sauce Uma Sen I like senbei rice crackers and these have an unusual flavor that is inspired by a sauce based on Worcestershire.
They had the texture of a rice cracker and the salty flavor had a touch of curry to it, at least that’s what it tasted like to me!
Puku PukuTai Strawberry My daughters always get a kick out of these giant fish cookies! We even had to search for them on a recent trip to Hawaii, where they were stuffed with red bean paste.
They taste like the wafer cookies we have here: crispy wafer on the outside, a little strawberry flavored cream on the inside.
Beni Shoga Fried Kaki No Tane Full disclosure: I tried this one without reading about it and expected it to taste like a super spicy chip, like Flamin Hot Cheetos.
It was supposed to taste like pickled ginger, like the pink stuff served alongside sushi and California Rolls. It had an umami salty/savory flavor, not very tangy but it was good.
Mala Fried Rice Cracker really packs a punch! The decorations on the front of the bag are firecrackers.
The cracker was huge and had a fried consistency but the spicy flavor was just right, bold but I wasn’t rushing for a glass of milk.
Black Syrup Kinako Warabi Mochi I know mochi is a popular snack for this box but it’s never really a big hit in my house.
I thought the DIY was a cute idea though.
The bottom is a gelatinous mass that tastes familiar but I can’t quite place it, maybe like tapioca? The syrup was similar to molasses, and the powder was roasted soybeans. No one in my family cared for it, although I might have liked the jelly all on its own, the powder was hard to describe and just not to my liking.
Baby Star Yakisoba Have you ever eaten ramen out of the bag and uncooked? These noodles reminded me of that!
I liked the sweet and umami flavor of the crispy noodles.
Dora Choco looks like little pancakes to me!
The cake pieces are very moist and sweet and the filling reminded me of fudge ice cream topping. Yum!
Hana Kokeshi Aren’t the packages adorable? They look like dolls!
The “head” is a peanut with a cracker coating. The body is also a cracker and while I’m not sure what the flavor is supposed to be, it wouldn’t surprise me if it had something to do with fish.
Handmade Ramune Candy Bokksu sends some variation of these hard candies often but this was the best flavor yet!
The best way I can describe ramune is that it is similar to lemon lime soda so these have a light flavor but they also have some fizzing action going on! It looks similar to the marble found at the top of a ramune soda.
White Strawberry White chocolate and strawberry, do I really need to say more?
A freeze dried strawberry is infused with white chocolate in some kind of magical way and it tastes delicious. I love this treat!
Satsumarche Mizudashicha Tea Hmm, iced green tea? The instructions were a little vague – drop a tea bag in a pitcher of water and place in the fridge for an hour, or steep it with hot water and pour over ice. I went with the second set of directions and since the number “150cc” was on the back of the bag I decided to use 150cc’s of water, or around 3/4 cup. I used water just under the boil so my tea wouldn’t turn bitter and then steeped it for 3 minutes. This type of tea has a vegetal taste, like the water left behind in the pan after you boil spinach. I guess I can easily drink this hot if I think of it as soup, it was a very different experience to drink it iced and I think I will stick to black tea for my summer sipper, and drink the other two bags of this tea hot.
Kongari Corn Rice Cracker Corn shows up more often than I thought it would in Japanese snacks.
The cracker tastes like canned corn and has a sweet and salty glaze on the outside.
My family thoroughly enjoyed all of our fun and interesting snacks from the August Bokksu! Some of the treats are similar to ones we can get in the US but most of them have pretty unique flavors. I like that they offer sweet or salty tastes, and some of them are sweet AND salty at the same time! Mostly I love to have conversations with my peeps about which ones we liked the best and which ones were a no thank you.
What’s your favorite snack from this month’s box?
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