There are many things in life that just go hand in hand -nuts and chocolate; Hollywood and botox; cats and toxoplasmosis. Of all these, only nuts and chocolate would qualify as a match made in Snack Heaven, unless of course, you have nut allergy, in which case, it would be your hell.

Pepero is an almond and chocolate dipped biscuit stick from the Korean company, Lotte. You see, Leibniz Minis Choco has already proven that chocolates and cookies are the best thing since sliced bread. Chocolate, cookies and nuts? Probably the best thing since Leibniz Minis Choco?

Although boxes of Pepero are always displayed beside Japanese cousin Pocky, I’ve never been compelled to give one a try. So why this change now? Well, there was a little white sticker at the front of a the box that read $1.20. I had to do a triple take – the cheapest fancy Pocky is $2.40.

The design of the box feels a bit old, not helped by the unsavoury shade of green. Inside this box is a matte foil, again in the same verdant shade. We know that pictures on boxes are usually poor approximation of what to expect inside but these gnarled chocolate and almond dipped sticks are true to its packaging.

The biscuit sticks are a touch thicker than Pocky’s. I had two boxes of Pepero Almond and the second box has slightly bitter biscuit sticks, like they were left in the oven a few minutes too long. The chocolate and almond are consistently…okay. There’s a good balance of not too sweet chocolate and crunchy, very nicely-roasted almonds. But is it better than Pocky? Maybe. If you don’t like your chocolate too sweet, you might like Pepero better than Pocky.

All in all, this is a good, cheap snack. The only complaint I have is that there are only 10 sticks in a box. Compare this to the 25 sticks in a chocolate Pocky and suddenly you realise why these tasty sticks are so cheap. Grrr!

A good alternative to Pocky, Pepero will appeal to those who prefer their chocolate not too sweet.

The name of this snack makes me giggle. Do I really want to taste Jacob’s…. Crak’s? But Jacob really wanted me to try this radical new innovation as it says on the gold foil wrapper: “Discover the new Jacob’s generation!” and “Discover this new innovation of delicious crackers for Jacob’s” . I wonder what is it about this that is so innovative… Packaging: 7

When I opened the pack, I was greeted with a funky salty aroma. I wasn’t too sure about this… Jacob’s crack, er, Crak’s looked interesting but they smelled kinda weird. I understand the funkiness, this is an onion flavoured snack afterall, but does something marketed as “ideal for dipping” need to smell so salty? A quick inspection on the crackers – they look like they’ve been liberally dusted with flavouring powder which I believe to be 90% salt and 10% MSG and a sprinkling of tiny green specks for interest. There’s no way this will turn out positive. Visual:7

But thankfully, I was proven wrong — Yes Jacob doesn’t skimp on salt but it was not to the point of overpowering the whole taste. You know how the first chip is always the saltiest and then your taste bud kinda get numb thereafter? Well, after three crackers, I got used to the saltiness and begin to appreciate the flavours more. The crackers have a sharp zing and I can definitely taste onion and maybe even hint of parsley(the green specks). I’d prefer if there was a more pronounced cream flavour though. Taste: 7

I’m not too sure why the packaging keeps emphasizing the fact that you’re supposed to eat them:: “Surprisingly light (when you eat it)” and “Made from special recipe, this new cracker is COOKED AND TOASTED IN THE OVEN It’s very crispy, puffy and very light when you eat it.” By the way, the crackers were not “puffy” as claimed but they were light when I ate them. Being baked, not fried, meant that these are a healthier alternative to chips. Health: 8

I don't mind Jacob’s Crak’s but I'd much prefer Arnotts Shapes.

Let me be honest — I bought this because of the cute, colorful box.

I absolutely looove opening boxes with this type of perforation. They produce the manliest of tearing sounds. Mmmmm….

Er… ok, back to the review. See the chocolate-coloured outer shell? I used my two front teeth to bite into this because based on years of eating similarly-shaped snacks, I’d assumed that this would have an easy-to-bite, crumbly texture.

How wrong was I. The shell was much, much harder to break, as compared to say, Pepperidge Farm Goldfish or Hello Panda Chocolate Biscuits — causing a slight shock to the system. Yes it sounds all too dramatic, but such is the excitingly dangerous life of a snack-tester.

The shell was very dry and brightly crunchy, and didn’t taste very chocolate-y. Though the texture did provide a contrast to the creamy banana filling, I’d prefer it slightly softer.

For the cream filling – if you have tried a banana milkshake before, a bad one that is, you pretty much know how this taste and smell like.

The pieces came in at least four different shapes – A fish-shaped one with straight tail and another with a concave tail, an octopus with four arms and another one with three. These shapes serve no other purpose than to entertain people like me.

I felt sick of the stuff after my fifth piece. I wasn’t sure whether it was due to the fact that I’d eaten too much MiniSnacks earlier.

Update: I tried eating this again on empty stomach but didn’t manage to finish more than two pieces.

Photos: Snacktimes

If toxic banana flavour suits you fine, then this is the snack for you.