Pocky Chocolate Crush – Almond and Cocoa Cookie Crunch

I’m nearing the end of my Pocky journey, that is, reviewing all off the Pocky currently in release, and I can’t say it hasn’t been a bumpy ride. This mainly because the sticks I’m reviewing today are almost impossible to find. At two different stores, on two different days, I found each of these boxes, and when I went back to find more, they were out of stock again. If someone has a line in at Glico and can find out what コンビニ and grocery orderers have against the crunchy Pocky, please let me know.

But anyway, to the Chocolate Pocky Crushes, both of which I rather adore. They both come in oversized hexagonal boxes, perfect for holding the oversized, hefty sticks within. For a premium price, you get six clear packs, each holding four sticks, which is certainly enough for a snack.

When you rip open a bag of the Almond (アーモンド), the nutty smell fills the air, a bit like an Reese’s Almond Butter Cup, if such a thing existed. (Quick, can someone get on a line to Reese’s? Thanks). The bits of almond are small enough that they don’t have to be individually chewed, but not so small that they don’t register as nuts. The surrounding chocolate is just the same as in regular Pocky, but somehow, with the addition of the nuts, is brought to another level. I now buy these every time I see them in the store, which as I noted, is not often. 5/5

As far as I can tell, Cocoa Cookie Crunch (ココアクッキークランチ) is newer than the Almond. At any rate, it is the second of the two that I have had, and thus has a lot to live up to. Weirdly, the cookie bits make for a slightly prickly candy, but I can’t say that’s much of a downside. However, the cookie bits don’t add much to the flavor. They seem to be made from a more bitter chocolate than the milk chocolate, but not quite as bitter as the Men’s Pocky, and make for a kind of boring taste. Bits of cookie are not, to me, enough to justify the higher price, although if they’re offered to me, I am by no means going to turn them down. 4/5

Read Candy Blog’s review of Almond Crush Pocky (check out the old box design too).

Read The Japanese Snack Food Review’s review of Chocolate Crush Pocky.

Buy both kinds of Crush Pocky from J-List.