Black Thunder – Matcha Azuki

Another week, another new, but “safe” review. I say safe for a couple of reasons here. Black Thunder has already established itself as a solid choice for Japanese chocolate, and I’ve yet to be wronged by them. Another reason this particular variety is “safe” is because it’s matcha and azuki (red bean), two things that are in general so hard to screw up, they come together in a super safe collaboration. Would I have any reason to believe that today’s is any different?

At this point, it’s more of an exercise in finding out if this variety will stack up against the others that I’ve tried – whether it surpasses or is surpassed by its peers. Unconsciously, I’ve probably the highest expectation of this bar against the others. This explains why out of the last batch I ordered, this is the last one.

As with the others, it looks inconspicuous enough from the outside. The same, signature chocolate covered lumpy lump in rectangular form, never betraying it’s true colours deep within.

Once you get past the fact that it’s green on the inside, there isn’t a whole lot to distinguish it from the others. I guess maybe those little pieces that look like red bean? Other than that, it’s business as usual.

The red pieces definitely taste like red bean, but not necessarily in a good way. It’s not that it’s bad, but it has a distinct taste (at least for me) of red bean that has been sitting in liquid for a while. It’s hard for me to explain it succinctly, but it’s noticeable enough for me that it detracts from the experience. The matcha flavour is definitely there, and there’s nothing to complain about. There’s also nothing to write home about either, just your standard matcha flavour.

Like I’ve said, it’s a safe choice. It’s nothing spectacular, but it’s nothing bad either. In terms of how it holds up against the other ones, I’d pick the bitter or adult versions over this. If I’m craving red bean or matcha, I’d just opt for something else like a Kit-Kat or a Tirol.