Kabaya Fresh Moist Caramel

I'm sure I'm not the only person who has ever taken a look at the average person next to me and thought there wasn't much to him or her. It doesn't have to necessarily be a matter of beauty, but it could be that you expect somehow to see a spark that would draw you magnetically to a person who you might form a beautiful friendship with. Sometimes sparks don't fly until you actually strike that rock. Until you hit it, it just sits there looking dull.

The Kabaya fresh caramel packet sat askew amongst dozens of other packets in a cardboard box with its top cut away at a slant for "display". Yaaaaawn, another packet of little buttery caramel squares. Note that the caramels in Japan are excellent for the most part, but how many buttery, tasty little cubes do I want to sample before I lose interest. Also, honestly, I'm just not a maniacal consumer of caramel. It's good, but it's not something I seek out or feel overly tempted by.


My husband is a great fan of caramel so he fished out a packet for himself, remarking that it felt nearly empty and quite insubstantial inside. He knew he wasn't getting much for his money, but we forked over 188 yen (about $1.80) for 40 grams (1.4 oz.). Note that we got this at a discount shop and the retail price is 210 yen ($2.05).

Usually, I take pictures before a package is opened, but I was so disinterested in it that I told him I wasn't going to review it and he could tuck in. When he revealed what looked like little packets full of liquid caramel which he wasn't sure how to eat, I noticed that the boring person sitting next to me was showing some spark.


There are 5 double packets of caramel goo. It exists in a state which is somewhere between melty liquid state and solid form. You can't handle it with your fingers, but it also doesn't slide around like molten caramel. It's like super soft, fresh taffy that never gets firm or hard. You're supposed to pull the packet open and then the whole thing easily peels away and you can pop it on your tongue without even handling it. The volume is small and they are relatively flat and 3.5 cm (1.4 in.) x 2.5 cm (.99 in.) so it's easy to eat all of one at once. I took a bite out of it though to see how it fared. It pulled like super soft taffy.

The texture is smooth, soft, and cool. The flavor is sweet, super buttery, and rich. Note that the first ingredient is real cream. They reminded my husband of See's caramel in Scotchmallows or their regular caramels. See's is a mid-range premium candy maker in the U.S. and this is a consumer product in Japan. He was very impressed and wouldn't hesitate to have them again if they weren't so pricey for the volume.