We tried Oreo’s new Forbidden City-inspired flavours

Image: courtesy Mondelez via Tmall

When it comes to unique flavours and interesting culinary mashups, China doesn’t disappoint. Mondelez, parent company of Oreos, has just released a collection of six flavours inspired by the Forbidden City. Currently sold exclusively as box sets on Tmall, the flavours include four sweet and two savoury. While you may have seen the exquisite packaging, you might not have tried them yet. So, are they worth trying for yourself, or do they look better than they taste? We tasted all six flavours to find out if these Oreos are worth the hype.

Image: courtesy Mondelez via Tmall

Lychee and rose

Photograph: Kimberly Ng

This one’s got a nice smell and taste that’s much more rose than lychee. It tastes just like bandung, a drink made from evaporated or condensed milk and rose cordial that’s popular in Southeast Asia. Not surprisingly, this one goes great with milk. 8/10

Char siu puff pastry

Photograph: Kimberly Ng

The savoury, roasted barbecue pork-flavoured filling doesn’t go well with the chocolate cookie and makes the whole thing taste slightly burnt and bitter. The filling’s pretty decent on its own, but tastes nothing like char siu – it was more like one of those Chicken in a Biskit crackers. 5/10

Red bean

Photograph: Kimberly Ng

The strongest smelling and tasting among the lot, this one actually tastes the least artificial, but it really does linger in your mouth. If you don’t mind tasting red bean for a couple hours, this one is the flavour for you. 8/10

Hawthorn

Photograph: Kimberly Ng

If you’ve been in China a while, you’ll probably be familiar with the taste of hawthorn, or shanzha in Chinese. After the first bite, the strong taste of the filling starts to overpower the cookie and leaves a faint sour taste in the back of our mouths. Needless to say, this one disappoints. 4/10

Green tea

Photograph: Kimberly Ng

The filling balances out the cookie very well, and reminds us a little of a green tea frappe at Starbucks. When compared to the other flavours, this one is a little subtler and not as overwhelming in terms of smell and taste. It also goes great with milk, and is overall another pretty good attempt at a great flavour. 9/10

Black pepper

Photograph: Kimberly Ng

This one smells very strongly and distinctly of black pepper, though thankfully it lacks the kick. As for the taste, it has the savoury goodness without the spice, and it’s light enough on the palate to finish a few in one sitting. This one is a pleasant surprise. 9/10

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