Bourbon Petit – Matcha Cocoa Cookies
As I remember it, Petit was a line of snacks that Bourbon released in a distinct packaging. I’d say that they remind me most of Pringles. All the snacks from this line come in a foil package with a sleeve on the inside, allowing them to be stacked quite easily without taking up too much space. Besides the noticeable shape of their products, they have a series of adorable teddy bears that come in different colours and varieties, which I guess are associated with certain flavours. I find it interesting that they use the same style and packaging for their sweet snacks like cookies and biscuits, as well as their savoury snacks like crackers and chips. It’s really quite clever.
The variety I have today struck me as a safe choice to dip my toes in. I mean, how could you go wrong with a sandwich cookie? I’ve had some lame, boring ones, but I don’t think I’ve had a bad one that I wouldn’t eat again, or turn down. That’s how easy it is nail the formula down. I’ve even had stale ones and still managed to like them. Actually, that may speak more about me than sandwich cookies….but I digress.
Beyond the typical marketing, this is what you would expect an Oreo to be; the classic chocolate cookie with a creme filling in the centre. This particular flavour has matcha as the creme filling. Given how mainstream matcha has become, I wouldn’t be all that surprised if Oreo eventually has a flavour with matcha creme. In fact, if memory serves, I believe they already do in their regional Japan flavours. Those unfortunately are too expensive for my tastes, so I settled for this instead.
You would be forgiven for thinking these were Oreos based on smell alone. Something about their chocolate cookies has a distinct smell. Though I guess not distinct enough that these smell exactly like it. The matcha creme has a very light, floral smell, and doesn’t smell all that sweet or bitter.
These little mini sandwich cookies are pretty much par for the course when it comes to sandwich cookies. They have the chocolatey cookie taste that is very similar to Oreos and other similar styled cookies. The creme seems to take a backseat to the cookie itself, which is a bit of a change up from Oreos where the creme is very sweet and at times overpowering. The creme has a nice floral matcha flavour to it, but it tends to be a bit shy and lets the cookie take the center stage. What you end up with is the taste of an Oreo cookie with a slightly floral aftertaste, which kind of reminds me of jasmine.
The only difference between these and Oreos, besides the size difference is that the cookie feels a bit more solid and less crumbly. Some people may like that Oreo cookies can melt in your mouth, but I prefer this one where it doesn’t crumble right away and I feel like I’m actually chewing something. If I were to guess, it probably also has to do with the ingredients, and is what makes these a bit more shelf stable and last longer. Not that I mind. These cookies are just fine without milk. The creme in the middle isn’t quite as soft as an Oreo, and if I were to wager a guess I’d say it probably has to do with sugar and dairy content. The benefit of this though, is you don’t feel quite as disgusting after a few. That Oreo regret is real.
I like these for a number of reasons. For starters, they are very easy to store, and the little sleeve inside helps protect them quite well. It’s compact packaging and size also makes it easy to share, and being of a smaller size, it’s an easier sell to get someone to try one. Compare that to an Oreo, and you won’t get as much buy in, considering the size and calorie count of each one. Also, they aren’t very expensive, all things considered. I got this for about a dollar, which is not bad compared to other Japanese snacks of a similar size/weight. Most of all, psychologically I feel better eating multiple of these, despite the size. Compare this to an Oreo, and you can’t eat quite as many without hitting a calorie limit. What can I say, sometimes I just want to eat a whole bunch of cookies. I’m a glutton that way.
