Snakku
$15.75-$38.75/month—Free USA shipping
Tracking included
Snakku is a monthly Japanese snack box centered around more traditional and local treats. US customers can get a small tasting box for $15.74 for 5-7 snacks, while the original box is $38.75 per month for around 2 pounds of goodies. US customers also have free shipping, while other international customers pay an additional shipping charge.
Snakku focuses on unique snacks only found in Japan, usually with a traditional feel. Most of the items in each box are from local shops. They also provide lots of cultural information on their blog and the info card, which I appreciate. If you purchase a 3 or 6 month prepaid subscription to the original box, you get a reusable paper furoshiki! (Traditional wrapping cloth.) This month I got this pretty abstract yellow design, which feels very summery.
The theme for August is Japanese fruit! The information card gives you an overview of popular fruit in Japan, like Hokkaido melon and Kyoho grapes. The beautiful and clean design of the packaging and info card that Snakku always has makes the box feel extra special. They include “featured snacks,” which are usually the more local items, and “popular snacks.”
I live in Michigan, where we also have a lot of locally grown fruit, so I really appreciate the fruit culture in Japan. As the info card mentions, you can get quite expensive fruit such as $100 melons. Often, these are for special occasions and/or gifts. There’s also a lot of emphasis on regional specialties, with certain prefectures in Japan being known for a particular fruit crop. Some of them even have cute mascots! One of my favorites is the Mandarin orange mascot for Ehime, a dog named Mikyan. You can see a giant list of them here—can you pick out which ones are based off of produce?
So, in short, I dig this theme!
Hokkaido Melon& Yamagata White Peach Jelly: These are two fruit jellies made from local Japanese fruit. The melon jelly uses melons from Yubari, Hokkaido, which is the most famous town for growing amazing melons. I’ve tried Hokkaido melon jellies before, so I tried the other jelly since I’m less familiar with Japanese peaches. I tried it chilled, as recommended. It immediately smelly like fresh peaches. The sweet jelly had little bits of peach inside, and I really enjoyed the clean white peach taste.
Sakuranbo Cherry Jelly: This is a beautiful dessert that I failed to photograph well. It’s an all-natural jelly with a Nagoya cherry inside.
The jelly isn’t too sweet, which lets the flavor of the cherry shine. It’s a very refreshing treat!
Baby Ume Senbei: These little rice crackers are coated in sugar granuales and then sprinkled with ume (plum) seasoning. The ume gives the sweet crackers a salty and tangy kick. Sometimes ume flavors can be too strong for my taste, but these have the perfect balance.
Kabosu Almond Lime Cookie: The Kabosu limes in this cookie come from Oita in southern Japan. Apparently Kabosu limes are a bit more tart, and the info card says that they are used in place of vinegar for some Japanese dishes! The cookie itself is amazing. The sweet shortbread, nutty almonds, and zesty lime make for a perfect bite.
Kyoho Langue De Chat: This is a two butter cookies with Kyoho grape cream in the middle. Kyoho grapes are usually eaten peeled due to their thick skin, which I didn’t know! This was one of my favorite treats from this month’s box. Grapes usually aren’t used in Western baked desserts, so I’ve never really tried any sweet that wasn’t an artificially flavored grape candy. The cream tastes somewhere between fresh grapes and wine. Paired with the butter cookies, it’s awesome. I vote that we start using grapes in more desserts!
Pretz Tomato: Pretz are a savory cracker-like stick. It’s made by Glico, who also make Pocky. So, they are similar—a stick snack with different flavors. Pretz don’t really remind me of the implied pretzels, but more of a cracker or biscuit. This kind is dusted with a tangy tomato flavor.
Pota Pota Yaki: This senbei has really cute packaging! The top of the rice cracker is glazed with sugar and soy sauce. The cracker itself is airy and light, and it has the salty-sweet combo going on. Very yummy!
Lychee Gummy: These soft gummies are lychee flavored. It’s a light, fruity taste. These are more easily found outside of Japan if you’d like to try them for yourself—try an Asian grocery store.
Cola Hard Candy: These were a bonus candy not on the info card. They are hard cola flavored candies that fizz a ton! It’s a little sour with a strong cola taste.
Mukashi no Senbei: This traditional rice cracker is glazed with a savory, salty soy sauce. It is very crunchy! A bit too crunchy for my tastes, but that’s a personal preference. I wonder if the five little bumps on the cracker have any significance?
Baked Chocolate Sandwich: This is a thin wafer cookie sandwich with chocolate in the middle. It’s a simple and delicious treat that would go great with coffee or tea.
Overall, Snakku continues to be a very successful Japanese treat box. They always include a balance of snacks that is unique and yummy. The different monthly themes keep each box interesting, as well as giving subscribers a peek into Japanese culture. I also appreciate the amount of thought put into the curation and design of each box. You can tell by their blog and social media posts that they spend time deciding what to include, often giving readers more information about the shops they source their snacks from. This is a great box not only for people interested in Japanese food and culture, but for folks who appreciate supporting local businesses.
You can purchase a Snakku subscription here, with the tasting boxes at $15.75/month and the original box at $38.75/month. Free shipping and tracking information to the USA.
PR sample. All opinions are my own, and no compensation was received for this review. No affiliate links are in this review.