MunchPak April 2014 Review + Silly Contest (Contest Now Closed)

***Congratulations to Taketha for winning my little contest!***  

Please note that the contest mentioned below is now closed.

  The answer was "shrimp chips". Thanks to all who entered!

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If there is a monthly subscription service that screams "Guilty Pleasure", it has to be MunchPak!  There is almost NO redeeming dietary value in a MunchPak.  In a PC crazed world, that IS much of the appeal.

Since I recently reviewed the March MunchPak, I'll skip the details.  But if you need to catch up, click here.

You never know what you'll see in a MunchPak.  From the three boxes I've received so far, I'd classify the snacks into four categories:  current favorites, throwbacks to childhood, international and just plain weird! Every month there is at least one snack that makes me do a double take...like "Did they REALLY include that"? (Fortunately, I signed up right AFTER the giant pickle debacle.)          

Now for the silly contest.  There is one product in this month's box that I won't touch. Guess which one it is in the Comments section below.  The first person who gets it right wins.  I will either mail that item to you or Paypal you $3.00...your choice. (Hey...this is a low budget blog!)  One guess per e-mail address, please.  With that out of the way, let's dig in.....

This is the second or third "Hello Panda" product I've received in a subscription box. The brand comes from Singapore and features tiny biscuit type cookies with various panda prints on them.  The cookies have some kind of filling, cream, chocolate or strawberry. Since discovering these, I've found there is quite a sub-culture of "Hello Panda" aficionados out there. Fortunately for them, it's usually possible to get a fix through Amazon.

This probably falls in the "current" product category.  It's a big reclosable package of Pringles cheese flavored baked crispy sticks.  (Since there is such a high stakes contest underway, I'll refrain from opinions for once.)

Next we have a Cadbury "Curly Wurly" and a "Chili Rokas" hard candy.  The Curly Wurly is a repeat from February.  I believe it's a milk chocolate strip with a caramel center. The Chili Rokas is from Mexico and the flavor is pineapple.  

I am guessing that there aren't too many U.S. manufacturers who would name their product "Pocky"!  This comes from Thailand and as you can see, is a box of chocolate covered biscuit sticks.

Next up is a package of Shrimp Chips from Calbee.  These actually come from California and are described as "a toasted light snack, with a touch of shrimp".  

I had not heard of a Nestle Drifter candy bar before but it is a "crispy wafer dipped in chewy caramel and covered in chocolate".  The Nature Valley granola bar is an unusual flavor, "Dark Chocolate Cherry".

OK, I can't stand it. I'm giving you a freebie here since I'm unable to restrain myself. MunchPak hit it out of the park as far as I'm concerned with a BIG dark chocolate bar by a French company called Falize.  This is at least 47% cocoa solids with sea salt crystals. It is also the main reason I'm in a hurry to finish this review!

This is a 3 oz. package of soy crackers that is labeled in English.  The package says it comes from the U.S.A., but with a name like "Yaki Mochi" and the brand "Hapi", I'm guessing these originate somewhere in Asia and are just re-packaged in the U.S.

  

This "Choco Pie" by Lotte strikes me as one of the throwback to childhood products. It's like a smaller version of the traditional moon pie.

"Fruit Pastilles" by Rowntrees were included in the March box but packaged differently.  Rowntree is a U.K. company that is related to Nestle's.  The MunchPaks I have received have included quite a few of their products, which are mostly fruit flavored.

Squarely in the "weird" category is this "Jelly Ice Bar" with cartoon pictures on it. This comes from "Candy Planet" and believe it or not, the third item in the ingredient list is "seaweed extract".  The feel of this stick is really odd; something like vacuum-packed Jello.  

  

Last but not least is a package of New York Style brand baked pita chips. These come in several different flavors; this one is seasoned with sea salt.

So there you have it, the April MunchPak!  This one was the middle size which they term the "Original".  As promised, the box weighs slightly over two pounds.  

I am quite pleased with this month's box but as I said, there is one product I will NOT be opening, much less eating. Guess which one it is in the Comments section below and you just might be the lucky winner!  (Siblings who know me very well are disqualified.) Winner will be announced on April 14th.

Let the snacking commence....thanks for reading!

Cheryl