Variety Hour- with Tirol!

Tirol Chocolates 

I've reviewed a lot of Japanese candies over the years, but they've mainly been fruit based and more often than not, they're gummies. (My favorite kind of candy.) Japanese chocolate is an area I haven't really explored, and from what I can tell it's quite different than what we have in America. 

I've seen Japanese candy bars, like Meiji or Crunky, but it doesn't seem like they have the wide variety that we have here. Just off the top of my head we have Snickers, Milkyway, 3Musketeers, Skor, Crunch, Heath, 100 Grand, Charleston Chew, BabyRuth...the list goes on and on. From what I can tell, that is not the case overseas. They may not have all that, but they do have Tirol.

Better than Oreo - Benton's Carrot Cake Creme Filled Cookies

Carrot Cake Creme Filled Cookies - Aldi

Easter is literally this weekend. How did that happen? Where does the time go? I think munching on clearance Valentine's Day candy post-holiday has messed with my perception of seasonal snacking time. Spring is officially here! To celebrate, I have another seasonal Aldi cookie. 

You know, after how bad the Hot Cocoa Cremes were (I ultimately threw them out) I thought I would be done with Benton's seasonal cookies, but the Red Velvet Cake flavor really did win me over.  Let's hope that Carrot Cake is just as awesome. 

Lidl Cafe Noir Cookies - The new Pinot Noir?

Cafe Noir Cookies - Lidl

If you are a Maria, you must at some point in your life consume Maria cookies. It's the law.(It doesn't have to be Goya-brand, but they're what my grandma ate.) They aren't trendy, they never have new flavors, shapes or colors, but that's because they don't have to. They are the perfect hot beverage cookie. Tea, coffee, cocoa...they're all better when consumed with a side of Maria cookies for dunking. They don't need gimmicks to keep me coming back for more. But hear me out, what if Maria cookies had a coffee flavored glaze on the bottom?

Brazilian Orange Pocky - H-Mart

Brazilian Orange Pocky - H-Mart

Unlike my recent posts, this isn't a food-hoard item, it's actually brand new (well, new to me), and I picked it up at H-mart the other day. To combat further food hoarding, I am going to try and review new products as I get them, while simultaneously digging through my food stash to finish hidden treasures. (I consider them gifts from past-me. I'm so thoughtful.) 

Orange Pocky has been around for a while, and it's come in a few variations, like chocolate sticks, fruit pulp mixed into the chocolate coating, or fancy chocolate swirls,  but they never really piqued my interest. I'll eat orange flavors sweets when they're mixed in with other fruity flavors, like Skittles, Starbursts, and Sour Patch Kids, but I would never buy a bag of just orange flavored candy completely on it's own. That just sounded...boring. 

It seems like orange sweets are much more popular overseas in the UK and Europe, but here in the states, it's rarely the main attraction. Maybe we're missing out on something, and that's a pretty awesome looking Toucan... That's all it took. Into my cart it went!

Strawberry Shortcake Oreos - Walmart

Strawberry Shortcake Oreos - Walmart

Another month, another new Oreo. Between these, Peeps and all the new m&m's...I'm getting pretty overwhelmed! It seems like the second I buy a new flavor of one, three others pop up in it's place. My stomach just can't keep up with it all! Heck, I still have a pack of the limited edition chocolate lemon Oreos somewhere in my avalanche-worthy food horde...I think? They're somewhere around here. I should probably find those and review them soon...

I'll get to those eventually. For now, let's find out if these Strawberry Shortcake Oreos are just strawberry flavored, or actually shortcake-like. 

Banana Flavored Chocolate Milano Cookies - Target

Banana Flavored Chocolate Milano Cookies - Target

After eating flop after flop you'd think I'd learn...but here we are again. What can I say? The allure of a banana cookie was too strong for me to resist. Looking at my older reviews, I don't think I've had any luck with these limited edition Pepperidge Farm cookies. They always look gorgeous, but they taste...like fancy cardboard. (Or in the case of the Cinnamon Bun cookies I reviewed on my Instagram account..burning plastic cream cheese.) Maybe this will be it, the one cookie to rule them all, after all it has banana flavoring. How can that go wrong?

Peppermint Oreo - Target

Peppermint Oreo - Target 

I'm all for these snazzy limited edition Oreos, but this one seems like overkill. I mean, there's the normal green-filled mint flavored Oreos available year-round, a thin version of the same flavor, these limited edition Candy Cane themed ones I reviewed a few years back, and now a Peppermint? Is peppermint distinct enough from classic mint to warrant it's own flavor? I guess we'll find out!

Brownie Batter Oreos - Walmart - Berlin, NJ

Brownie Batter Oreos - Walmart - Berlin, NJ $2.98

I know what you're thinking, another new Oreo? Yup! They're really cranking them out this year. Not only are they releasing new flavors like Key Lime Pie (which I still can't find) and Cotton Candy, but they're bringing back older flavors like Crispy Marshmallow Square and Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough.

Even though these limited edition flavors can be hit or miss, having a new Oreo or two every month is really freaking awesome. It's kind of like the American equivalent to the specialty Japanese Kit-Kat bars. I get something to look forward to each month, and it's fun to blog about. (Although searching for them can be stressful, but it's nothing I lose sleep over.)

Enough rambling, let's get on with the review!

Meiji Rich Banana Biscuits - Asian Food Market: Cherry Hill, NJ

Meiji Rich Banana Biscuits - Asian Food Market: Cherry Hill, NJ

I freaking love banana, and I've been waiting for Oreo to release a chocolate banana themed cookie for years. The closest we've gotten are the Banana Split Oreo's, and even though those are one of my favorite limited edition Oreo's of all time, they didn't satisfy my craving.

The second I saw this on the shelves I immediately tossed it into my cart. I've tried a LOT of Meiji products in the past, but never their sandwich cookies. Even though this is an entirely new product for me, I'm going into this review with really high expectations. Let's hope that these cookies will finally fulfill my chocolate-banana-less Oreo life.

Assorted Macarons (revisited) - Trader Joe’s - Marlton, NJ

Assorted Macarons (revisited) - Trader Joe’s - Marlton, NJ

Let's get fancy! (But not really, because these are from the freezer section.)

Nearly two years ago I reviewed Trader Joe's frozen assorted macarons, which were really yummy and very affordable, but since then most of the flavors have changed, so I thought I'd give these another try.

Maple Collon - H-Mart: Cherry Hill, NJ

Maple Collon - H-Mart: Cherry Hill, NJ

Remember when I reviewed D'asses? That box was right next to these on the shelf at H-Mart. Collon and D'asses? A match made in heaven! Being the totally mature adult I am, I took photos of the boxes together to send to all my friends and giggled like an idiot before tossing them both into my handcart. I'm nearly 30, and potty humor still makes me laugh. (Not sure if I should be ashamed or proud of that.) Come on, how could I not buy D'asses and Collon?

Caramel Wafers - Aldi: Cherry Hill, NJ

Caramel Wafers - Aldi: Cherry Hill, NJ

This was an item I saw at Aldi multiple times, and I don't really know what finally made me toss it into my cart, but I'm really happy I did.

Cranberry Almond Thins - BJ's: Marlton, NJ

Cranberry Almond Thins - BJ's: Marlton, NJ

I took a chance, and bought the big box of the Pistachio Thin Addictives from Nonni's a while ago, and I loved them so much, I thought I should grab this bis ol' box of Cranberry ones too. Cranberry seems like a winter-y flavor, so I might as well review this now before Valentine's candies start taking over my blog.

Trader Joe-Joe's (Candy Cane) - Trader Joe's: Marlton, NJ

Trader Joe-Joe's (Candy Cane ) - Trader Joe's: Marlton, NJ

Happy New Year everyone! So a wrench was kind of thrown into the works last night, and I didn't get to be at my PC like I originally planned. I already had all the photos edited and ready to go, so I"ll be posting a few reviews today, and I'll be posting some new items in my etsy shop. Although I don't really make New Year's resolutions, I am trying to kick off 2015 by being super productive, so let's get this review started!

Pumpkin Spice Oreos- ShopRite: Cherry Hill, NJ - Pumpkin Haul 2014

Pumpkin Spice Oreos- ShopRite: Cherry Hill, NJ

This will be the first pumpkin item for my 2014 Pumpkin Gallery/Haul! I figured I might as well start with one of the most hyped up pumpkin releases this season, the Pumpkin Spice Oreo!

Pistachio Almond Thins - Sam's Club: Cinnaminson, NJ

Pistachio Almond Thins - BJ's: Voorhees, NJ

Buying new items at wholesale clubs can be risky. It's one thing to buy something you already enjoy in bulk, but it's another to totally take a risk buying large amount of potentially gross food. (I have been burned before.) Normally BJ's and other wholesale clubs hand out samples to let you know about new products before you buy them, which is really helpful, but that wasn't the case for this item.

My curiosity, and love of pistachios, lead me to this huge box of biscotti-like crisps and even though I knew nothing about this product...I bought it.

Let's hope that these almond thins are delicious, or else I'm stuck with 14 more packages of them.

Double Chocolate Hello Panda - Target: Cherry Hill, NJ

Double Chocolate Hello Panda - Target: Cherry Hill, NJ

These cookies are made by Meiji, which is a Japanese company, but in the last five years this product has become quite popular in America. You can buy boxes of Hello Panda at gas stations, grocery stores, and even Target. (Which is where I bought mine. Some of you might recognize this from my mini Target haul video.)

Out of all the creme-filled, animal-themed, cookies available, Hello Panda has to be my favorite. That may sound oddly specific, but there are more of these out there than you think. Over the years I have tried a few different flavors, but they always used a vanilla cookie as the base. Will a chocolate cookie really make a significant difference?

Limited Edition Cookie Dough Oreos -Shop Rite Delran, NJ

Limited Edition Cookie Dough Oreos -Shop Rite Delran, NJ

Again, if you watched my first impressions video, you already know how I feel about this product. Even if I cover an item in a video, I still like making written posts, so I'll continue to do both in the future. (I really like taking pretty product photos.)

You guys know the drill. First, I'm going to talk about the packaging.

I already touched on this in my Marshmallow Crispy Oreo review, but these packages do not stand out. Oreo likes to stay consistent with their color coded bags (blue = chocolate and yellow = vanilla), so the colors blend right in with the rest of the Oreo line. With that being the case, the imagery on the front of the package is what really makes each flavor stand out.

In the grocery store I found these in, they were stacked one on top of another so only the side of the package was visible. (Seen above.) As you can see, other than the chocolate chip cookie in the corner, it's pretty easy to walk past these and assume it's the same as the rest of the flavors. Again, as I mentioned in my last review, this is good for food bloggers like me. If the average customer doesn't know to look for them, the product is less likely to be sold out, and foodies like me are more likely to find them. Still, I wish Oreo would get a little more creative with this limited edition packaging.

Okay, so it isn't stellar to look at, but how does it taste? 

First Impressions: Limited Edition Oreos

New video with my first impressions and reviews of the new Limited Edition Oreos.

Watch me awkwardly eat on camera and give my dog a cookie!

This thing took forever to process, over 3 hours,but it might still be processing a bit. I hope this link works. (Let me know if it’s not.)

© Maria Smith http://poison-and-antidote.net

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Strawberry Koala no March- ???

Strawberry Koala no March- ???

This is a little treat from my boyfriend.

I’m no stranger to Koala no March (also called Koala’s March). I’ve had panda’s, koala’s, and bears. (I even wrote an article on this very subject.)

Although I have had this brand before, I haven’t had this flavor.

The cardboard packaging is hexagonal, which a fairly unique shape, and it is covered in pink. Pink backgrounds, pink accents, pink signs…pink everything! Scattered about are cookies with various koala prints, a little koala with a baby on it’s back, and plenty of strawberries. There is no way you could every mistake this flavor for something else, they make the flavor differentiation VERY clear.