The Ultimate Guide To Pocky Flavors

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Can you hear that satisfying crunch when biting into a Pocky stick? If you're a fan, you're well acquainted with this sweet snapping sound — and as it turns out, it's precisely how the candy got its name. In Japanese, pokkin-pokkin is an onomatopoeic word that describes a crackling noise, like biscuits breaking. Crunchiness isn't the only reason we love these candies. Pocky comes in many colorful and unique flavors that keep us coming back for more. 

Although the Japanese brand started in 1966 with just one flavor, chocolate, they've been expanding ever since. Available flavors vary by country, with the widest variety coming out of Japan — which is no surprise seeing how it's the epicenter of all things Pocky. There is a clear affinity for Pocky in Japanese culture, seeing as they even have a holiday to celebrate the snack. Pocky Day is on November 11, aptly chosen since the number of the month and day resemble the sticks — 11 and 11.

Currently, Glico, Pocky's parent company, features seven flavors in the U.S. market — but that doesn't mean you can't get your hands on more. There are top flavors you'll easily find in the Asian food aisle, candy stores, or online. But you'll have to dig a little deeper for more obscure ones. From classic and seasonal to foreign and hard-to-find varieties, these are some of the best flavors you should consider trying.

Strawberry is another flavor you can find just about anywhere. These pretty pink Pocky are super creamy — like a strawberry milkshake on a stick. And if you're used to serving ice cream with a stirrer, try a strawberry Pocky instead.

Strawberry Pocky sticks go well with many desserts, whether chocolatey, creamy, or fruity. The brand also has Pocky-inspired recipes, including the Pocky strawberry cheesecake, which uses mashed-up sticks as the cookie crust. The Pocky strawberry cake is topped with a mound of fresh fruit and surrounded by several Pocky. It essentially looks like a strawberry fortress, one that we'd love to break into.

You couldn't have a Japanese candy brand without including a matcha flavor. Within Japan, matcha-flavored food is everywhere, including ice cream, donuts, Oreos, milk, and even Kit Kats. When mixed into sweets, matcha green tea loses most of its bitterness but still has that intensely herbal taste — which is exactly the case with matcha Pocky.

Matcha green tea is one of Pocky's featured products right now. You should have no trouble ordering it online or buying it in larger candy shops and Asian markets. But if you really love that matcha taste, know that the Glico company has produced more than one green tea-inspired flavor. The Pocky wagokoro matcha has a light green biscuit dipped in chocolate with green tea flakes. But good luck finding this one — it's only sold in Japan and is usually sold out online.

Glico really crushed it with this flavor — no pun intended. What makes this flavor different from the original Pocky? For starters, it has pieces of crushed almonds mixed into the melted chocolate coating. The cookie already provides a sweet snap, but almonds have a crunchiness that is even more satisfying. So, the texture and flavor combination on this one makes for an excellent combination.

Almond Crush Pocky can be relatively easy to find if you find yourself wandering the aisles of your local Asian grocery stores. However, not everyone has access to those stores. So, it's worth trying your luck at Target, Walmart, or Amazon — each retailer tends to sell these delicious flavors online. If you're purchasing the snack in the U.S., you'll probably receive it in a golden-brown box resembling the sticks inside. However, we're more impressed with the Japanese packaging featured above — that box has almond crush Pocky bars set to a midnight blue background. 

This one isn't so much a different flavor but a different shape. Also called Gokuboso in Japan, these Pocky sticks are much skinnier than the standard variety. Think less cookie, more chocolate flavor. Is that a good thing? That's really a matter of opinion. If you want to deliver chocolate to your mouth without a mess, these ultra-slim sticks are the answer. Plus, a skinnier size means a 2.47-ounce box can fit up to 50 bars, as opposed to the usual 36.

But beware: Less width means the ultra-thin biscuits break easily. So if you're getting this fragile food shipped, you've been warned.

As its name suggests, this seasonal favorite is released annually just in time for the holidays. And there's something about this limited edition that is well-suited to wintertime. As far as Pocky sticks go, this is the most decadent and elegant of the bunch. Its powdered exterior makes it feel like a truffle-covered cookie. The texture is so soft and fluffy that it melts in your mouth.

Glico is onto something with these seasonal items. Even though we'd love to see winter melty year-round, the exclusivity gives it an edge. We can't help but crave it even more and look forward to its yearly release. So when wintertime rolls around, get ready to order your lot. Stuff those stockings, enjoy them on movie night or curl up by the fireplace with a box.

The Tasty line is like the delicacy of Pocky, but they aren't for everyone. Tasty flavors are targeted towards a Japanese audience and use whole wheat flour biscuits with fermented butter. The result is a creamier, tangier coating. It gives the Pocky a richer, butterier taste. But for some, it's just too much. 

Tasty chocolate butter is also a hard one to track down. If you love that fermented flare, Amazon or Tofu Cute might be the best bet. But since this flavor is straight from Japan, the packages are all in Japanese, and the translation of its name can vary. You can find this tasty snack under "Charred Milk Chocolate Covered Fermented Butter Pretzel Sticks" on Amazon and "Tasty Caramelised Butter" on Tofu Cute. 

Are you a fan of Girl Scout Thin Mints? Well, here they are in Pocky form. These chocolate biscuits are drizzled with creamy mint frosting. The coating is a cool blue-green color that evokes that minty fresh taste even before biting into it. And as you can imagine, the flavor and appearance also make excellent additions to other desserts. Use it to garnish your mint chip ice cream or as a stirrer in a delicious mint chocolate smoothie.

While the Choco Mint flavor doesn't appear on the U.S. Pocky site, it does pop up in many countrywide Google searches. So chances are, you'd find it in your local Asian market or online. A few retailers on Amazon carry choco mint, but unfortunately, it does sell out frequently.

Blueberry yogurt is part of Pocky's Wholesome line. On the surface, this line doesn't seem all that different from other Pocky options. It still involves frosting on a sweet biscuit stick. So where exactly does the wholesome part come in?

As Glico puts it, the company "upgraded Pocky to a whole wheat biscuit stick" rather than solely wheat flour. Whole grains, along with yogurt and blueberries, are known to have substantial health benefits. While we do see some nutritional value, we can't help but wonder: How much healthier are they than traditional Pocky?

Let's look at the facts. In a 36-gram serving, the wholesome blueberry has 179 calories and 13.8 grams of sugar, while the original strawberry flavor has 150 calories and 10 grams of sugar in a 30-gram serving — not a huge difference. But when comparing the two, blueberry yogurt definitely has a more natural taste.

Calling all chocolate lovers! If you can't get enough of a good thing, this Pocky is for you. You get a chocolate biscuit covered in smooth chocolate cream. And if that's still not enough, why not dip your extra-chocolatey Pocky in hot cocoa? 

Double chocolate sticks pack in that flavor, making them excellent ingredients in other dessert recipes. In animal-themed cakes, they make great spider legs or hedgehog quills. And if you want to spell out a cute catchphrase on a pastry, simply break apart the Pocky pieces. Really, if you like Pocky sticks and chocolate, you can't go wrong with this combo.

Life may not always be peaches and cream — unless you're biting into this flavor, Pocky. Peach cream tastes as close to the real thing as a cookie can, possibly because it's made with natural peach and milk powders. Overall, it encapsulates the flavor into cookie form well.

Peach cream is a featured flavor in China, which doesn't surprise us. In China, there are many funky flavors that aren't featured in the U.S., like cheesecake or chocolate and banana pudding. But in the U.S., we keep our Pocky game simple — and perhaps play it too safe. So for those wanting to try peach cream stateside, we've done the research. A few retailers, including Tofu Cute and Yamibuy, will ship it for a reasonable price. Isn't that just peachy?

Glico describes this Pocky as having a "tasty nutty aroma with real almond bits." Although it does have a strong nutty flavor, you can also taste chocolate, and we did notice cocoa mass in the ingredients. The Pocky brand loves the chocolate and almond combo, and we're not complaining.

Overall, nutty almond Pocky reminds us of nut butter but creamier. Imagine spreading almond butter over a sweet cracker. Except now, you have it on a convenient stick and can mix it with other desserts. If you really want to go nuts, try dipping it into a chocolate hazelnut spread like Nutella.