Trader Joe's Dark Chocolate Cookie Sticks

Here's an unpopular opinion: I really could care less about Valentine's Day chocolates. I like chocolate. I enjoy chocolates - chocolate truffles, chocolate ganache, chocolate cake. I might eat it if it's there, but I won't go out of my way to have it. So maybe I don't LOVE chocolate. Maybe chocolate just doesn't register as a love language for me. I really didn't enjoy chocolate as we all know it until late childhood. Was I deprived? No - it just wasn't part of my cultural upbringing. Chocolate was accepted in limited forms - Hershey kisses, Yan Yans (biscuits that come in a tube and a chocolate dip), and Pocky. Apparently Pocky is kind of cool now, so cool that to me it's the obvious inspiration behind this product. 

"It's Trader Joe's Pocky."  Well, it is but it isn't. It's all in the nuance, y'all. For one, the packaging is totally different from Pocky and Peppero (Korean Pocky). They've opted for a cylinder, like baton packaging, instead of the rectangular card box. Also, what's up with the random zebra? And why does the cookie stick placement make it look like a unicorn? Is there a subliminal message? Like the stripes on the zebra represent how the chocolate wraps around the cookie sticks, and they've also put their own "TJ's spin" on a beloved snack from a far-off place, which makes this product somehow cool and unique and unicorn-esque. I love reading too much into the packaging. :P

Made in Germany. Is Pocky popular in Germany? I wouldn't know. 

1) Enjoying this product pretty much hinges on your attitude toward Pocky and Pocky-like products. For me, Pocky ranks high on my list of childhood Asian snacks, so I didn't think I'd have any objections to this product. And just for fun, my household tested this against Pocky and Pepero. For the record, sorry Korean friends, Pepero came in last. 

2) This cookie stick is a few millimeters thicker than Pocky and has a twisted shape, which affects the taste significantly. For one, this has a heftier crunch because of the thickness. The twisted shape provides greater surface area for chocolate distribution, which means you get more chocolate in each bite. In contrast, Pocky has more of a "snap" because it's thinner. Is there a difference between "crunch" and "snap?" Oh absolutely. Just ask the British.

3) I'm sure Pocky and Pepero do have some sort of dark chocolate flavor variation, but the original is just regular chocolate. I happen to enjoy dark chocolate, so the fact that there's a solid amount of dark chocolate on these cookie sticks is kind of nice and makes this a bit addicting. 

4) The actual cookie stick doesn't really have a memorable flavor - which is normal. It's neither savory nor sweet. The TJ's cookie stick is a bit starchier than a Pocky, but that's because it is thicker. Does it matter? Not really. At the end of the day, the cookie stick is a means to an end or a delivery mechanism for chocolate to get in your mouth. 

5) So is this better than Pocky? I don't know that it's better - it's more like this product is just more American. It's thicker, crunchier, and more chocolatey. Dark chocolatey, which not everyone will like. BUT I LOVE IT. It's actually the perfect amount of chocolate for me - just enough for you to taste the flavor but not so much that I'll keel over from a chocolate overdose. As such, I find this product quite snackable. 

6) $1.49 for a tube of 2.5 servings. 

TL;DR: Trader Joe's Dark Chocolate Cookie Sticks. American Pocky. 9 out of 10. Mantou Joe repurchase? Already been repurchased on put on the "can't-buy-too-addicting" list.