QBB 6P Hokkaido Cheese

I'm a sucker for any box that has cow illustrations on it. I'm not sure why that is, but it remains the truth and I'm not afraid to admit it!

One experience I often have with my students is that I will ask them a question about Japan or Japanese culture and they will answer with, "I never thought about it". When you grow up in a culture, you rarely pause to question why you or other people do the things you do. You simply do it.

For instance, I might ask, "why do you think Japanese culture evolved such that people take off their shoes before entering the house?" The common answer is that they are just such darn clean people. The reality, I'd wager, is linked to the evolution in furnishings in Japan. They didn't happen to build beds off the floor, or chairs with legs, so sitting on the floor all of the time ramped up the need to keep it clean. It's not that Japanese are genetically inclined to be cleaner than any other human DNA line. It's, perhaps, just that their culture followed a different path on the furniture front and shoe removal was a more logical step for them than inventing the vacuum cleaner or raising their beds off the dirty floor. (Note: I think that climate played a role in this as well as you don't have shoe removal in very cold climates, but that's not really an issue for this blog.)

My point is that you don't think about things very deeply after you've seen them for awhile (or forever), and only today did I ponder this sort of packaging and sales of cheese in Japan. The Japanese, in my experience, are not a nation of cheese eaters. That is not to say they don't eat cheese as a component of a dish. They certainly do. However, I've never spoken to anyone who said they routinely grab a wedge or slice of cheese and chow down on it for a snack. I, on the other hand, often enjoy a slice of cheese and a handful of mini pretzels as a fortifying tea time repast.

Recently, there has been an increase in the number of varieties of cheese sold in these round boxes with individually wrapped foil wedges. The varieties cover sweet and savory with "rum raisin" and "vanilla" dessert cheese options and faux mozzarella and black pepper varieties as well. Since the retail price of a box of these types of things is around 300 yen ($3.74) for six 18-gram (.63 oz.) wedges, I tend not to buy them because I've got real cheese (rather than processed, as most Japanese cheese is) on hand that costs less. However, with the closest Costco having been shut down due to some earthquake-related fatalities, I ran out of cheese and found this box of Hokkaido cheese for a mere 198 yen ($2.47) at Lawson 100 and decided that I was going to have to get my cheese on more expensively.

The main selling point of this is that at least 60% of the milk used for it is from Hokkaido. I've mentioned before that the Japanese are bonkers about regional food, and the fact that origins are mentioned early and often supports this assertion. Yes, in America, people will buy "real Wisconsin cheddar", but I think that that type of selling point isn't nearly as common or as valued. I've never had a discussion with an American who said, "it's from (region), so it's better." I hear such statements at least twice a month living here. Frankly, I don't know if the dairy being from Hokkaido makes this better cheese, but I do find it an interesting cultural point.

For processed cheese, this is pretty nice. It cleaves in a manner which I find satisfying. You can see grains along the break and it has the heft of a real cheese, though it still is softer than the real deal. It is mild, but still has a pungency to it so that it tastes like cheese rather than cheese product. One thing I have to give Japanese processed cheese makers credit for is that, most of the time, they aren't selling blocks of quivery, rubbery Velveeta-style stuff. It is more like a hybrid between real cheese and cream cheese.

Each wedge of this is 59 calories and it makes for a nice portion-controlled snack, though it is still more expensive than better quality Costco imported real cheese. If you don't have that option though, this is a pretty nice choice, and I bet it'd go really well if you sliced it in half and melted it on a cracker (a Triscuit would be divine, but then we're talking about another imported item) with some olive and tomato. It'd also be good with a dab of yuzu-koshoo or wasabi sauce.

I can say that I'd definitely buy this again because I had bought it twice before writing this review. No, I'm not over the moon about it, but it was good. And, as for the market I think it is aimed at, I think this falls into the category of otsumami (snacks to be consumed with alcohol) or bento fodder with a heavier emphasis on the former. However, unless I get to have a chat with the marketing folks at QBB, I'll never know for sure.

Yamagata Long Smoked Cheese

I never thought much about the origin in Japan of the food that I eat. In fact, most Japanese people have openly told me that they would pay more for food that originated in Japan because they had absolute faith in the safety of domestic agricultural products than they had in foreign-made products. In particular, they avoid Chinese produce because the propaganda machine after some dumplings (gyoza/pot stickers) were found to be poisonous. They also avoid American meat because of mad cow fears.

It seems like a karmic twist that now everyone doubts the safety of Japanese food because they fear radiation contamination. In some cases, I'm sure there is something to fear and it's my fervent hope that the Japanese government is screening all food from areas for contamination and barring anything which is dangerous from reaching the markets. If I were an investor, I'd be putting my money behind all imported food coming into Japan. And, I haven't discussed the idea yet with any of my Japanese friends or acquaintances, but I'm betting they all feel a tad more comfortable with American and Chinese agricultural products than they did before the Fukushima nuclear plant problem occurred.

I mention all of this because the origin of the smoked cheese I'm reviewing is Yamagata prefecture, which is in the Tohoku region of Japan and borders Fukushima prefecture. Of course, this is a processed cheese product, and I'm guessing it was made more than a month ago and predates the earthquake and subsequent problems. Since it is "smoked cheese" in a vacuum-packed tube, it may actually be months old. Certainly the expiration date of November 11, 2003 2011 would seem to encourage the notion that this cheese may actually be around for years. At any rate, I'm not about to start treating food from prefectures that neighbor Fukushima like people who have had contact with plague victims and therefore may also be contaminated.

I was attracted to this "long smoke cheese" because I was in one of my moods for a savory afternoon snack (I alternate between sweet and savory) and this looked like it'd pair well with either fruit or some sort of snack I already had on hand. I ended up finishing off my last pack of "Corn Bo" with half of this. Lawson 100 was carrying these for 100 yen ($1.21) per 40 gram (1.4 oz.) tube. The whole thing is 149 calories, but half was enough for my purposes.

When I opened the wrapper, a familiar fake smoked cheese smell wafted out at me. This is, after all, processed cheese and not the real deal. It brought to mind the type of processed cheese that my mother used to pick up around the holidays. It had the same tan exterior hue and creamy pale middle. It also had the same liquid smoke scent. The flavor of this was similar as well, but there was also an unusual spice of some sort that reminded me of cinnamon or cloves. It wasn't offensive, but was a bit unusual. It didn't put me off of the cheese.

This was fine as smoked fake cheese goes. If I was in the mood for a cheese snack, I would probably pick this up again, but it wouldn't be at the top of my list for a variety of reasons. First of all, I prefer QBB pepper, wasabi or almond cheese above other snacking cheeses in Japan and I can get 72 grams (2.5 oz.) of it for the same price that I paid for 40 grams (1.4 oz.) of this smoked cheese. So, if I can get more cheese and I like it better, chances are I wouldn't be very likely to opt for this again unless I had no other alternatives.

Meiji Snow Wasabi Baby Cheese

If I didn't write this blog, there is every chance that my 4:00 pm snack each and every day would consist of a small portion of some type of cheese and some sort of accompanying salted snack (crackers, pretzels, etc.). Frankly, there is little that I find more satisfying for me than this pairing. I'll take this savory combo over sweets most days. I'm guessing this is part of getting older and having moldering taste buds that can detect only stronger flavors, like the pungency of cheese and the heavy salt of a cracker or other such like.


These packets of small processed cheese blocks are sold in supermarkets and convenience stores all over Japan. They usually cost 100-150 yen depending on the brand and the number of blocks in the pack. This one was 100 yen ($1.20) at Seiyu supermarket. There are four 18-gram (.63 oz.) servings and each is 57 calories. There are usually salami, almond, and various fortified flavors (added Iron or Calcium). This wasabi version isn't incredibly common, and appealed to me because I like things like jalapeno cheddar back home. I like the combination of spiciness with the coolness of cheese.

When I peeled back the foil, I was disappointed to see that there weren't little green bits of wasabi embedded in the cheese. The ingredients list reveals that powdered wasabi was used to flavor it. That isn't necessarily a bad point, but from an aesthetic point of view (and that does play a role in enjoying food).

These don't smell like much. They have the same bland aroma of processed cheese. The cheese flavor is not particularly strong. It comes across as more like cream cheese that operates as a base for the wasabi flavor. The wasabi is fairly well-balanced and is neither too strong nor too weak and the cheese seems to stop it from doing the usual punch to the back of the sinuses that I get from wasabi.

If you're a fan of wasabi, this makes a nice accompaniment to a pretty bland cracker. It's compact and easy to serve, which makes it more convenient than squeezing wasabi paste and placing cheese individually on a cracker, but it is a little expensive for what you're getting. Still, it's nice to keep on hand as a quick and handy snack, especially in your office refrigerator.

Meiji "Smart" Cheese

I'm going to have to confess something. I have never considered how intelligent my cheese is, nor have I ever considered that my cheese purchasing decisions reflected on my intelligence. I'm not sure what makes this cheese either have a high I.Q. or show that the buyer is smarter than the average mouse.

It turns out that this processed cheese is "smart" because it has been specially formulated for the Japanese market. It is enhanced with various ingredients to make it more savory ("umami") and texturally more satisfying for Japanese palates. Eating this is supposed to bring to mind traditional Japanese flavors like miso, bonito, and seaweed as well as have a taste which is akin to fermented foods in Japanese cuisine. It's also formulated to be soft and reminiscent of eating rice in terms of texture.

I found this cheese at Peacock supermarket in my neighborhood. It was on sale for 198 yen ($2.35) for a 120-gram (4.23 oz.) box. There are twelve 10 gram (.35 oz.) squares and each is 36 calories. This makes them pretty much similar to average cheese in terms of calories. The box states that this is made with 60% "natural cheese", but the types are not specified, though an "emulsifier" is mentioned as the other ingredient.

The taste of this cheese is definitely deeper and more savory. It has a much sharper edge and is more pungent than regular processed cheese in Japan. The flavor brings to mind matured cheddar and Parmesan in its intensity. It is definitely a very savory, tasty bit of processed cheese. The texture is quite soft, but still firm. It's easy to unwrap with a tab on the little foil packet.

Though I love real cheese and wouldn't want to replace it with any sort of processed cheese, this is incredibly flavorful and an excellent snack to keep on hand for a more nutritious boost. Each serving has 67 mg. of Calcium and 2.2 grams of protein with which to recommend itself. The only "down" side is that the retail price is 340 yen ($4.03), and I don't think that it would be worth it at that price. If you like strong, salty cheese and favor things like matured cheddar, I definitely recommend buying this and keeping it in the refrigerator at home or at work as a quick snack.

Meiji Cheese Fondue (Individual size)

My husband and I bought a gigantic 6-lb. bag of mini pretzels from Costco over a month ago and haven't even made a dent in it yet. If you marry our abundant supply of salty-bread-based twists with a desire on my part to find another processed cheese product to review, you'll know my motivation in choosing this single serving fondue as a snack.


I found this at a Lawson's 100 shop (so it cost 100 yen or about a dollar) and was intrigued by the small size and the fact that it says that this is made of "natural cheese" (as opposed to processed cheese). Mind you, this is still processed cheese to me. Anything which is processed such that it melts evenly and contains additives is "processed" in my book.

There are picture-based instructions on the top of the box, which I didn't pay attention to and therefore did not follow. I did look at the top of the little cup and did the important thing, and that was to remove the plastic seal from the top of the cup. That meant I didn't explode the fondue all over the microwave. The part that I didn't do was place the solidified cheese bowl back into the box before putting it into the microwave. I'm guessing this step is to steam the fondue a bit, but I don't think it mattered at all.



This smelled like mild cheese, unsurprisingly. The texture is smooth and it is a good consistency for dipping. You're supposed to microwave it for 40 seconds at 500-600 watts, and that allows you to eat it all before it completely congeals. It did start to solidify to some extent, but it wasn't an issue given that the portion is small and it's easy to finish up before it totally returns to it's original state.

The taste is better than most processed cheese. It resembles Gouda with a hint of Swiss. It's definitely not as intense as some cheeses (like Cheddar), but there is a tiny whisper of aged cheese flavor. It's not great, but it's serviceable and better than some processed cheeses. I do wish it was a bit sharper.

There are 45 grams (1.6 oz.) and 94 calories of fondue in the bowl and that's actually a pretty good portion size. There is enough cheese to dip 12-14 mini pretzels. I had this as an afternoon snack and found it pretty satisfying as a more filling and marginally less "junky" snack. I'm not doing cartwheels over it, but I'd probably buy it again if the mood struck me or I wanted a snack and felt like spending too much so I could dip my pretzels in warm, melted cheese without making an effort on my part.

QBB Candy Cheese

One of the mistakes that is easy to make when you come to Japan is to assume truth in advertising. That is, if something says "candy cheese", you're expecting cheese candy. When we encounter similar naming conventions at home, like a "chocolate orange", we don't really expect some sort of mutant fruit hybrid to be in the package. I'm thinking I expected candy cheese to be some funky candy because, like many people, I expect weirdness in every corner of Japanese culture.

For that reason, I have avoided candy cheese for the duration of my stay in Japan. I've noticed it since shopping in markets in my first year here. It was only after doing this blog that I decided to get to know this peculiarly named snack better.

As you may have guessed from my introduction, candy cheese is not candy at all. It's simply cheese presented in a size and package which looks like hard candy. The main idea behind this is to offer up a snacking cheese so that people can consume a Calcium-rich product. Since many Japanese people find themselves with bone problems (and many poor old ladies walk around hunched over due to osteoporosis), Calcium is always used as a marketing tool to sell food.



I picked up this 150 gram (5.3 oz.) bag for 328 yen ($3.59) at a discount green grocer that I frequent called Yutakaraya. You can find candy cheese nearly anywhere in Tokyo though including convenience stores and more upscale markets. I decided on this bag on impulse both because I was in the mood for some cheese and it is made by QBB. While you can get candy cheese anywhere, the stuff at 100-yen shops is made by "no-name" companies. With QBB, there's a good chance it'll be palatable as they're a major maker of dairy products and processed cheese. Previously, I reviewed their almond flavor "baby cheese".

Note that the wrappers on these are standard twist wrappers. Once you open the bag, air will easily creep n through the unsealed edges. That means you'd better be prepared to consume it with some alacrity. This isn't the kind of thing that will last for several weeks. When you untwist the wrapper, it has the familiar slightly pungent smell of cheese. The texture is firm, yet easy to bite into. The taste has a bit of an edge (but it's not really sharp) with a processed cheese aftertaste (think Velveeta). It's not at all unpleasant, but that processed flavor kicks in more clearly as you eat more. Each little piece is about the size of a hard candy, unsurprisingly, and there are 50 calories in 3 pieces

I'm giving this a lukewarm "will buy again/happy" rating. I like the concept of these little bits of snacking cheese on a couple of levels. First of all, as a snack, 50 calories for 3 pieces is very reasonable. Second, they are more nutritious and filling than a piece of chocolate or a handful of chips. Third, they have Calcium, and I don't think women can ever really overdose on that. Finally, cheese has enzymes in it which will neutralize sugars on your teeth. If you want just a bite of cheese to accomplish this when oral hygiene activity is not possible, these will do the trick very well.

The provisional "happy" rating comes because they are expensive for what they are, and this is processed cheese. They're tasty, but there is that funny aftertaste. I enjoyed them just fine, but I know what really good cheese tastes like and these don't hold a candle to the real deal. Still, if you live in Japan, you're essentially a "beggar" when it comes to cheese, and beggars can't be too choosy.

Tirol Premium Hokkaido Cheese Chocolate

This is actually my second attempt to review this flavor of Tirol chocolate. I bought one last year and left it in my refrigerator for several weeks where I managed to allow it to get wet. Since I didn't know if the moisture was leakage from defrosting meat, condensation, or a bottle of water that dribbled out somehow, I tossed it out. The chocolate disappeared and I didn't see it again until now. For the record, the premium chocolates are often reissued seasonally so you can revisit one you missed in most cases.



As I opened the package to reveal the 2.54 cm/1 in. square of white chocolate, I told my square of candy, "so, we meet again, Tirol cheese chocolate." Well, I said that in my mind, not aloud. I'm not quite crazy enough to hold conversations with food... yet. My expectations of this were quite low since the wedge of cheese on the package lets you know this is going to taste like actual cheese, not cream cheese. I don't know about most people but I don't prefer to have sugar mixed with my cheddar, Gouda, or Parmesan.



The scent of this was that of sour dairy and vaguely pungent cheese. When I cut it in half, little brittle cookie bits splintered all over the place from the bland, crisp biscuit tucked inside. Sometimes I think Tirol puts these biscuits in their candies to take up room with cheap ingredients. After all, some crappy little dry cookie probably costs less per ounce than chocolate. The exterior is somewhat soft white chocolate infused with cheese flavor and the cookie is crispy and tasteless.

The textures are all well and fine, but the taste was worse than I expected. When I think something is going to be weird, I am more charitable. When it's worse than my low hope, then you know it's pretty bad. This reminded me of processed cheese and milk that has gone off mixed with sugar. On the plus side, it's not horribly sweet as some white chocolate is in Japan. That's me reaching pretty far for a "plus" side to this.

I'm used to the rude greeting of strong cheese flavors in my sweets in Japan by now, but this was an even more impolite gesture than most. I certainly would not recommend this unless you prefer your savory cheese products sweet. I ate half of this small bit of candy, and threw the rest away. The best thing I can say is that hating it saved me from ingesting half of the square's 51 calories. If you're nutty enough to want to try this, you can pick one up at any big name convenience store (7-11, Family Mart, etc.) for about 30 yen (33 cents)

Variety Friday: Cheese, Glorious Cheese

Meiji 25% reduced calorie processed cheese. That ends up being about 5 calories per slice less and isn't worth the added cost. Low fat and reduced calorie cheese is in short supply in Japan, and what is available is marginally lower in calories.

I've talked about cheese in Japan in scattered bits throughout my previous reviews of cheese-based snacks. For this post, which will kick off a week of cheese-based snack reviews starting April 19, I wanted to do a post consolidating information on cheese in Japan as well as adding in some new information.

Bags of shredded torokeru (cheese that will give a good melt) cheese.

Most of the cheese on offer in Japan comes in three varieties: processed slices, real or processed cheese that is grated, and real cheese sold in small blocks. The processed and grated cheese comes in two varieties. One is a normal type which is meant to be eaten cool and the other is what is called "torokeru" (とろける) cheese. "Tokeru" in Japanese means "melt" and this type of cheese is formulated to melt better on things like cheese toast, pizza, gratin, and doria (a cheese-topped rice casserole). Note that these are the big three items which Japanese people put cheese on. It's rare, but but not out of the question, for them to put it on cold sandwiches with meat in my experience. They do, of course, eat cheese on various hot burger-based sandwiches.

The bags of grated cheese often contain what is called "natural cheese" but it also seems to have a semi-processed flavor. Most of it is also coated in a powdery substance which makes it less appealing for cooking when you're making things like cheese sauces. There's a grainy or gritty texture to any sauce you create with such cheeses. This type of cheese is usually the most economical "real" cheese in Japan. I typically buy a 350 gram (12 oz.) bag for about 500 yen ($5.36) on the rare occasions that I buy it at all. I only buy such cheese when we're run out of other real (imported) cheese.

Red cheddar and Gouda cheese on offer for 289 yen ($3.10) per 100 grams (3.5 oz.)

Real cheese is usually sold in clear plastic vacuum packs, though some varieties are sold in small wheels in cardboard boxes (Camembert, in particular). It's always very expensive and I never buy it in Japanese markets. Besides the price, there is also the fact that a lot of this cheese doesn't seem to taste like much of anything. Because it is in plastic and is small in size, the plastic flavor tends to leech into the cheese. Most cheese prices are offered in X yen per 100 grams (3.5 oz.) increments. Cheap real cheese is 150 yen ($1.60) per 100 grams (3.5 oz.), and it's not the least bit uncommon to find the prices closer to 200-300 yen ($2.14-$3.21) per 100 grams (3.5 oz.).

It's much more economical to go to Costco and buy their Kirkland brand real cheese in 2 lb. (907 gram) blocks. Though their prices vary, you can get Colby Jack, the cheapest cheese they offer, at about 900-1200 yen per block ($9.64-$12.86). If you compare, that's about 100 yen ($1.07) per 100 grams (3.5 oz.) for the Costco cheese which beats the price at any Japanese market or import shop.

Cottage Cheese selling for 357 yen ($3.83) for 200 grams (about 1 cup).

You can also buy things like cream cheese and cottage cheese, but they are very pricey for small portions. Philadelphia cream cheese is common, as is Kiri brand. Kiri can be had for about 260 yen ($2.80) per 200 grams (7 oz.), but Philadelphia brand is about 450 yen ($4.84) for 250 grams (8.8 oz.). It's pretty much the same cream cheese as what is available in Western countries, though there is no such thing as "low fat" cream cheese in Japan. Cream cheese is mainly used for cheesecake in Japan. Most of the pastries and (non-cheesecake) cakes that are sold as "cheese" actually contain pungent cheeses like Gouda. It's actually rare to find a cheese danish that uses cream cheese.

The cottage cheese is sold in two types. One is larger curds (blue container above) and is meant for eating in salads and the other (red container) is meant for things like cheesecakes and is in very fine curds. I love cottage cheese, and the Japanese stuff tastes great, but I can't swallow the price. I make my own cottage cheese by adding about 3 tbsp. of rice vinegar to a liter of boiling milk and allowing curds to form then straining them from the whey. This makes about 1.5 cups of cottage cheese (unsalted, so you have to salt it up), and costs 200 yen ($2.14) or less depending on the type of milk you can buy. I find milk for as little as 158 yen ($1.70), so making it myself costs about one-third the price of cottage cheese on the shelves here. It's just absurdly over-priced.

It's my guess that most of the cheese in Japan is processed because of lactose intolerance. I've never met a Japanese person who was even aware of the difficulties or effects of lactose intolerance despite the fact that the majority of Asians are supposed to be afflicted with it. I did a little extended research, and the presence of so much processed cheese appears to be related to a desire to reduce the cost of production rather than lactose intolerance. Processed cheese has its maturity arrested and takes less time to make. The processed cheese here tastes okay, but it's not really great. It's moderately pungent in a generic, cheese-like way, but it's not for cheese connoisseurs or even fussy eaters. My husband isn't a fanatic about cheese quality, but even he won't eat processed cheese. Note that Japan consumes more processed cheese than any other country when you consider ratios of real to processed. They consume 112 tons of processed cheese, and only 12 tons of "real" cheese. As a point of comparison, America, the second largest consumer of processed cheese comparatively speaking, consumes 3900 tons of natural cheese to 1092 tons of processed cheese.

Processed cheese is used in a variety of snacks, and I'm going to cover five of them in the week to come. Here are some of the cheese-based snack reviews that I have done.

QBB Almond "Baby Cheese" Snack

The Western view of most Japanese people is that they're sitting around daintily eating rice balls, sushi, and miso soup while sipping green tea. Those slim physiques are attributed to healthy eating so people expect shops to contain fresh, high quality food. By and large, markets are well-stocked with the kind of stuff that keeps Japanese folks so trim. However, the dairy aisle, conveniently located across from the beer aisle in my local market, offers a refrigerated contradiction to the image of healthy-eating Japanese. It's a calm, cool ocean of processed cheese and margarine spreads dotted with the occasional bit of massively overpriced real butter and cheese.

Lining the top of the case is of the Japanese equivalent of "Kraft singles" are quite a lot of single serving "cheese" snacks. Up until now, I've been afraid to try any of them except the string cheese. The string cheese has the advantage of being a rare natural cheese product. One of the scariest snacks I used to see was called "cheese candy" which had little bits of pale processed cheese wrapped like hard candies. I haven't seen those as of late, but I might take one for the Japanese snack review team and give it a try if it's still around.

QBB has several varieties of snack-sized cheese. Each pack contains 4 individual little foil-wrapped blocks in an easy to open package. I could choose between "cream cheese", "Camembert", and "iron fortified plain cheese" in addition to the almond variety that I tried. Incidentally, QBB stands for "quality's best & beauty." The brand is produced by a margarine and butter company called "Rokko Butter Co." which was established in 1948. Besides processed cheese, they also make dried fruit and nuts. Most notably, at least in my opinion, they are responsible for distributing Lindt chocolate in Japan. Somehow it seems ironic that the same company that sells some of the very best consumer chocolate (in my opinion) sells so much processed cheese.


Each little block of cheese is 18 grams (.6 oz) in size and is rather pale and has very small fragments of almond embedded in it. The blocks are smooth, shiny and firm, but yield easily to a butter knife. If it's closer to room temperature, it is softer, just like real cheese. However, I somehow doubt it actually would melt, but I didn't attempt to heat it as I'm afraid of the processed blob monster with teeth of slivered almonds that might result. I'm pretty sure this cheese is not meant to be used in that fashion. Each block is just supposed to noshed on, probably with a beer. There are 62 calories, 3.65 grams of fat, and 191 mg. of sodium in each 18 gram serving. For the quantity of cheese (72 grams/2.5 oz.), it's not high priced for a cheese product in Tokyo at 128 yen ($1.30 USD), but it's also not incredibly economical.


I decided to try the cheese both alone and on a cracker. With a pessimistic attitude, I gave it a try and it was actually pretty good. It smells very vaguely of almonds and when you bite into it, you get a solid hint of nuttiness as well as a cheesy tang. The sense of the almonds gets stronger as you chew. The texture is pleasant, but clearly not like natural cheese. It's softer and more uniform than most cheese. It's not unpleasant in any way, but there is a little bit of what I'd call a processed cheese aftertaste. I tried it on a Morinaga thin wheat cracker with wheat germ. This is a very hearty cracker, but the cheese flavor was able to compete with the earthy grains of the cracker.


The ingredients list shows that the first ingredient is actually natural cheese and the second is almonds. Given how few almonds there are in it, this means the other ingredients are not present in great quantity. The third ingredient is whey. Many people don't know this but the way in which many types of processed cheese is made is by infusing the whey back into the cheese. Whey is a nutritious byproduct of cheese-making.The dreaded Velveeta is made by adding whey back into the cheese. In other words, this really isn't that bad for you. It's just more processed than natural cheese.

I didn't expect to like this because it was processed cheese and my knee-jerk reaction is to believe that is bad, but I didn't find this too bad at all. If I were looking for something a bit more substantial and less junky than sweets or salted snacks, this would definitely be a contender. I won't be picking it up frequently, but I could see revisiting it when I was in the mood for cheese and nuts.