So, here's the skinny about this treat. First of all, it's not cheap; in Japan it's considered to be a fine high class treat. It's also very traditional and been available for a very long time, we’re talking hundreds or thousands of years. So basically, what I'm preparing myself for is either the greatest taste experience of my life or to be absolutely repulsed. I'm now wondering if I should be prepared with a spit plan, something I do when presented with a treat that might go horribly wrong.

Well the good news is no spitting is required; it wasn’t that bad at all. I often find when I'm doing a review and I'm a little worried, I don't even really get an idea of the flavour on the first bite. The first bite is often me just getting over whatever strange flavour idea that might be making me nervous. It takes a few more bites to really understand what this treat is really about.

The texture of this jelly is surprisingly dry for what one might expect. The bar itself looks like a really dense jelly with bits of what I imagine are red bean. I was expecting something a little slimy, but instead it's kind of dry. My best description of the texture would be to describe it as if one were to cross firm Jello with an almond paste. It's not that uncomfortable for North American tastes since when it gets into your mouth the pasty feeling really dominates.

The flavour on the other hand is well... lacking. I can't really define any flavour except maybe a hint of the red bean. Red bean is such a subtle flavour that the best way to describe it is just to say that it's sweet. It doesn't seem to be a flavour that requires any kind of refinement as I've had a few bites and I'm still very subtle. It's an interesting experience eating this and if you're ever offered a bite, I say go for it.