Rock Roast Chestnut

I walk up like I am about to buy, but then quickly grab a sample. They are delicious btw.

I’m giving this only 2 stars because this chestnut stand is here on random days. You would have to call in the day of to see if this stand if available at a particular location.
The company no longer ships their chestnuts due to delays and costs of shipping.

Don’t order online from here. Inspect the chestnuts you buy at the stand and have them exchange any chestnuts with dark spots, indicating part or all of the chestnut is hard and inedible.
From childhood, I have enjoyed rock roasted chestnuts in Japan and often bring a 1 Kg bag to the US to enjoy at home. Usually, I buy them at the intersection in front of Shibuya station in Tokyo from the most famous brand in Japan, Tenshin Amaguri. Tenshin is the Japanese name for Tianjin, China, where they are harvested. Many like Japanese roasted chestnuts but don’t know those are imported from China and roasted in Japan, often at the stands where they are sold. I know they will last long enough if kept in a cool location.
Rock Roast Chestnuts gets their chestnuts from Tianjin so, they travel 5000 miles more than in Japan but the taste should be good if treated properly. I tried to catch their stand when I visited Mitsuwa in Socal on a weekend but they were not there so I went to the website.
Online, I ordered the Rock ‘N’ Roast Club. For $ 100 you get 12 lbs of chestnuts but, the website doesn’t explain details. It took 2 weeks after my order until I received email asking me how I want to receive my chestnuts. I chose 2 shipments and it was another week until they were delivered.
My first shipment arrived with 5 one pound vacuum sealed bags and included about 10 opening tools. I was expecting 6 lbs. I first opened 2 bags which had bad seals and no vacuum pressure. They did not taste fresh or as good as the ones from Japan but were acceptable. The 3^rd bag had mold and some were edible but many were bitter. I could see mold inside the 4^th bag, the chestnuts smelling awful and none were edible. The 5^th bag is still unopened in the refrigerator.
I will not order chestnuts from here again. The vacuum seal bags are consumer grade, not commercial grade, and probably broke during USPS shipping.
Likely, I will buy from the stand and closely inspect and sample them before leaving. Freshly roasted chestnuts in the shell are better than the shelled ones in a bag but, I’d rather buy the imported Tenshin Amaguri bags instead of ordering online from Rock Roast Chestnuts.
It’s an appropriate coincidence that I give 2 out of 5 stars and could only enjoy 2 out of 5 bags but I will update my rating after I buy chestnuts directly from the stand.

Just so you Unilocalers know, Rock Roast Chestnut no longer has a table at the front of Mitsuwa and is now being sold at Sky Express everyday now for the same price. =]

These things are bangin, but I don’t know if roasted chestnuts are japanese specific. Anyway, Rock Roast makes a good chestnut but I just wish they were around more often than the weekend. I also don’t know how their prices compare. So as I have probably revealed, I don’t know anything about chestnuts but I know I like the ones they sell here. I can rail through a $ 3 bag pretty easily, and the $ 5 bag looks like a way better deal, but I like them hot so I try not to overbuy, but I should probably start buying bigger bags because when theyre gone I’m like dang, I shouldve gotten the 5 sack.

I love almost all things Japanese because they know how to turn ordinary things into crack.
Cases-​in-​point:
1. Water to Calpico = crack juice
2. Oink, oink pig + flour to ramen = crack noodles
and now
3. Chestnuts that is roasted = crack snack (damn, I’m good with rhymes!).
Located in front of the Mitsuwa Marketplace, the nice Japanese man sells them by lb in either $ 3, $ 5, or $ 10 bags. Even with the smallest bag was more than enough to fill up for the afternoon (and spoiled my appetite for dinner!)
Oh, yes. I felt like an idiot not knowing how to use the chestnut opener.
After going back to the chestnut (crack) dealer, he showed me how to use it (the opener is free when you buy the bag of nuts). Just press the opener and use the teeth to crack open the shell.
Minus one star for it coming from China instead of Japan, although coming from the latter would make it cost probably twice as much.
The chestnut harvested from October extending through December and sold through May
Also sold in front of 1. Mitsuwa Santa Monica, 2. Marukai Gardena, and 3. H Mart Diamond Bar
Friday (in CM location only), Saturday, and Sunday only!
See their website for more info.