In A Nutshell
If you're only going to order one product, order the "beefless ground" from Matchmeat. This is the most universally usable product, great for burgers, kebabs, mince etc. The BeyondBurger is fabulous, too, but less universally usable. Other top products: BeyondMeat Chik'n (but good only after frying and refrigerating, not good warm); Gardein fishless fillets; VBites fish fingers; and some of Miyoko's raw cheeses. For cheeses to be used on pizza and such we now have reasonably good products in Japan, no huge need to order from overseas. If you find the ones available in Japan to be too mild-tasting, then the "cheddar" from Daiya is good. On the other hand, the new "Cutting board" line from Daiya is superior to anything local.
The Reviews
A "*" means "chilled/refrigerated". A "**" means frozen. Most of the chilled products survive freezing just fine (but cheese slices tend to become brittle). If there is no asterisk then that means the product can be stored at room temperature. Ratings: 5/5 is perfect and 1/5 is a total fail. A 3/5 hence doesn't mean "bad" or "meh" necessarily but it does mean that probably most folks won't want to buy tons of it. I also indicate where the product is from. "US" means US or Canada (sorry), and "EU" means from Europe, not necessarily from within the EU. Some of the European products, such as Quorn and Cavi-Art, are also available from the US.
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| Stuff I ordered from the Vegan Essentials. |
Cheese
Daiya "Havarti" (US) * 3/5. A spicy cheese (with jalapeno), quite nice as melt. I use it to enhance varies breakfast scrambles and sandwiches.
Daiya "Cheddar" slices and shreds. (US) * 4/5 Great for cheeseburgers, as melt, but no good in its cold state. Arguably only a 3/5 but gets the 4 for its usefulness in burgers.
Daiya "Provolone" slices (US) * 2/5 Not my thing but work so-so OK as melts on burger.
Daiya "Mozzarella" shred. (US) * 3.5/5 Comments for the "Cheddar" above apply. This one's more suitable for pizza and lasagna.
Daiya Cutting Board line. (US) * 4/5. As of second half of 2018, Daiya have introduced an improved product marketed as their "Cutting Board" line. These are really just improved versions of the launch products. I guess giving them an "artisan" sounding label makes it easier to charge more for them. Are they worth it? Absolutely, they're currently the closest to real cheese there is, for melts. Getting close to that addictive quality real cheese has.
Field Roast Chao Cheese Slices, Creamy Original. (US) * 3/5. Nice enough to add to sandwiches in cold or melted form, or to scrambles. Has a slight coconut taste that some may find distracting. I got used to it and now barely notice it.
Follow Your Heart Cheese slices (US) * 3/5 Quality-wise the equal of Chao, without the coconut note. Personally, I got so used to the coconut flavor that I now prefer it (weird, I know!)
Jeezini sliced cheese. (EU) * 3/5 Acceptable sliced cheeses (like Gouda and similar).
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Miyoko's Creamery gets its own section. This brand towers above all others.
Miyoko's Creamery: Double Cream Garlic Herb. (US) * 4.5/5 A delicious sour cream cheese with a beautiful note of tarragon. Fantastic with vegan "fish eggs" (see below) on crackers. I was torn whether I should give this 4 or 5 stars. If you like sour cream cheeses, then this is probably a 5 for you. I don't dislike them but have a preference for hard, salty cheeses.
Miyoko's Creamery: Aged English Sharp Farm House. (US) * 4.5/5. This is a serious cheese lover's cheese, not a mainstream product. It has a sharp and acidic taste from long fermentation and would go well with a Sauternes or Tawny port. I just wish it were hard, not semi-soft. Again, as with the above, to some this might be a 5, to others a 3.
Miyoko's Creamery: High Sierra Rustic Alpine. (US) * 4.5/5 Comments for the Farm House above also apply to this one. This one's more smoky and perhaps a little softer.
Miyoko's Creamery: Double Cream Sundried Tomato Garlic. (US) * 4.5/5 Comments for the Garlic Herb apply to this one as well.
Miyoko's Creamery: Biergarten Garlic Chive/Roadhouse Cream Cheese (US) 4/5. This is known as a "Obatzter" in Bavaria. Pretty close to the real thing. I never liked the acidic note though.
Miyoko's Creamery: Fresh VeganMozz (US) 4.5/5. In its raw form, VERY close to real mozzarella. Does not do well when heated on pizza though.
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Parma! Vegan Parmesan by Sister River Foods (US). 3.5/5 A simple mix of crushed walnuts, yeast and a few other items, creates a flavor that somehow reminds one of parmesan cheese. (Although it's easy to make your own Varmesan, and better at that, with the recipe from the Gentle Chef.)
Punk Rawk Labs Vegan Nut Milk Cheeses (US) 2/5. Extremely bland and mild soft cheeses.
Reine Royal Vegan Cuisine's Fauxgonzola (US) 2/5. This just won't do. Not anywhere near a real Gorgonzola.
Reine Royal Vegan Cuisine's Sharp Cheddar (US) 2/5. Just no.
Vegusto No-Moo "Piquant" (EU) *, 4/5. This is the first vegan cheese I ever found that really convinced me. Tastes similar to a Gruyere. A regular in my house. This is very close to the dairy variety without any weird after tastes! Other table cheeses from Vegusto did not work for me.
Vegusto No-Moo "Melty Cheese". (EU) * 3/5. I used to put this on pizza, lasagna etc before Daiya was available. Pretty good, definitely better than having no cheese replacement.
Vegusto No-Moo "Cheese Sauce". (EU)* 2/5 Can be used on pizza etc as well but is really meant for fondue.
Violife "Just Like Gouda" (US) * 3/5. Similar to the equivalent products by Daiya, Follow Your Heart etc. No better, no worse
Violife "Just Like Mozzarella" (US) * 3/5. Same as above.
Vtopian Cultured Cashew Aged Reserve Sharp Cheddar (US) * 2/5. There must be some mistake here. What I received is an extremely mild, nearly tasteless, buttery, soft wedge that I will not be buying again.
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| Thanks to Miyoko Schinner and others, a European-style dinner, not just for vegans. |
"Meat"
BeyondMeat Beefless Crumbles. ** (US) 3/5 This has been heralded as the next big thing but I personally find it to be inferior to the Gardein and Matchmeat products.
BeyondMeat Chicken substitutes, all flavors. (US) ** 4/5 Almost there! When fried and then refrigerated until cold, they really do taste and chew like chicken flesh. Uncanny. Perfect for sandwiches and other dishes that can use cold chicken. Not so good straighht out of the pan for some reason.
BeyondMeat's BeyondBurger (US) 5/5. By my count, the first 4th Gen product (5th gen will be when they're indistinguishable from animal flesh) and what an achievement this is! Must eat to believe. Very close now!
BeyondMeat sausages. (US) ** 5/5 Available in three or four different varieties, these are truly indistinguishable from "real" sausages. Not exactly health food but ridiculously good.
Field Roast sausages, Mexican Chipotle * (US), 4/5 A very spicy sausage that works well for barbecues or to cut into a sweet potato soup or such.
Field Roast sausages, Italian * (US), 3/5 The one from MatchMeat is much better.
Gardein Beefless Sliders (burger patties). ** (US) 4/5 Good. Before the BeyondBurger, this was the closest thing to real beef. (Careful when when ordering: Gardein offers two similar products: one is just the patties, the other is smaller patties plus buns. I wouldn't order the one with the buns.)
Gardein Blackbean Burgers ** (US) 3/5 Good but I can make something like this myself quite easily.
Gardein Sweet & Sour Porkless ** (US) 2/5. No good. Bland.
Gardein Ultimate Beefless Ground. ** (US) 3.5/5 Not as good as MatchMeat but this is the most user friendly "ground" due to its combination of good taste and resealable bag.
Gardein Crispy Chik'n Patties. ** (US) 4/5 A convincing greasy spoon performance to quench Mosburger Chicken cravings.
Gardein Lightly Breaded Turk'y Cutlets ** (US) 3.5/5 More vegan junk food. Not as good as the chik'n patties or the fish fillets but decent and comes with a delicious gravy. Served with mashed potatoes and vegetables, this makes for a fine comfort dinner.
Gardein Meatless Meatloaf ** (US) 3.5/5. It's "OK" but I can do one better mixing lentils with MatchMeat etc.
Gardein Seven Grain Crispy "Chicken" Tenders ** (US) 3.5/5 Same comments as for the above Turky cutlets apply.
Lightlife Smart Bacon (US) * 2/5. Fail. It *does* somewhat loosely resemble bacon but is really quite vile.
MatchMeat "Ground Beef" (US) ** 5/5. Having repeatedly tried out a great number of products, including various beef ground substitutes over the course of the past year, I can say with confidence that if you're only going to order one thing, you should order this. It makes realistic and super-tasty burgers, kebabs, meat balls etc. Omni friends will be impressed.
MatchMeat Italian Sausage (US) ** 4/5. Tastes great! Comes as crumble, not in sausage form, but can easily be shaped into such. Recommend Tongmaster vegan sausage casings available from eBay to make actual sausage links.
Matchmeat Chicken Mince. (US) ** 3/5. I've made Chicken Piccata with this and it came out quite nice. But that was more because of the seasonings and gravy, not the "meat". The meat on its own doesn't really resemble chicken and to me tastes slightly weird. Can't compare to BeyondMeat's product.
MatchMeat Stuffed Chik'n (US) ** 2/5. Made with the Chicken Mince above. Maybe I did something wrong, maybe it was because I fried them in the Philips hot air fryer instead of hot oil but these were not tasty at all.
MatchMeat Pork (US) ** 3/5. Cooked in certain ways, and with the right seasoning and gravy or such, this can be an OK experience. Nothing to get excited about though.
MatchMeat Southwest Chipotle Chik'n Patties (US) ** 2/5. MatchMeat does beef right but knows nothing about chicken.
Organic Bac'uns Bacon Bits Alternative (US) 1/5 Vile, just vile.
Quorn Chik'n Tenders (EU) ** 3/5. Meh. Bland, practically taste-free and with a texture that doesn't really resemble chicken, I was unimpressed. BeyondMeat is much better.
Quorn Crispy Chicken Fillets (EU) ** 3/5. Another meh. The bread crumble coat is about half the product, taste is so-so. The Gardein competitor product is superior.
The Abbot's Butcher: Spanish Chorizo (US) ** 4.5/5 Great for what it is. It's not in sausage shape, though. Best for use in burritos and such.
Tofurky "Minced meat" (US). ** 3/5 They have a few flavored varieties. Not bad but clearly surpassed by Gardein and MatchMeat.
Tofurky Roast (US) ** 3/5 This is supposed to be a vegan version of a stuffed turkey corpse. If cooked slowly and for hours in an oven, and served with a self-made gravy and mashed potatos, this is not bad. It does not resemble turkey though. Tastes more like meatloaf. So - depends on whether you like meatloaf!
Vegusto Burger patties - plain & Mexican * (EU). 2/5 Would not buy again.
Yves Meatless Pepperoni Slices (US) 2/5 Doesn't even remotely resemble the taste of pepperoni. Some people put this on their pizza and like it. I wouldn't.
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| A burger made with the Gardein patty and Daiya cheese melt. |
"Egg"
The Vegg (EU) - 4/5 -egg yolk replacement, good for baking and (deep-)fried, protein-rich foods like tofu to make them more egg-like. Transforms tofu scramble.
Follow Your Heart Vegan Egg (US) 3/5. Unlike the Vegg, this is a ready to go scrambled eggs replacement that you simply blend with cold water and then pour into your fry pan. Not bad but I think tofu + Vegg is better.
"Fish" and "seafood"
Cavi-Art Vegan Caviar (EU) 5/5. Really close to real fish eggs and can be used for sushi!
Gardein Fish-less fillets. (US) ** 4.5/5 Nigh perfect for Fish and Chips and the like. Uncanny.
Sophie's Kitchen Vegan Crabcakes. (US) ** 3/5. Not bad, better than nothing but not overwhelming.
Sophie's Kitchen "Smoked Salmon" (US) 1/5 Ugghh.. stay away.
VBites / Redwood's Fishless Fingers. (EU) * 4/5 Very decent. Will buy again and again since fish fingers were a childhood favorite and still are great junk food.
Vantastic King Prawns ("Riesengarnelen") (EU) *. 1/5 Nowhere near as good as the Taiwanese variety that is available in Japan.
Vantastic Prawns ("Scampi") (EU) *. 1/5 So wrong.
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Overseas Shipments
You can have these products shipped directly to Japan from stores such as Vegan Essentials (US; my default source) or www.veggie-shop24.com (EU, for stuff from Europe unavailable in the US.) I have done both several times between mid-Dec and mid-Feb. Never had any
problems.
As these are processed, plant-based foods they do not rot easily. Vegan Essentials packs everything into styrofoam boxes and put in additional insulating materials, plus cold packs to keep things safe. Shipping to Japan usually takes about a week and products are usually in good shape on arrival, the cold packs often still wholly or partially frozen solid.
I recommend using the cheapest air mail option available, so USPS for parcels from the US. There is no need to use more expensive options like UPS or DHL. Shipping cost per unit decreases with size of shipment. For moderately sized parcels shipping may double the costs but for large parcels, shipping may amount to as little as 1/4 of total cost. Japan customs are fairly easy going and process shipments quickly. The worst that happens with them is tax amounting to 8% of the shipment's value. It may be worth asking the shipper to affix a large note on the outside of the parcel informing Japan customs that all products are 100% plant-based/vegetarian and processed, not raw.
As these are processed, plant-based foods they do not rot easily. Vegan Essentials packs everything into styrofoam boxes and put in additional insulating materials, plus cold packs to keep things safe. Shipping to Japan usually takes about a week and products are usually in good shape on arrival, the cold packs often still wholly or partially frozen solid.
I recommend using the cheapest air mail option available, so USPS for parcels from the US. There is no need to use more expensive options like UPS or DHL. Shipping cost per unit decreases with size of shipment. For moderately sized parcels shipping may double the costs but for large parcels, shipping may amount to as little as 1/4 of total cost. Japan customs are fairly easy going and process shipments quickly. The worst that happens with them is tax amounting to 8% of the shipment's value. It may be worth asking the shipper to affix a large note on the outside of the parcel informing Japan customs that all products are 100% plant-based/vegetarian and processed, not raw.
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| A cooler box full of cheese. |
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