Chocolate Pocky

Reviewing Pocky is, for me, a bit like reviewing Star Wars. Pocky is the snack that originally got me interested in Japanese snacks, in 2003, when it was mentioned in the gaming comic Penny Arcade. When I made my move to Japan last fall, Pocky was at the top of my list to try, right before conveyor belt sushi.

Having no idea what to expect, I was taken aback a touch by the simplicity of Ezaki Glico’s signature product. A smart red box opens neatly at the top, looking a bit like an over-sized pack of McDonald’s French fries. Inside are two white plastic bags, each packed with seventeen Pocky sticks.

For the uninformed among us, Pocky is unsalted pretzel sticks, about six inches in length, dipped in chocolate. The effect, in the end, is basically that of the chocolate dipped pretzels which can now be found in any American grocery shelf.

What sets Pocky apart for me is the design. Glico leaves about an inch of each stick uncovered, making Pocky a very—for lack of a better term—portable snack. I typically give myself four or five bites per stick, which means each one can be eaten easily, unrushed. Since a stick is held in one hand, if you need the other for any quick purpose, say, typing a quick blog comment, Pocky can be placed in the mouth like a lollipop; Pocky is a fun, jaunty snack.

And this is the predominant goal of candy: that it not only tastes good, but that it is fun to eat. Pocky delivers on the second criterion in spades. If I’d say there’s a downside, it would be that the chocolate used is a little bland. Simple milk chocolate, like a thin coating of non-candied M&M. It should be noted that Glico offers an anecdote for this: the dark chocolate in Men’s Pocky. But that is a later review.

For now, Pocky is a delicious crunchy chocolate snack that is easy to share. It can be found in Japanese groceries and combini for between 110 and 150 yen. If you’re in America, Pocky can be found for a slight markup, depending on your area, in many large grocery chains or import shops. Outside the US and Japan, Glico markets Pocky under several different names, such as Mikado in the U.K., or Pepero in South Korea. For a link to an online retailer, look after the review.

Pocky? Yes please. Pocky lives up to its reputation and more. We here at Pocky Watch try to keep a box around at all times, although it tends to quickly disappear.

Gregory – 4/5

Aimee – 4/5

Read Cybele’s review of Chocolate Pocky at Candy Blog.
Buy Chocolate Pocky via J-List.
Buy Chocolate Pocky via Amazon.