On our last trip, we picked up a few more flavours of the kushi warabi mochi from Kyo-Nishijin Kasho Souzen, a wagashi cafe in Kyōto. As before, each kushi, or skewer, had three pieces of warabi mochi.
The Black Sesame flavour contained black sesame embedded into the warabi mochi as well as covering the exterior of each piece.
The pieces were an opaque, black hue, coated in ground black sesame and exuding a rich, nutty aroma characteristic of black sesame. However, upon tasting, the potency of the black sesame flavour was considerably tempered. Instead, the dominant presence was the sweetness of the warabi mochi, while the ground black sesame contributed more in terms of textural variation than distinct flavour. Notably, we preferred the more pronounced black sesame flavour of the warabimochi from Hourandou in Kyōto.
The Wazuka Hōjicha flavour contained houjicha powder embedded into the warabi mochi and covering the exterior.
The pieces were an opaque, dark brown hue, accompanied by a fragrant hōjicha aroma. Upon tasting, the captivating flavour of warm roasted hōjicha flavour was notably present. This profile paired harmoniously with the soft texture of the warabimochi, resulting in a combination that evoked memories of hōjicha-flavoured nama chocolate.
These Kyo-Nishijin Kasho Souzen Kushi Warabi Mochi contained 33.6 g each. They were produced in Japan and purchased in Kyōto, Japan in 2023.