Japanese Sweets: Manju Steamed Cake with 5 Flavors - Matcha, Chestnut, Milk, Sweet Red Beans & White Kidney Beans and Soba) 18 Pcs

Many Japanese confections have versions that are filled with a paste (dry jam) made of a sweet red bean called adzuki. Adzuki beans are cultivated throughout East Asia. Sometimes, another flavor is mixed into the paste such as milk, matcha (green tea), chestnuts, etc. A few confections such as manju have been paired with hot green tea in Japan since the 13th century. 18 pieces, 5 varieties. Descriptions on the back of the package are in quotes here: 2 桃山 (Momoyama), red and white bean-jam dumpling, "Melt-in-your-mouth red and white bean paste wrapped in a refined baked manju (yeast bun)." 2 栗まん (chestnut bean-jam dumpling), "Baked manju with chopped chestnut paste." (dark outer surface) 4 乳菓 (milk-based candy filling), "Refined baked manju with a subdued sweetness of milk flavor." (elongated shape) 5 そばまんじゅう (soba (buckwheat) steamed bun), "Bite-sized manju where the buckwheat flour flavor enhances the deliciousness." (orange stripe on wrapper) 5 抹茶まんじゅう (matcha (green tea) steamed bun), "Bite-sized manju where the aroma of matcha fills your mouth." (green stripe on wrapper) The size of each piece is 2 to 3 cm across and 1 cm thick. Each piece is individually wrapped. I don't understand why the package I received has a P65 warning on the sticker with the translated nutrition information. All of the ingredients except milk and eggs are from plants and are common in pastries. They are moderately soft and chewy. The outside is dry to the touch like cake or bread. I like the taste of these a lot. As far as snack foods go, these are above-average quality. I wish they were larger, but this is a sample pack. I'll buy a pack of larger ones in a single flavor next time. In the hexagon, it reads: 味の銘作 (Aji no Meisaku, Masterpiece of Flavor) 上品な甘さ (refined sweetness) 優雅な味わい (elegant flavor) 日本茶によくあう銘菓のとり合わせ (An assortment of famous sweets that go well with Japanese tea) "Allergy information: Contains soybean, wheat, egg, and milk." Soybeans are not in the ingredients, but they might use soybean vegetable oil, or the factory might also processes soybeans. "Caution: This package contains an oxygen absorber bag to preserve freshness. This absorber is not edible. Discard it after opening the outer bag. Keep out of reach of children." That's in red text on the back. "Storage precautions: Store in a cool place away from direct sunlight, high temperatures, and humidity. Also, since no preservatives are used, once the outer bag is opened, store in the refrigerator and consume within two days." That's in black text on the back. 菓子庵丸京 (Confectionary Marukyo-Seika). That's the bakery. They specialize in dorayaki (bean-jam pancake buns). Their website lists other products.

As someone forever broadening their epicurean tastes and fascinated by anything-you-can't-get-in-America, I bought these. I honestly didn't know what to expect besides that I wouldn't be able to read the labels of what I was eating, and that these definitely were NOT daifuku (a delicious, sweet gummy-marshmallowy mochi that I've been addicted to for awhile). Disclaimer: if you are one of those people who are scared to eat anything with beans in them, STOP. A lot of Japanese sweets, for some reason, use beans. Amazingly, most don't taste bad. In fact, they don't even taste like beans, and I love a big bowl of tex-mex chili. Chances are you'll probably like these because they don't taste like some crazy chili-cake mashup. So what are these? Well, calling them "cakes" would be a confusing misnomer for Americans. There are 18 individually wrapped packets, each containing a little round bun. Some are a little larger than a JFK dollar and others the size of a quarter. The texture is like a soft cookie/pastry shell, and inside is a thick sugary filling, similar to marzipan but fluffier. The fillings were all different, yet very subtle. Some (the big round ones with the reddish top) have little chewy bits of... something... in them, and others have a creamy, white filling. The listing states that these are soba (buckwheat), milk, chestnut, red bean, white bean and matcha, but everything on the package is in Japanese so it's hard to tell what is what besides the matcha ones (*insert kanji translators here*). Now, about the sweetness. Some say it's not very sweet. Well, obviously there's something very wrong with me, because I am one of those people who can down an entire container of Pillsbury fudge frosting (hey, don't judge me). These cakes are very small, so with the first bite I didn't think they were very sweet. I had another, and then another, and for SOME reason the sugar just hit me. I flew through the roof. Maybe it has something to do with there being real sugar instead of HFCS in the ingredients, or maybe I just needed to have some freshly-brewed matcha to counterbalance the sweetness. I don't like tea but that might have to change. Who knows. In any case, I can only stomach 1 or 2 a day, no more. They are delicious though, so I will *probably* buy another package when I need more stuff to get my Amazon free shipping. ;) Edit: Ugh, I was wrong... there IS HFCS in the ingredients. Bummer. Oh well, all in moderation folks.

They are an acquired taste if you aren’t used Asian treats but they are really tasty. The filling is adequate and they aren’t too dry. The texture was a little too hard for my brain to understand or even explain, but i didn’t dislike them.

Flavors are more or less the same across the various treats, but it’s a nice flavor, and the packaging makes for an attractive presentation.

So yummy this will be a monthly purchase!!! And doesn’t taste artificial at all came in good condition and random flavors for all so good tho

First off, everything written is in Japanese, so figuring out what flavor is which will require taste testing. These tiny delights, and they are a delightful treat, start out, at first, as, "hmmm, so, what's the big deal". After finishing one though, suddenly the flavors begin to blossom inside the mouth, and the sweetness hits! Definitely one treat is all that's needed to satisfy. I am a big fan of manga and anime, so love trying out foods that can be purchased, or making recipes of dishes I want to try out. So far, I am loving this Japanese food adventure.

adorable looking foods and packaging. my daughter will love them. great gift for for someone looking to try new foods or a child that asked for japanese foods on christmas list. package was double size i thought it was going to be. also it was excellent price. would buy again.

Says on the package it has lead in it. Look up what lead exposure does to the brain.