Review: Otsuka Calorie Mate Fruit

I have wanted to try Calorie Mate since I played Metal Gear Solid 3 (MGS3) a while back. In the game, Naked Snake's stamina is recovered when consumed. So when I saw that Japan Centre was selling this cute little biscuit thing, I just had to order some for myself! I settled for the fruit flavour but other flavours include cheese, chocolate, potato and maple. So let's get onto the review ❤

Product description: Calorie Mate Block is a nutritionally balanced source of energy needed for daily activities. Calorie Mate Block  is naturally suited for people on-the-go who need an easy source of energy and nutrition - at breakfast, work, sports, study, or any busy time.

Product ingredients: Wheat flour, edible oil, sugar, eggs, lemon peel, almonds, grapefruits, powdered skim milk, soy protein, wheat protein, starch, salt, sodium caseinate, modified starch, fragrance, magnesium carbonate, emulsifier, naringin, carotenoid pigment

(Packaging is bright yellow with all the details you need to know about the product. 

As we can see, there are no crazy ingredients that are impossible to pronounce) 

Each 80g pack comes with 2 packets, and each packet comes with 2 biscuits. So, you will altogether get 4 biscuits. 

Appearance and smell:

As soon as I opened the packet, I noticed that the biscuits looked exactly like shortbread due to the long rectangle shape and the small holes on top. I gave these biscuits a sniff and they smell exactly like lemons. So by that point, I was convinced they were going to taste very lemon-y.

Taste test:

I took a bite into the biscuit and first thing I noticed was that the texture was extremely dry. You would think that loads of crumbs would fall, but that isn't the case! Practically crumb-free!

Now for the taste. No lemon flavour. Weird, right? I don't know if it's just me but I could not taste any lemon even though the smell said otherwise. 

Honestly, it tasted like any other shortbread with a subtle touch of almond (not overpowering). The only differences between this and regular shortbread would be the smell and that the texture is drier that shortbread. You will also notice notice tiny chunks of almonds as you take a bite.

Conclusion:

Packaging - 9/10 (I love the colours and simplicity)

Texture - 6/10 

Smell - 6/10 (not a huge lemon fan!)

Taste - 8.5/10

Would I repurchase?: Yes

Would I recommend this?: Yes

Overall, I quite enjoyed this Calorie Mate flavour. I must stress that you will probably need some water on hand if you plan on finishing one packet in one go because it's so dry! I would totally repurchase because it's so convenient when I'm in a rush in the morning. Next flavour I would like to try is the chocolate flavour.

I got my Calorie Mate from Japan Centre, but you could easily find some on eBay and Amazon!

Hope this was a useful review and you give Calorie Mate a try!

-Zainab