The Tsubu Tsubu Strawberry Pocky impressed with pops of flavour from the freeze dried strawberry bits throughout the mousse coating, so I put my general aversion to strawberry flavoured foods aside to try their basic Glico Pocky Strawberry.

Compared to the Tsubu Tsubu Strawberry Pocky (above, top), the standard Strawberry Pocky (above, bottom) is shorter and the enrobing mousse is a deeper pink with only a sprinkling of red specks and certainly no chunks throughout, giving it a creamier mouthfeel. Critically, though, the flavour of the standard Strawberry Pocky is sweet throughout, from the first bite to the last, with the flavour of the biscuit registering only as a crispy texture until it emerged in the finish as the strawberry cream melts away. The strawberry flavour recalled the colour and taste of strawberry ice cream. The standard Strawberry Pocky misses out on the punchy acidity of the ‘popping’ bits that balances the sweetness in the Tsubu Tsubu and makes them moreish.

While I prefer the Tsubu Tsubu Strawberry Pocky, these standard Strawberry Pocky produced in Japan had a smoother and shinier finish than those produced in Thailand, which had a dull and gritty finish.

This Glico Pocky Strawberry contained 1 bag with ~30 biscuits. It was produced in Japan and purchased in Ōsaka, Japan in 2015.