Mitsuimo Brûlée (Sweet Potato Brulee) by Toraku at 7-Eleven, Japan

Since sweet potato season is in full swing in Japan, there was a sweet potato crème brûlée, called Mitsuimo Brulee selling at 7-Eleven, Japan, by the brand Toraku. 
Mitsuimo Brûlée (Sweet Potato Brulee) by Toraku at 7-Eleven, Japan
Mitsuimo literally means dense potato and is a type of sweet potato of the satsumaimo variety (yellow sweet potatoes) whose sugars concentrate so much that they give the sweet potato a honey-like appearance and sometimes texture especially when roasted. Common varieties under this category are the beni-haruka and annou imo varieties.

So what exactly is a sweet potato brulee? As it turns out, it is like a sweet potato custard cream with the burnt and crispy caramelised sugar served separately in a packet, which you sprinkle over the custard. I thought it was quite an innovative way to serve creme brulee, as it ensures that the caramelised sugar remains completely crispy, and also gives the consumer the option of how much sugar to add. Since I don't like overly sweet desserts, it was nice to be able to calibrate how much sugar I sprinkled.
Mitsuimo Brûlée (Sweet Potato Brulee) by Toraku - caramelised sugar packed separately
In terms of the taste, I tried the sweet potato custard on its own first. It had a rich and typical yellow sweet potato fragrant flavour. It was honey-like, with nutty, creamy and finally earthy notes in that order. A very rich experience.

As for the creme brulee powder, it was done well, with a good burnt caramel brown sugar-like taste, with nice darkness and even a hint of red wine notes. As mentioned, I didn't like my dessert to be too sweet, so I didn't sprinkle as much, but it doesn't mean that the crispy sugar was lacking in any way.
Mitsuimo Brûlée (Sweet Potato Brulee) by Toraku - caramelised sugar and custard texture
I felt like this dessert was a great combination overall, really reminiscent of stone-roasted sweet potatoes, where the caramelised sugar carried the crispy and roasted flavours. But evidently this creme brulee version of the stone roasted flavour was much smoother and not as smokey. It felt more refined and neat.

The photo below is the ingredients list. (Click image to enlarge.) It seems quite pure, with eggs, satsuma-imo paste, skim milk and salt. There is also vegetable oil though. And there's no wine or liqueur, so I'm not sure how the sugars got such a complex caramelised taste. 
Mitsuimo Brûlée (Sweet Potato Brulee) by Toraku - ingredients list
Finally, here is a clearer close-up of the cover and label, for reference.
Mitsuimo Brûlée (Sweet Potato Brulee) by Toraku - cover/label
Discover other sweet potato and custard/pudding treats

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