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| piece of Meiji milk chocolate unwrapped |
I am an actual a sucker when it comes to packaging, if a product is bad, all you have to do is package it right, and I will most probably buy it. I guess that's how most people are like. That's why packaging is so important. Also probably why people like things from Japan (other than their good quality and uniqueness of course)
Lucky for me this time, Meiji's chocolates not only have great packaging, but the product is good quality. Meiji or (明治乳業株式会社) is a company established in 1917 in Japan. For those who haven't been to Asia are probably not familiar with the brand, they are huge in Asia, aside from "milk" products like Cheese, milk and chocolate; they also have sports drinks, pizza and baby formulas.
When I saw these on the grocery store shelves, I knew I had to buy it aside from its packaging (hehe). I ended up buying both the Milk Chocolate and Black Chocolate version. The price was reasonable.
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| Meiji Milk Chocolate |
The website introduces this milk chocolate:
永遠のピュアチョコレート
芳醇なカカオとミルクの味と香りが味わえる、明治を代表するピュアチョコレート。食べやすいひと口サイズです。
(literal translation - forgive me if there are any errors)
Forever Real Chocolate
The simple and thick aroma and taste of the milk and cocoa of this chocolate represents Meiji's aroma and texture. This is bite size which is easy to eat.
The milk chocolate version tasted really good, I know that a lot of people complain about Japanese chocolate, but I guess they haven't really gotten a chance to try "real" Japanese chocolate by Meiji. It is different from chocolate from Switzerland as it is not very creamy nor has a strong cocoa taste, but it definitely has a special unique taste that can be very addictive to eat. It also is "light tasting" so you won't have a guilty feeling after eating one too many.
These milk chocolates tasted very classy and basic. I think they used Hokkaido milk (if you haven't and you get a chance in the future you NEED to try it, it is good!), it was a bit sweeter than the black chocolate version.
When you put it in your mouth, it doesn't melt, it is kind of dry, you need to "chew" it a bit (it is quite soft unlike the "Western" chocolates we are use to). It is kind of like breaking the "barrier" once you chew it, it will start to melt.
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| Meiji Black Chocolate (sorry for bad lighting) |
The official website introduces this Black Chocolate as:
コクのあるカカオ感とキレのある後味
華やかでコクのあるカカオ感とキレのある後味が特徴のビターチョコレート。食べやすいひと口サイズです。
(literal translation - forgive me if there are any errors)
A feeling of strong cocoa lingers.
The strong essence of cocoa and gorgeous bitter taste. A full-bodied strong tasting cocoa is present as an aftertaste, this is a feature of the gorgeous bitter taste of this chocolate. This is bite size which is easy to eat.
I don't know why they called this black chocolate, since to me it is dark chocolate, maybe they wanted to differentiate themselves from "dark" chocolate or they just had a mis-translation, either way, it doesn't affect the taste of this chocolate, so it is ok, whatever they choose to name it as.
There is definitely a strong tasting cocoa to this chocolate. It is still sweeter than the other "dark chocolates" we are used to eating (western ones, specifically Lindt).
Also, like the milk chocolate, it is dry, so you need to chew it. I think this is "drier" than the milk chocolate, so chew more (hehe) it is also less smooth.
Both are very similar, there are "small" differences that make them unique against one another. I would prefer milk chocolate because it tastes much more classier, smoother and milker.
Rating:
milk chocolate: 7/10
dark chocolate: 6.5/10
