This is the Kuriyama Beika Seto no Shio Age 3 Flavour Assortment. It contained rice crackers in three distinct flavours: luxury seaweed salt, shrimp salt, and yuzu salt. Each cracker was individually sealed and measured approximately 6 cm in diameter and 0.7 cm in height.
Zeitaku nori shio (‘luxury seaweed salt’).
The cracker incorporated specks of seaweed embedded into the batter, imparting a savoury oceanic umami aroma that became evident upon tasting, accompanied by a well-balanced savoury quality from the delicate salt dusted onto its surface. However, the exterior bore a slight oiliness, giving it a softer crunch in contrast to glazed senbei.
Ebi shio (‘shrimp salt’).
The cracker was coated with a fine powder that exuded a mildly oily, shrimpy aroma. Upon tasting, the shrimp flavour emanated solely from the surface powder, rather than being integrated into the cracker itself. This resulted in an initial burst of shrimp flavour that was harmoniously offset by the subtle saltiness, yet the inner part of the cracker remained relatively plain. This particular variant was our least favoured among the trio of flavours.
Yuzu shio (‘yuzu salt’).
The citrus undertones of the yuzu melded with the slight oiliness of the cracker, yielding an aroma reminiscent of the creamy and zesty notes found in yuzu mayonnaise. The same association surfaced upon tasting, with the yuzu imparting a gentle acidity that elevated the cracker with a floral zesty quality and permeated the palate to flavour the unadorned interior of the cracker. This emerged as our favourite among the three flavours.
We would be inclined to repurchase a bag containing just the yuzu shio flavour.
This Kuriyama Beika Seto no Shio Age 3 Flavour Assortment contained 170 g or 11 pieces x zeitaku no nori shio, 11 pieces x ebi shio, and 11 pieces x yuzu shio. It was produced in Japan and purchased in Sydney, Australia in 2022.