These Yamazaki Biscuits Co Noir Black Cocoa are the tastiest rendition of the ‘sweet creme filling between two chocolate wafers’ more commonly known to as the Oreo. Indeed, until the end of August 2016, these biscuits were the recipe for the Nabisco Oreo for the Japanese market. In September 2016, the manufacturing licence between Yamazaki and Nabisco ended and production of Oreos for the Japanese market shifted to China and with it, a change in flavour.

Each package contained 2 individually sealed bags each containing 9 biscuits.

Each biscuit is round and 4 cm in diameter with a flower pattern and the YBC logo.

The two chocolate wafers are a dark brown-black colour and sandwich a thinner white sweet creme filling.

Each biscuit had a fragrant cocoa aroma. The wafers are crisp on biting through and release a rich, bitter (yet pleasant) cocoa flavour. It’s barely sweetened, relying on the sweet creme to bring the sweetness as it melts to add moisture to biscuit for a melt-in-your-mouth sensation. Indeed, the overall lightness of the biscuit sandwich, with the sweet creme pairing so well with the bitterness of the biscuit, makes it my favourite chocolate biscuit. Perhaps that’s where the individually sealed bags help with portion control?

This Yamazaki Biscuits Co Noir Black Cocoa contained 2 packs of 9 biscuits each. It was produced in Japan and purchased in Ōsaka, Japan in 2018.