Crunky Balls – Matcha Chocolate
Many brands of chocolate start off in one form or another, and it only seems natural for them to try out various other forms. Sometimes it only seems natural to want to evolve, change or try something different. Where would we humans be, if not for that desire for change and improvement? Where would the Beatles be if they didn’t take a whole ton of “Lucy In the Sky with Diamonds” or make frequent visits to “Dr. Roberts”, and embark on individual journeys of self discovery? Actually, who knows? We might not have awesome albums like Revolver, but we might also have been blessed with something even better. My point is, we simply don’t know, which is why it’s important to try new things and branch out.
While I like chocolate to be in it’s original form (the OG bar), I am open minded to other forms of executing that chocolaty goodness, be they balls, pellets, pieces, or even *GASP* liquid form. Crunky is a brand that, in my mind started off in the typical bar form and naturally branched out into the balls that I’ll be trying today. I love trying new balls. I am one of the few people who can say that with so much confidence that it is un-ironic.
Putting aside the fact that these things have an awesome name, they remind me a lot of Whoppers or Maltesers. I think that’s mostly due to the packaging. It stands out to me in the same way, though more attention-grabbing than classy. One may grab your attention, but one is definitely more recognizable in the long run. Not that there’s anything wrong with one or the other. *Insert random metaphor about girls here* With regards to the actual product, well that remains to be seen. My past experiences with Lotte brands has been largely positive, so I’m hoping this isn’t the exception.
The package is relatively small, weighing in at 32 grams. I don’t think there needs to be too much introduction on this. We can discern most of the information we need from looking at the package. It contains multiple balls of crunk. For some reason I can’t read/write the word crunk without thinking about Lil Jon. Now that I think about it, what is crunk exactly? Moving on…
Right off the bat, I notice that these things are both larger than I expected, and a slightly different shape from what I was imagining. They are only slightly smaller in circumference than a quarter, and are flatter in shape than an actual ball. They remind me of slightly taller/wider version of junior mints. Not nearly as flat as one, so that you can expect some solid chocolate filling. These feel pretty solid, and it would take a bit of strength to crush or deform. They don’t feel quite as solid as a Maltesers though, but that could be a good thing since you won’t have to worry about cutting the roof of your mouth on a stray piece.
It’s a little hard to tell from the picture, but apart from the light greenish hue of the matcha chocolate, there are little balls of puffed rice inside to give it a nice crisp texture when you bite into it. While the chocolate on the outside is nothing to write home about, the matcha chocolate on the inside is nice and flavourful. It has that unmistakable matcha flavour to balance off the sweetness of the milk chocolate coating, and the little puffed rice pieces that give it both a nice texture and slight toasted flavour.
This isn’t the first time I’ve had the combination of matcha chocolate with puffed rice. I also don’t expect this to be the last time, since the combination works so well. I’m sure I’ll have another run in with it not too long from now. It’s probably a good thing a full pack of these is not more than 190 calories. These are dangerously addictive if you like matcha. Suffice to say, this gets a big thumbs up from me. These shouldn’t be too hard to find at a Asian specialty store or grocery store, since I see them all over the place in the reaches of the far North. If you see this, go get a bag and give them a try! They also come in a wide variety of flavours, so hopefully I’ll get to one of the other ones later on.
Now if you’ll excuse me, I need to take a nap or run a mile. I’m not sure which, but I do know I’m about to crash from finishing the whole pack in less than 5 minutes.
