Shimizu Caramel Latte Baumkuchen Review

all wrapped up

To kick off the beginning of my expanding waistline, we have a Japanese snack with its origins in the land of schnitzel and lederhosen. Here are the vital stats for today's reunion of World War II allies:

Brand: Shimizu
Name: Caramel Latte Baumkuchen
Engl(r)ish slogan: "Soft texture and gentle sweetness"
Mass: 90g
Total Calories per Mass: 423 calories
Price: $3.50 at my local Korean convenience store
Cost per Calorie (CPC) Rating: 0.83 cents/calorie

the back - look at the sexy importer's label

The wrapper is quite wonderfully constructed, with a nice matte-finish texture not unlike that of baby`s floater tube and flower printing resembling the pattern on a kimono. This is quite in line considering the cost of this forbidden goodness.

teaser shot

Opening the package, we are greeted by an donut-like thing with enough rings in its construction to top that of Saturn. The cake has an angel-food like look to it, which provides a bit of substance to the slogan`s claim of a "soft texture". After leaving the Baumkuchen on the wrapper typing up this portion of the review, it has left marks of oil on the wrapper, giving away its artery-clogging potential.

age rings - hope this snack's not 17 years old!

to get a sense of the texture

 When the baumkuchen went into my mouth, I knew immediately that their slogan of "soft texture and gentle sweetness" wasn't legit and not just marketing hyperbole. There was a gentle hint of coffee mocha to perk up the flavour, and it worked well with the moistness of the cake. There was none of the dryness you can taste sometimes in cheaper angel food and pound cake; however, in those cases, you do get more calories for your money. The Caramel Latte baumkuchen left an aftertaste which while not offensive, was also not very special in any sense of the word.

didn't stay that way for much longer

To sum it all up, the Shimizu Baumkuchen was a nice little snack that would have been a very good staple piece in an afternoon tea setting. It's moistness and inoffensive aftertaste worked very well to its favour, as many times cakes like these would have left my mouth desperate for water or saddle it with a sickening aftertaste that made me wish for mouthwash. However, for the price, there wasn't enough orgasms in my mouth to make the baumkuchen an extremely satisfying snacking experience.

Final Score: 3.5 Calbee Dogs out of 5

until next time