Meiji Meltykiss Chocolate Rich Caramel

Meltykiss Rich Caramel is built on two things pulling in opposite directions.

Caramel powder goes in generously — Meiji’s word is tappuri — giving the burnt-sugar depth that defines the flavour, and against it sits Ecuadorian cacao, which is prized for an aroma Meiji describes as hanayaka, floral and bright.

Caramel on its own tends toward heaviness; a floral cacao keeps it from settling there, and the result is what the company calls otonappoi, grown-up rather than sweet.

The cacao is specified by origin and quantity: Ecuadorian beans at 17% of the cacao mass, 1% of the finished product.

That is a small proportion by weight and a large one by effect, since Ecuadorian cacao is among the most aromatic in the world and used in blends precisely for what a little of it contributes.

Meltykiss itself is a winter-only chocolate, and for a practical reason.

Meiji formulates it to melt at close to body temperature — softer and lower-melting than ordinary chocolate — which makes it extraordinary in the mouth and impossible to sell in a Japanese summer.

It has been released each autumn since 1992, and its appearance on shelves functions here as a marker that the season has turned. 53 g to a box.

About this item
Item Name : Meltykiss Rich Caramel
Brand : Meiji
Item Form : Chocolate
Allergens: Milk, soybean
Number of Items : 53g (Box of 1)