Back when I was in junior high school, we had a classmate whose first name was "Colin", but it wasn't pronounced the way it is in the U.K. ("call-un") but like the punctuation ("coal-in"). Even though we were responding to any mention of the word "come" with a titter due to raging hormones wrecking havoc on our young bodies, we didn't find his name funny. At that point in time, words that resembled anatomy which wasn't linked to sex didn't really make us laugh, though I guess these days "colon" may indeed be linked to sexual activity.
At any rate, "collon" is one of the darlings of the "Engrish" community and packages of it are pictured all over various web sites featuring Japanese objects which have funny names in English. Despite this, I haven't reviewed it because I've usually seen it only in big packages and wasn't willing to buy a relatively large amount for sampling. Dame fortune smiled upon me when I saw a tiny packet available at a 100 yen ($1.24) shop available in a bin of snacks that were 3 for 100 yen. So, this cost me a mere 33.33 yen (41 cents).
Sorry for the crappy picture. Getting light-colored food to take a decent picture is always a challenge for my crappy camera and poor photography skills.
I expected these to be like a sweet version of a Combo, those pretzels that are stuffed with flavored pastes of various types. That is, I thought they might be hard on the outside with a fairly solid filling. It turns out that they are actually quite delicate. The outer shell is flakey and like thin layers of wafer cone. The filling is very soft and fluffy and not in the least bit dense. They are quite sweet with a potent vanilla flavoring. I can see how these are much more likely to be designed for kids rather than adults given the sweetness level.
These are delicious with a very satisfying textural combination, but the sweetness is really intense. This is actually not a bad thing since a mere 7 little pieces of them (15.5 g./.5 oz. bag) have 89 calories. For a one bite treat, 12 calories per isn't insubstantial, especially when they practically melt in your mouth. The fact that they are so sweet makes it easier to eat a small amount and feel it's enough. Frankly, by the second one, I was thinking I was closing in on cloying, and was good to stop.
Collon are what my husband calls "very wrong" which is to say they are a bit too right. They are super sweet, fatty, and a serious indulgence. I'd definitely recommend giving them a try as long as super, super sweet things don't turn you off.
Just a gentle reminder that there is a contest running for two weeks to win a few snack and snack-related goodies. If you'd like to enter, the details are in this post.
I am going to admit it, these little bite sized lovelies are my favorite, I can pop one after the other into my mouth since I can't control myself I don't buy them often, but man, aren't they good? When I was a child I used to suck the contents out from those little combo's, and let the pretzel part smelt away into nothing, love those little guys. I haven't tasted one since the 1980's, do they still sell them?
ReplyDeleteI'm pretty sure they still sell them, though I haven't seen them in ages!
ReplyDeleteI found these at a local Asian grocery store and bought them on a whim. I love them! Unfortunately that was the only time I saw them. They seem to only carry the chocolate ones now, so I have them a try, but they were not as good as the cream ones.
ReplyDeleteYes! Something I recognize. I've been reading your blog for almost a year and this is the first time I've seen an item that I've eaten. They sell these at World Market. :D
ReplyDeleteThe combos are still around and can be found at most Walgreens and grocery stores.
Such sweet memories of the "very satisfying textural combination" with such an intense sweetness...I found myself almost blushing aloud. How could something that is just "so wrong" be so right?
ReplyDeleteDelectable delicacies gently packed with a wonderment of calories.
Can it get any better than this?
A friend of mine just brought some back from Japan. Are the green ones Wasabi or Green Tea? They leave my tongue tingling.
ReplyDelete