As some of you might notice I stopped blogging for a while and picked back up in March this year. Since I have not been active in blogging for the past two years, I was actually surprised but elated to be invited to Openrice's Moon cake tasting event. Two years ago around the same time, I had the same invitation from Openrice for a mooncake tasting on some fun twisting flavoured mooncakes .(If you are interested, here is the link for the previous post -> Openrice Mooncakes Tasting Event | 新口味試食報告) This year, we are going to savour several fruity mooncakes offered by different brands.
This year the tasting was more interesting as we were put into test to guess what the fruit components of the mooncake are. It was not a crazy challenge, we almost guessed all the moon cakes right. The tasting was hosted at Teavers, a cafe specialised in tea making at Shau Kei Wan. Teavers arranged some tea pairing for the mooncakes, which was great to kill the mooncake's oiliness.
This mooncake has a strong pineapple cake flavour and before trying, you already know it has no difference from any pineapple cake. Yet Super Star twists the traditional pineapple cake by adding raspberry in it. The additional raspberry adds sweetness to the mooncake and balances out the sourness from the pineapple. The mooncake is buttery and flakey but the pastry crust is too dry and falls off from the filling. Generally a nice pineapple cake but definitely NOT a mooncake to me.
To pair with Super Star's Raspberry Pineapple Mooncake, Teavers prepared Oolong Tea (凍頂烏龍) for us. This tea tastes pretty much the same as the Oolong that I usually drink, the tea later on are much better. Read on!
This mooncake offered by JW Marriot is the only mooncake that looks like traditional mooncake we tried tonight. Differs from the traditional mooncake, the lotus seed paste is mixed with blueberry and hence there is a subtle blueberry taste with a hint of sourness in it. The pastry crust was pretty moist and the salty egg yolk was creamy and yum! This was one of the mooncakes that I like of the night. The moon cake was priced the highest at HKD350 for 6 pieces. The luxury case packaging might possibly be one of the reason that they put up the price?
To pair with JW Marriot's Blueberry Lotus Mooncake, Teavers prepared Puerh Tea (普洱) for us. The Puerh tasted milder and smoother than the usual Puerh that other restaurants usually serve outside.
This mooncake offered by 8 Degrees Harbour Plaza was the trickiest mooncake of the night. Some thought it is passion fruit, I thought there are both apricot and pineapple in it, the truth is that there is only pineapple in the mooncake. There is a powerful and sweet pineapple taste on the first bite, followed by a strong sourness. There were sweet and chewy pineapple bits inside the mooncake which I first thought was apricot from its texture. The pastry crust was pretty moist but lacks of the attractive buttery taste and aroma.
To pair with 8 Degrees Harbour Plaza's Pineapple Mooncake, Teavers prepared Iron Budda (猴子採/馬騮搣) for us. I had never tried Iron Budda before, it is very floral and re-freshing. Great tea!
The signature rabbit shaped mooncake already told us this snowy mooncake is from Arome. The glutinous rice crust is chewy and sweet, it has the best glutinous rice crust among all the other brands. The mung bean paste is quite sweet with weak but refreshing pear jelly filling at the center. This was my other favourite of the night. Teavers paired green tea 茉莉小龍珠 which has a woody aroma and bitter sweet taste.
I thought this mooncake is mango mooncake but it is guava mooncake from Maxim's. The filling as you can see from the picture was too little to give a strong taste of guava. The mung paste was mildly sweet which was good but the glutinous rice crust was very thick and floury.
Teavers prepared Rose Tea 玫瑰花茶 to pair with Maxim's Guava Mooncake, the tea was floral with a spicy touch. Another great tea of the night.
This snowy mooncake from Wing Wah is a very refreshing mooncake. It is strongly apple flavoured, very sweet and quite sour at the same time. There is chewy apple bites at the mung paste to add on texture to the mooncake. We could not taste the pandon flavour from the cake but it is quite creative for Wing Wah to infuse this flavour to the mooncake. The only criticism to this snowy mooncake is the glutinous rice crust which is too thick. Teavers paired Laurel Flower Tea 透天香 with this snowy mooncake, the tea is refreshing and smooth.
The most appealing snowy mooncake of the night quite disappointingly turned out to be the worst tasted mooncake. The lava orangy filling has a weird sticky texture and has an artificial orange flavour which reminds me of cough syrup. The mung paste is quite sweet with a strong orange taste but the sweetness is balanced by the mild bitterness from the orange skin bites also at the mung paste. The glutinous rice crust was a bit mushy and lack of chewiness.
Teavers perpared White Tea 銀針白毫 to pair with Taipan's mooncake. The White Tea is very delicate with a smooth texture.
Last and also one of the least flavoured mooncake of the night is the Super Lemon Mooncake by Saint Horone. The glutinous rice crust is very thin, soft and floury. The lemon taste is actually quite refreshing but it is overly sweet in taste. Teavers paired Red Tea 功夫滇紅 to balance out the sourness of the Lemon Mooncake.
To conclude tonight's tasting, I personally reckon JW Marriot's Blueberry Mooncake 迷你蛋黃藍莓月餅 & Arome's Peach Mooncake 日本白桃 tasted the best, followed closely by the Apple Pandan Mooncake 蘋果粒粒斑蘭豆蓉 from Wing Wah. Those three mooncakes are the ones that I would buy to celebrate Mid-Autumn's Festival this year, of course on top of the tradition lotus mooncake that I love!
This year the tasting was more interesting as we were put into test to guess what the fruit components of the mooncake are. It was not a crazy challenge, we almost guessed all the moon cakes right. The tasting was hosted at Teavers, a cafe specialised in tea making at Shau Kei Wan. Teavers arranged some tea pairing for the mooncakes, which was great to kill the mooncake's oiliness.
蔓越莓鳳梨酥月餅 (鴻星)
Taste: 2/5
Creativity: 0/5
This mooncake has a strong pineapple cake flavour and before trying, you already know it has no difference from any pineapple cake. Yet Super Star twists the traditional pineapple cake by adding raspberry in it. The additional raspberry adds sweetness to the mooncake and balances out the sourness from the pineapple. The mooncake is buttery and flakey but the pastry crust is too dry and falls off from the filling. Generally a nice pineapple cake but definitely NOT a mooncake to me.
迷你蛋黃藍莓月餅 (JW萬豪)
Taste: 4/5
Creativity: 4/5
This mooncake offered by JW Marriot is the only mooncake that looks like traditional mooncake we tried tonight. Differs from the traditional mooncake, the lotus seed paste is mixed with blueberry and hence there is a subtle blueberry taste with a hint of sourness in it. The pastry crust was pretty moist and the salty egg yolk was creamy and yum! This was one of the mooncakes that I like of the night. The moon cake was priced the highest at HKD350 for 6 pieces. The luxury case packaging might possibly be one of the reason that they put up the price?
To pair with JW Marriot's Blueberry Lotus Mooncake, Teavers prepared Puerh Tea (普洱) for us. The Puerh tasted milder and smoother than the usual Puerh that other restaurants usually serve outside.
鮮鳳梨月餅 (8度海逸酒店)
Taste: 4/5
Creativity: 4/5
This mooncake offered by 8 Degrees Harbour Plaza was the trickiest mooncake of the night. Some thought it is passion fruit, I thought there are both apricot and pineapple in it, the truth is that there is only pineapple in the mooncake. There is a powerful and sweet pineapple taste on the first bite, followed by a strong sourness. There were sweet and chewy pineapple bits inside the mooncake which I first thought was apricot from its texture. The pastry crust was pretty moist but lacks of the attractive buttery taste and aroma.
To pair with 8 Degrees Harbour Plaza's Pineapple Mooncake, Teavers prepared Iron Budda (猴子採/馬騮搣) for us. I had never tried Iron Budda before, it is very floral and re-freshing. Great tea!
日本白桃 (東海堂)
Taste: 4/5
Creativity: 4/5
The signature rabbit shaped mooncake already told us this snowy mooncake is from Arome. The glutinous rice crust is chewy and sweet, it has the best glutinous rice crust among all the other brands. The mung bean paste is quite sweet with weak but refreshing pear jelly filling at the center. This was my other favourite of the night. Teavers paired green tea 茉莉小龍珠 which has a woody aroma and bitter sweet taste.
粉紅番石榴杏脯(美心西餅)
Taste: 3/5
Creativity: 2/5
I thought this mooncake is mango mooncake but it is guava mooncake from Maxim's. The filling as you can see from the picture was too little to give a strong taste of guava. The mung paste was mildly sweet which was good but the glutinous rice crust was very thick and floury.
Teavers prepared Rose Tea 玫瑰花茶 to pair with Maxim's Guava Mooncake, the tea was floral with a spicy touch. Another great tea of the night.
蘋果粒粒斑蘭豆蓉 (榮華餅家)
Taste: 3.5/5
Creativity: 4/5
This snowy mooncake from Wing Wah is a very refreshing mooncake. It is strongly apple flavoured, very sweet and quite sour at the same time. There is chewy apple bites at the mung paste to add on texture to the mooncake. We could not taste the pandon flavour from the cake but it is quite creative for Wing Wah to infuse this flavour to the mooncake. The only criticism to this snowy mooncake is the glutinous rice crust which is too thick. Teavers paired Laurel Flower Tea 透天香 with this snowy mooncake, the tea is refreshing and smooth.
法國血橙豆蓉(大班)
Taste: 1/5
Creativity: 4/5
The most appealing snowy mooncake of the night quite disappointingly turned out to be the worst tasted mooncake. The lava orangy filling has a weird sticky texture and has an artificial orange flavour which reminds me of cough syrup. The mung paste is quite sweet with a strong orange taste but the sweetness is balanced by the mild bitterness from the orange skin bites also at the mung paste. The glutinous rice crust was a bit mushy and lack of chewiness.
Teavers perpared White Tea 銀針白毫 to pair with Taipan's mooncake. The White Tea is very delicate with a smooth texture.
Super Lemon (聖安娜)
Taste: 2/5
Creativity: 2/5
Last and also one of the least flavoured mooncake of the night is the Super Lemon Mooncake by Saint Horone. The glutinous rice crust is very thin, soft and floury. The lemon taste is actually quite refreshing but it is overly sweet in taste. Teavers paired Red Tea 功夫滇紅 to balance out the sourness of the Lemon Mooncake.
To conclude tonight's tasting, I personally reckon JW Marriot's Blueberry Mooncake 迷你蛋黃藍莓月餅 & Arome's Peach Mooncake 日本白桃 tasted the best, followed closely by the Apple Pandan Mooncake 蘋果粒粒斑蘭豆蓉 from Wing Wah. Those three mooncakes are the ones that I would buy to celebrate Mid-Autumn's Festival this year, of course on top of the tradition lotus mooncake that I love!
You can also check other's comment on Openrice at below link
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