Friday, December 3, 2010

Sapporo Hokkaido Butter Caramel

This sublime, western-style butter caramel comes to us from Sapporo "Gourme" Foods. 

The caramel is rough-hewn and textured, giving it the appearance of a handmade candy-store candy.  However, the ingredients are not altogether traditional.  Although it contains real milk and sugar (presumably from Hokkaido) it also has millet jelly, shortening, and flavorings.

The initial flavor note is overwhelmingly sweet toffee.  There is one odd note present, reminiscent of dust from the inside of a wooden box.  Perhaps the wooden box in which they found the caramel recipe.  I don't know.

This is a soft candy, so all the action is in the chewing.  This confection has excellent texture.  Soft, not sticky, but a bit grainy.  It releases sweet.  burnt caramel notes, followed by a burst of buttery toffee flavor.  A bit too sweet, perhaps, but overall a very tasty candy. Only a tiny bit of residue left on the tooth and even this dissipates quickly.

A very nice, if conventional caramel from Sapporo Gourme' Foods.  Pick one up if you can, but don't go out of your way.

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