For centuries in Japan matcha tea has been an important part of ceremonies and local culture. Matcha is a green-colored powder that is finely ground from tea leaves. A special type of green tea, Matcha leaves stay in the shade for the first three weeks of the growth process, and maybe this lends to the mystical feeling that comes when tasting Matcha and snacks flavored with it. Japanese people love drinking Matcha tea and now the drink as well as matcha flavored snacks have become an international phenomenon! Matcha’s bittersweet flavor, when mixed with sugar, makes for the ideal savory snack. Here are 14 matcha snacks that make perfect exotic gifts to impress your friends.
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NO.1 Matcha Snack: Kit-Kat Matcha
Everyone has heard of Kit Kats right? Japan has a talent for putting a unique spin on everyday snacks. The matcha flavored kit kat is unique to Japan and has a taste that is absolutely unique compared to other kit kats. Here is your chance to get a taste of the matcha flavored kit kat that is now in high demand and difficult to find out of Japan. These chocolate biscuit snacks use matcha coming from the Uji province in Kyoto, the ancient capital of Japan. Using the traditional kit kat wafers and snack shape, this matcha flavored chocolate makes for a perfect snack anytime of day. People all around you will ask you to break them off a piece of this special snack. You can purchase it here!
NO.2 Matcha Snack: Meiji The Chocolate
Beginning its origins in the much sought-after cacao bean, these matcha flavored chocolate snacks are a popular treat from Meiji. A popular snack since hitting the market, the matcha chocolate bar is not only a great tasting snack but has some great health benefits also. Cacao has been used for centuries in local cultures, as has matcha. The combination for this matcha snack is a win-win affair that will help you with that boost of energy needed in your life. Created from 58% cacao beans coming from Venezuala, this bar has two tiers of dark chocolate, with the second one blended with Japanese matcha. For a healthy and exotic snack, your taste buds won’t regret the savory flavors of this matcha snack. You can purchase it here!
NO.3 Matcha Snack: Meiji Meltykiss First Flush Green Tea
Another popular matcha snack from Meiji are these meltykiss matcha chocolate truffles that make everyday feel like Valentine’s Day. Dusted in fine cocoa powder and filled with a savory and creamy green tea flavoring, you will have a hard time deciding whether to chew through these divine snacks or to simply let them melt in your mouth. Since first being produced 20 years ago these matcha snacks have been a huge hit and after just one taste you will soon understand. In Japan they are often given as a special gift. Coming individually wrapped, these snacks are easily stored and you can take a handful with you wherever you go. Surprise a friend with this matcha snack that is specially designed to melt in your mouth. You can purchase it here!
NO.4 Matcha Snack: Matcha Coconut Latte
Whether or not you are Irish or celebrating St. Patrick’s day, this green-colored matcha snack will warm your bones and energize you for all of your daily needs. Too often convenience and low preparation time can mean consuming unhealthy snacks. This quickly prepared drink is high in natural flavors coming to you directly from the matcha powder only made in Japan!
While most traditional teas are steeped using a teabag, matcha is a green powder that comes from grinding down the matcha leaves into a fine dust. Not only is the taste out of this world, but matcha has ten times more nutrients than regular green tea. Not only will you be feeling good, but you will be looking good also! With only three necessary ingredients to make this fine matcha snack, you don’t need fancy skills or expensive equipment to whip up this tasty snack. Make it by following our recipe or purchase it here!
Matcha Coconut Latte
Ingredients:
- 1 teaspoon cooking grade Matcha
- ¼ cup hot water; ¼ cup warmed coconut milk
Steps:
- First, be sure to sift through your matcha so it is lump free
- Spoon the matcha into a large mug and then slowly pour in the hot water and the coconut milk
- In an up and down motion, whisk the mixture repeatedly for about 30 seconds or until frothy
- Add additional water, milk, or sweetener to taste and enjoy!
NO.5 Matcha Snack: Matcha Ice Cream
Who doesn’t like ice cream? Vanilla, Chocolate, Strawberry… We’ve all tried and enjoyed them at one time or another, right? But Matcha flavored ice cream is a whole other level. The familiar textures of cold and creamy ice cream will be infused with this slightly bitter powder that transform traditional ice cream into the perfect matcha snack. Many cafes in Japan offer matcha as a topping for desserts, or you can grab a cone to go on the street as a snack and enjoy it all before it melts away!
NO.6 Matcha Snack: Oreo Matcha Crispy Cream
A delicious vanilla cream between two chocolate cookies is a snack many of us have enjoyed since childhood. With some slight changes, Oreo has come up with a unique matcha snack for people of all ages. In this offering, a slightly thinner and crispier cookie is filled with matcha flavored cream, the perfect spin on an already delicious snack. The cream is milky and you immediately get a taste of the buttery bitterness of the matcha cream from the first bite. The surprisingly familiar tastes of this matcha snack will make you wonder if you actually grew up in Japan! Try them here!
NO.7 Matcha Snack: Matcha Pocky
First established in 1922 and produced by Ezaki Glico, in the 1960’s this matcha snack favorite received an upgrade and became a pretzel based matcha snack. Now coming as a chocolate-coated stick made of cookie and pretzel, pocky matcha has swiftly become a must-have snack for matcha lovers. The green tea cream coating and unique styling make it one of the most popular matcha snacks. While some of the more traditional match chocolates can be slightly heavy for some palettes, these thin snacks are easy to eat and leave plenty of room for many more! You can purchase it here!
NO.8 Matcha Snack: Morinaga Matcha Caramel Bag
For over 100 years Morinaga has been one of most famous and leading producers of dairy in Japan. Producing ice cream, milk, and various other beverages and snacks, Morinaga was one of the first companies to make the pairing of matcha and caramel to create this unique matcha snack. The sweetness and creaminess of the caramel perfectly complements the bitterness and dryness of the matcha for that perfect snack for anytime of the day. It is no wonder that it has been around for so many years already as a popular matcha snack. The only thing bittersweet about this bitter and sweet combination is when there are no more snacks left!
NO.9 Matcha Snack: Calbee Matcha Potato Chips
If you like the salty and crunchy taste of potato chips then this matcha snack is a must try for you. While at first this might seem like an odd pairing, the results are positively inspiring and appetizing. It is sometimes hard to know if you are enjoying a dessert or potato chips, or maybe both. This is most certainly a good thing! Poured in strips over the potato chip, it is the mixture of white chocolate and uji matcha strips that offer this matcha snack its signature taste. On first bite you may think you are simply indulging in a regular potato chip, but as soon as the creamy bitterness of the matcha and the sweetness of the white chocolate reach your tongue, you will know it is a new and wonderful tasting snack.
NO.10 Matcha Snack: Matcha Alfort Chocolate Biscuit
Using Uji matcha, this bittersweet snack is made in a chocolate biscuit and feels like a matcha made in heaven. With a generous amount of chocolate on one side, the crunchiness of the other provides a great taste to complement it. Known by their sailboat trademark, these matcha snacks have been on sale for over 20 years across Japan, with the matcha flavor coming into production in April of 2017. Individually packaged, the 16 snacks that come in a packet will leave you wanting more and are available for a limited time only.
NO.11 Matcha Snack: Matcha Mochi
For a true taste of Japan these traditional mochi snacks combined with matcha powder will make you feel like you are in Japan. Found virtually everywhere in Japan–cafes, stores, and street stalls–this perfect powdery snack combination is a perfect matcha snack on its own or as a delectable dessert. You can purchase it here!
NO.12 Matcha Snack: Matcha Momiji Manju
Instantly recognizable, this omiyage is the most famous matcha snack from Hiroshima. A baked cake in the shape of a maple leaf, there are many varieties of filling, including Matcha. One of the heavier matcha snacks, this tasty treat is a meal all unto itself and perfect to be shared as a dessert or a midday snack. Originally created in 1906, the shape of this matcha snack was trademarked in 1912 and has been a big hit ever since! In the old days these snacks were all made by hand and in some places still are. No matter what the process, the taste is still to die for. Try them here!
NO.13 Matcha Snack: Tokyo Banana Matcha Cake
Wrapped in a fluffy sponge cake, this high-end matcha snack is one of the most popular items available in Ginza. Filled with a chunky Tokachi adzuki bean paste as a creamy center of stone-ground Uji matcha tea, this is the Japanese version of the Twinkie. The fruit-flavored snack cake made by Tokyo Banana has long been a favorite for the sweet-toothed crowd, but the recent spin of adding Matcha has proven to be a unique addition to the wide offering of matcha snacks. To top it all off, the top of each snack is topped with a green heart. You can purchase it here!
NO.14 Matcha Snack: Apollo-Matcha
Named after the Apollo spaceship, this bite-sized chocolate snack is mainly available in the Kansai region. While the original apollo snack is strawberry flavored, this matcha-flavored snack is a wonderful and subtle pairing of chocolate and matcha that is sure to make you blast off after enjoying a handful of these snacks. Sold since the summer of 1969 when the first space shuttle launched, this snack’s popularity looks ready to soar into the future.
We all know that snacks are an integral part of everyday life. Whether at work, at home, or in the company of friends, matcha snacks are the perfect way to fill in the slower parts of your day or to complement a wonderful meal as a dessert. Matcha, with its wonderfully subtle, exotic, and refreshing flavors, will invigorate your taste buds and energize your brain for the rest of the day.
You might also like:
→How to Properly Brew Japanese Green Tea
→Top 10 Matcha Tea Powder Home-Made Recipes!
→Mochi The Best Japanese Dessert We All Love
→7 Must Try Easy Japanese Dessert Recipes Collection!
