Meiji Petite Assortment

This set of Meiji mini chocolates came as a cute little 5-pack. Meiji, a Japanese company, always seems to have colorful, graphic packaging and this set is no exception. So what are they all about? I'm not 100% sure because I can't read Japanese, but I have tasted them so let me tell you about that. Here we go....

Starting with the top left, Coffee Beat. The Coffee Beat is a chocolate-coffee flavored candy shaped to resemble a coffee bean. There is even an indention and tiny black line drawn on one side to add  detail. The candy has a smooth, crunchy shell that gives way to an intensely coffee-flavored chocolate inside. It almost tastes like a chocolate covered espresso bean minus the annoying bits of raw coffee bean stuck in your teeth. Even though I'm not a huge fan of coffee-flavored stuff, the Coffee Beat are really tasty. I like 'em. 

Next up, Strawberry Marble Candy (top right) and Chocolate Marble Candy (bottom left). Marble Candy is the Japanese cousin of the M&M. Much like M&Ms, they are small discs of chocolate (or in some cases a pink strawberry-flavored substance) coated with a colorful crunchy candy shell. I like both of these variations. They are slightly larger and flatter than an M&M, and the colors are pretty, especially in the strawberry mixture. These would be great to decorate a cake with, super cute. 

On to Choco Baby (bottom right). If you like Raisinettes, but wish they didn't have raisins, you would love Choco Baby. These tiny little tubular pellets taste just like the coating that surrounds Raisinettes, and I ain't mad. 

And finally, the Apollo (bottom row center). These look like a little chocolate mountain with a strawberry snow cap, or maybe they are supposed to look like a spacecraft, which probably makes more sense. I reviewed these many years ago in the full-size box. I liked them now and like them still.

Meiji seems to stick with the major flavors chocolate, strawberry, and vanilla using them in various forms and combinations. You can often find YanYan sticks or the little Panda cookie things in the $1 section at Target. Both of those products are very tasty as well and I'd recommend giving them a try as an introduction to the Meiji world. Don't be scared. I picked up the Petite Assortment pack at a local Asian market, but I've also seen it available to purchase online through various retailers.