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Try the World
Try the World is a bimonthly (every other month) international food subscription service that allows subscribers to experience the world through their taste buds without pulling out their passports. Bimonthly boxes of 6-7 items are curated by chefs around the world, giving subscribers a versatile variety of food items to taste and cook with.
We were given the opportunity to review Try the World's previous box, which came from Argentina, and we have their latest box from Japan for you today!
The cost of the subscription varies based on the length of your subscription terms and subscription can be canceled at any time and is broken down as follows:
Month to Month - $39 every 2 months
Semi-Annual - $105 every 6 months (breaks down to $35 per box)
Annual - $198 every 12 months (breaks down to $33 per box)
You can subscribe through their website - TrytheWorld.com
Try the World July/August Box - Japan Review
For those of you that have followed me over the years you probably already know that I'm a hapa (half-Japanese). I grew up in a family that was culturally and dynamically very influenced by my father's Japanese and Hawaiian roots. As a result, everything in this box was very familiar to me as I grew up eating a lot of Japanese food. My grandparents lived in Hawaii by the time I was growing up, but very frequently spent time in Japan (multiple times each year) and spoke both English and Japanese. In fact, one of my sisters and one cousin currently live in Tokyo!
While the products in this month's box weren't new to me, it was very fun to see familiar items. It was also interesting to see what the curators picked to present to those who may be less familiar with Japanese culture and popular/common foods, treats and dishes. I was very excited to see some of my (and my family's) personal favorites in this box!
If you read our last review on the Try the World Argentina box you probably noted the volume of food sent. I was extremely happy to see that this box had a comparable volume of food and quality of variety. I love when subscription services are consistent from box to box!
Try the World Japan Box
As you can see, this box offered a mix of ready-to-eat goodies and foods that required cooking, similar to the Argentina box. Those that required cooking were very simple to prepare.
As with each box we received a postcard detailing all of the foods included. These cards are great as they give you some background info on each food along with how to eat them!
Included in each box is also a cultural guide that explains a bit about the country the box has been curated from, the foods, recipes, activities, etc.
I love that the cultural guides include recipes! This recipe incorporated the delicious blueberry matcha green tea mix from the box. Yum!
Product: Aoi Tea Blueberry Matcha Tea
Our Thoughts: This was a Matcha Blueberry tea mix. It was absolutely delicious, especially cold. It blended nicely, had a nice strong, fresh blueberry taste and was sweetened well.
For those unfamiliar with the difference between Matcha tea and regular green tea, Matcha tea leaves are shade-grown and processed differently than regular green tea (stems and veins are removed), Matcha is used in traditional tea ceremonies and incorporated in many confectioneries and foods. I am a huge fan, personally!
Product: Ishiguro Yamaimo Soba Noodles
Our Thoughts: Japan, like many Asian countries, has many varieties of noodles used in different dishes. These are buckwheat soba noodles, most often used in soups and sometimes in stir fry. Unlike Udon (super thick, delicious, wheat noodles), soba are very thin and have a buckwheat flavor--buckwheat is used in other Japanese foods as well.
Product: Morinaga Milk Caramels
Our Thoughts: These Morinaga Milk Caramels are not only delicious, but iconic! Unlike caramels in the U.S., these Japanese caramels have more of a milk flavor to them (if you like Japanese milk candies you'll likely like these as well!).
They're highly recognizable and have been featured in different Japanese films. Can you think of one?
Totoro would be the first one that comes to mind for me! Miyazaki actually features a number of popular Japanese candies in his films, this being one of them.
Product: Otafuku Foods Okonomiyaki Kit
Our Thoughts: This Okonomiyaki Kit is fantastic because it includes most of the ingredients needed to make okonomiyaki, which is basically a savory pancake that often incorporates cabbage and scallions in the flour-based batter. You can put a number of different toppings on it. I have most often eaten it with a special sauced often used on them along with Japanese mayo. Bonito flakes, which is very finely shaved fish flakes, are sometimes used as a garnish and were included in this kit. These are absolutely delicious and are meant to be customized to your liking (that's actually part of what makes them what they are).
Product: Takaokaya Seaweed Snack
Our Thoughts: I've seen seaweed snacks introduced a bit in the U.S. more and more. In Japan, they are a common snack and something I personally grew up on (my kids are being raised the same way). These are great little snack packs that can be taken on the go. It's very healthy and so delicate and melt-in-your mouth delicious. Seaweed in Japan is generically referred to as "nori" (which is actually pronounced more like no-dee since the r's are more similar to an American "d"). This pack in particular was well-seasoned, they come in a super wide variety of flavors in Japan as snacks).
Product: Wadakan Umami Ponzu Sauce
Our Thoughts: Umami Ponzu Sauce is a dipping sauce that can be used over grilled meat or fish or to dip sashimi in. I actually like it on just about everything for dipping mixed with a bit of sweet cooking rice seasoning--great if you like a bit of sweetness with your salty-tang.
Product: Kasagai Gummy Candies
Our Thoughts: Lychee is a very common fruit flavor in Japan and gummies are plentiful in a variety of flavors. The best way I can describe Lychee is if a pineapple and kiwi had a baby, it would be a lychee fruit. These gummies were absolutely delicious--and gluten-free to boot! So tasty. And the package was resealable so that if you're able to restrain yourself from eating all of them at once, they'd stay fresh for later!
Final Thoughts
Once again Try the World has impressed us! While we had a slight advantage because of our personal familiarity with the country and foods represented by this box, we were super excited to taste everything. We maintain our original opinion that this box is a great cultural experience--well-valued with plenty of diverse flavor experiences.
You can subscribe through their website - TrytheWorld.com
Note: Products in this post were provided by PR/the brand. All opinions are our own.