We try “Melon Bread Style Toast Spread”, designed to turn sliced bread into melon bread

But does it live up to our melon bread-loving expectations?

You have to be a genius to invent something brilliant like a toast spread that turns ordinary sliced bread into melon bread. At least, that’s what our Japanese-language reporter and melon bread fan P.K. Sanjun thought when he learned that Aohata Corp, the same company that makes Japan’s favorite Kewpie Mayonnaise, has started selling this “Melon Bread Style Toast Spread”.

As it turns out, “Melon Bread Style Toast Spread” is the sixth in the company’s series of toast spreads, which also includes garlic, spicy cod roe, basil, garlic shrimp, and sugar butter flavors. The idea behind them is that all you have to do is spread your desired flavor on a slice of bread and toast it, and you’ll have upgraded your plain white bread with a crispy texture and delicious flavor.

As such, the “melon bread style” spread results in a crunchy toast that tastes like melon bread. But one of the key components to melon bread is not just its fruity melon flavor but also its slightly crunchy top. Could this spread really replicate that? If so, it could lead to a revolution in melon bread, P.K. thought.

The product is designed so that you can squeeze it directly from the tube onto the bread. P.K. appreciated that he didn’t even have to get his hands dirty.

▼ No knife needed, either.

Anticipation rising, P.K. popped his soon-to-be melon bread toast into the toaster.

When the timer dinged and he opened the door, the smell of warm butter filled his nostrils. The sight of his melon bread-style toast was no less appealing; the spread had browned much better than expected.

“This looks good!” P.K. drooled, beginning to get excited. While it was still piping hot from the toaster, he lifted it to his lips and took a bite…

“Hmmm…”

First and foremost, if you were to ask him if it was good or not, he would, without hesitation, answer, “It’s good.” It was like a tasty sweet bread that you could pick up at the bakery. But that was to be expected, because, frankly, no freshly toasted bread could ever taste bad.

But if you were to ask him if it was identical to melon bread or not, he would say, “It’s more like a relative of melon bread…or maybe a baby melon bread.” The buttery aroma and flavor definitely had the makings of a melon bread, but the overall effect didn’t have the same power.

Even more difficult to answer would be the question of whether it sufficiently replicated the essentially crunchy melon bread top. The toasted butter flavor and texture were somehow both very much like melon bread and very much not like melon bread. That may sound like a paradox, but it is the only way to describe it.

In truth, though, the answers to all of these questions lie in the name: “Melon Bread Style Toast Spread”. The result is not fully melon bread, but not fully not melon bread either. It’s…it’s melon toast!

All in all, compared to Kaldi’s Melon Bread spread, Aohata Corp’s Melon Bread Style Toast Spread might not be quite as melon bread-y as you might expect, but it tastes good and there’s no doubt that this is a fun product that has the added value of making ordinary toast more exciting. Plus, it’s only 363 yen (US$2.64), so if you’re interested, it’s worth giving a try!

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