Egraphsen
Stephanie Cullingford
Theatrical Design
Sakuraco
Box One - March 2021
Part One
February 26th 2021
In What Katie Did Next - the sequel to What Katie Did – Katie and his sister Clover are sent away to boarding school. On Christmas Eve, they come back to their room to an enormous crate…
Or perhaps Howard Carter and Lord Carnarvon: “What can you see?” “Wonderful things!”
This was my reaction to getting my first Sakuraco box – and when it arrived I was far too busy to open it and give it the attention it deserved. I had to wait until Christmas morning. Which wasn’t easy considering that the box, instead of being wrapped in a boring mail satchel was clearly visible through the bubble-wrap.
And quite frankly, if I had to wait, so do you!
I am wearing:
– an Indigo-and-White yukata with a hydrangea motif (ajisai) picked out with a dull burgundy on the petals.
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(no Obi – it hasn’t arrived yet, but a cream coloured wide-elastic belt with a bow-shaped buckle)
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– Dark burgundy velvet loafers from Florisheim
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– Besame Purple Cake Mascara (as eyeliner)
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– Mismatched Blue Bee/ Dianella pins by Designed by Ebony
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– Designer Brands nail polish in ‘Aubergine’
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– I Heart Revolution lipstick in ‘Private Member’s Club’ (matte)
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– Sakura earrings from TigerLily.
I wish I could say I opened my box on the balcony surrounded by wisteria, but it was 39ËšC in the shade, so I went and hid in the Dining Room!
The Box:
As I said it arrived at my door wrapped only in bubble-wrap, in good time, considering the distance, Covid and one Japanese site refusing to ship to Australia at all. The box is approximately 21cm2 by 9.5cm. roomy without being awkward or unwieldy. A pale pinkish-beige with an elegant blossom-and-branch motif on all sides (I assume it’s a Sakura/Cherry blossom, but I thought they always had clipped tips) and a gold foil mon with Sakuraco stamped on the top. The box has been slightly deformed on one side as though squashed, but again, distance. They could have slapped ’Fragile’ sticker all over it and I suspect it would have arrived in the same state.
The box is sealed with a large clear sticker which is firm enough to hold it all in place but peeled off nicely without damaging either the box, my nails or taking forever to pick at.
The Magazine:
One of my fears when I ordered my box was that it would be either undescribed or only minimally so (knowing no Japanese beyond Konichiwa). Boy, were my fears unfounded!
The Magazine is beautiful, lavishly illustrated, with a ‘Meet the Team’ page, spot-light on Niigata Prefecture, notes and photos on each item, allergen/vegetarian advice, spot-light on Hanami (flower-viewing [‘hana’ as in hanabishi, or ‘flower-diamond’] a common textile design), top 10 places to see Sakura in 2022 (!). An especially nice touch was tasting suggestions (Blossom Tea with Strawberry Sandwich Cake), as well as detailed instructions as to how to make the Tea.
(Reminder to Westerners that Japanese books open the opposite way to ours). My only (only) critique is that I would love it to be printed on a matte cardstock rather than glossy, which would make it feel, well, less of a magazine and more of a souvenir (I am certainly keeping mine!). I was also pathetically grateful at the perfect English throughout – poorly translated documents drive me nuts!
The Postcard:
A beautiful piece of art, with a greeting from the founder Ayumi Chikamoto. With the Meet the Team page in the Magazine, I feel like I have made some new friends. With blue sky and blossom it feels so beautifully spring time and the art work reminds me of the soft prints that came out of Japan in the 1920’s – or Van Gogh’s Almond Blossoms. (It has a cameo in most pictures to help give a sense of scale). I will be framing this postcard!
The Plate:
The Food:
Alright already, we've suffered - show us the food!
Sakura Monaka:
The outer wafers (the monaka) have a similar texture to rice-paper, the kind that is used for Flying Saucers or whatever. It's pretty much tasteless, but it's purpose (like the Flying Saucer) is to convey a sweet treat to the mouth with minimum mess and add texture and crunch. As you can see, they got a little crushed in transit, and their packaging is ho-hum, but I do like the embossed design (I guess it's a matcha wisk and cup?). The filling is red-bean/azuki paste which is a bit like sweetened mashed potato in consistency, but with that grainy/furry texture that you get in lentils etc. (I have never liked legumes!). At the moment, my palette is unschooled and I have no idea what sakura is supposed to taste/smell like. I once had a sakura bath bomb and that smelled like bath-water, so my expectations aren't high!
Sakura Strawberry Crepe Roll
Small and white (clean and bright), decorated with bright pink Sakura blossoms. I have to admit, one of the clinchers on getting this Box was the promise of 'Homewares' - something to have after the goodies are gone. About 13.5 cm across, just 'Goldilocks' sized!
RN Sakura Mochi Monaka:
I think this monaka has one of the best package designs, pink and green paper with flowers and petals in white - it certainly beats the pants off the previous monaka - and as they were both damaged, the eco friendly paper is infinitely preferable. I also prefer it (I saved the little round one to taste along side). The wafer is the same texture as before, but has a slight bitter edge to it. I'm not sure what difference the mochi makes (it's a pounded rice paste), but there is a difference. The RN is not as sweet and there is a slight saltiness that is very nice. In the paste are whole petals and chewing one, it's floral and then-! there's a sudden did-I-imagine-that spicyness, almost like pepper or chilli. And it's gone so fast! I chew another petal, nothing, but the next one, there it is again! Extraordinary. The RN has no real scent (apart from a puffed-rice smell), where as the pink ones have an almost bubble-gum scent (apparently, 'bubble-gum flavour' depends on the company, but usually involves strawberry and banana).
As you can see, the poor strawberry crepe has utterly disintegrated, but that doesn't effect taste - or smell. And what a smell! From 30 centimeters away, all I can smell is strawberries! Like a Chupa-chup lollipop or a Lipsmaker lip-gloss. It's similar to a 'Corinthian Column' but not quite so crispy (but that could have something to do with the inherent instability of the tube, and being broken, the Roll automatically lacks it). Flavour-wise: well, it's a bit disappointing after that incredible smell (the packaging made my bin smell beautiful). Mostly there is a sweet milky flavour with a subtle strawberry - like white chocolate it is very one dimensional. Still being a sakura novice, I can't tell if the blossom has added anything.
I prefer the semi-gloss of the Madeleine packaging, but the red strawberries add a nice contrast.
Sakura Madeleine:
As much as I am a sakura-novice, I'm more of a Madeleine one. I believe madeleines are supposed to be small sponge cakes cooked in a sea-shell/scallop shaped pan with a decided hump (which prevents them lying when showing the ribbed underside). I've had one and to that I'd add 'dry and boring' (I hear they're usually served with coffee in France, so I guess the dryness doesn't matter). As you can see from the photo, this looks more like a cupcake than a madeleine (although it is humped!). It has a sweet, yet bitter, scent almost like orange or grapefruit pith - I hope not: I'm allergic to those two citrus - orange zest is used in traditional madeleines, and I've seen one recipe call for orange blossom water. The cake is pink inside, with a texture more like a buttercake than a sponge, pleasant, spongy and moist and yet, a strange dryness persists. There is a bitter note through out the cake, almost medicinal, that I can't place. Eating the Roll and the Madeleine together, I was trying to find this elusive sakura that was worked into the crepe and cake batters. I failed.
Peach sandwich
Although this one is definitely the least arresting in terms of look and design, it was actually one of my favourites. A simple graphic representation of the fruit, and away we go. Again, the smell is extraordinary - like a lipgloss. The cake has a beautiful crispy-sugar outer, which makes it crunchy with the sugar crystals only partially dissolved. Some people, chef-y type people, would say that's a flaw, that the sugar hasn't been properly creamed etc. Never mind - this is the way that I like my cakes! I guess, technically this is a 'whoopie-pie' (cake made on a baking sheet like a biscuit, then filled), but whatever, I hate that word. I don't really like peaches, so I don't really eat or smell them, but this is what they smell like in my imagination - the one on the kitchen bench smells more fruity, than the florality of the Sandwich. The filling, which is where most of the peach flavour is found is small, but creamy, like peach buttercream - the tasting notes say it should be 'sweet and tart', but I think 'sweet but balanced' would be the best discriptor. Perfect for a spring day indeed.
Yoshino Kuzumochi
The Kuzumochi has hands down the best design of all the items: beautifully printed, elegant type-face, well balanced, excellent problem solving skills for the shape of the item ... this just has it all. I show the unfolding of the 'scorpion' box for your delectation below
Unfortunately, for my poor Western, uneducated palate, that's kind of when it began and ended. The jelly came with two little packets, one with syrup, one with power. The syrup is quite thin and tastes like molasses (This is because it's made with brown sugar - silly me!). The powder is finely ground soy-beans which is sweet and 'grainy' tasting (it smells a lot like toast, which is a surprise, coming from a bean!). The jelly its self is rather flavourless, just sort of ... sweet. It's also quite soft, which was a surprise, as the tasting notes say it should be chewy, and I was expecting something a little more resilient to the teeth like the jellies I used to swap my morning tea for with my Singaporian friend Nathalie in Primary School. But, as I said before, the day was hot and perhaps that affected the substance. Having said all that, it was quite difficult to cut with a spoon! The syrup and soy-bean powder were necessary to give some sort of flavour to the jelly. Maybe it was my mind playing tricks on me, because most clear/pale yellow desserts are lemon, pineapple or some other sweet-and-sour flavour, but I kept expecting a sour note to cut through the bland taste - neither toast or molasses are known for their breadth of flavour!
I can taste the bitterness of the tea now, but is anesthetised with plenty of sugar, the sweet caramel and the 'burnt' sugar creating an effective camouflage. The cake is moist and buttery, almost sticky, the way I expect from a Castella. The azuki beans add a new texture dimension, though I'm not sure I like it, that floury-lentil texture is just not for me. There is no 'bean' flavour, I hasten to add, and after you've had a few castella, you do welcome any change in that pillowy bite.
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And with that, I think I've had enough for one day! See you soon to finish the box!
Uji Matcha Castella
I think this is the first time we've had photo realistic packaging, and that makes a nice change. It's also very green, which, after the barage of sakura pink is as good as a rest! I'm not a huge fan of bitter things, and I know, from tasting attempts, that matcha is bitter, so I'm going in with a bit of trepidation. The smell, and it's very much of a shock, is liquorice! It is a dark, almost charred liquorice flavour and I don't mind the bitterness. The smell is greener and more herbaceous than liquorice. Thinking about it, a lot of (cheeper) liquorice is not made with any anise flavouring, but very concentrated molasses. The dark brown sugar and the herbal notes from the matcha are clearly fooling my nose!
