Jagarico Report: (Uma) Umadashi

It's been a while since I've purchased any new Jagarico flavors, so when I saw this one I almost felt a compulsion to buy it. I wasn't really sure what an "umadashi" was, but judging from the packaging I could guess it was a dashi broth made with fish and kelp. Do you see those two mascots in the corner? Creepy but informative.

They must've really liked the character design for the costumed giraffes because they're all over the container! Actually, the more I look at them, the cuter they become. (I guess they're pretty kimo-kawaii...)

Despite having a vague notion of what kind of flavoring this was, nothing could prepare me for the fishy poof that emanated from the package when I peeled the cover back. If there was any confusion as to what the dominant flavor was going to be, this resolved everything.

Calbee, the creators of this snack, advertises this as a combination of bamboo shoots and kelp broth, plus rice crackers, all coming together to create this flavor. However, I didn't get any of that. Like the scent, the dominating flavor was fish.

Unless you're eating this and sharing with friends, I wouldn't recommend buying it. After one or two sticks, the flavor gets really old really fast. The initial bite is good, but my tastebuds really got overwhelmed very quickly. I honestly couldn't finish the entire container because it was too strong. But sharing it, I think everyone would enjoy a little bit of it!

★★ (2 out of 5 stars)