Taste Test: Burger King’s Black Burger

Burger King Japan released their Kuro Burger yesterday. The black burger has been turning heads with its unique look: a cheeseburger with a black bun and black cheese. But how does it actually taste?

Urijah Faber, bantamweight mixed martial artist for the Ultimate Fighting Championship, is in Japan for UFC Fight Night, so USA Today captured him trying out the black burger at a local Burger King. He doesn’t exactly give it a glowing review.

Before taking a bite, Faber inspected the black burger and took a sample of the special sauce with his finger.

“Wow, that’s unique,” Urijah said. Without clarifying whether he meant “unique good” or “unique bad,” he went on with his first bite.

“It tastes like a school lunch,” Faber declared. Maybe not what Burger King was going for with their black burger.

“It’s tasty, it doesn’t taste like squid,” he added. Cementing that he’s not likely to get a Burger King endorsement in the near future, Urijah concluded that he may or may not actually finish the black burger.

In the video, Faber refers to the black burger as an “ink burger” or “squid burger.” Burger King uses squid ink to dye the bun black. The black cheese is made from bamboo charcoal. To complete the unique statement, the burger also comes with a special black garlic sauce. The Kuro Burger can also be ordered in a Kuro Diamond version that comes with normal-colored tomatoes, onions, lettuce, mayonnaise, and extra sauce to brighten things up a little.

Maybe Faber isn’t the best taste tester. He admits to only having been to Burger King two or three times before. So The Associated Press sent someone to sample the black burger. What did they think?

“Peppery. If you can get past the shocking color, it’s not bad,” the unnamed author concluded. “The black pepper in the patty hits you at the first bite and complements the tangy sauce, with its hint of squid ink. The Kuro Diamond is juicier, with extra sauce and mayonnaise. But if you’re expecting a totally different taste just because of the color, it might fall below your expectations.”

Local patrons were also interviewed for their thoughts on the black burger.

“I like it because it has a very interesting taste to it and it’s nothing that I’ve tasted before,” said 14-year-old Malaysian student Kuah Kia Wei.

Bernice Chua, 25, a fashion designer and illustrator from Singapore, didn’t seem all that impressed with the black burger except for the sauce, which she said “really makes up for it.”

And perhaps suggesting that the older you are, the less you’re likely to like Burger King’s black burger, 37-year-old Julien Tirode from France was disappointed, claiming “it has no special taste or anything.”

This is the third time Burger King Japan has carried some kind of black burger on their menu for a limited time. The original was just the black bun and sauce. Last year added bacon, but with no additional black ingredients. This year’s black cheeseburgers, with black buns and sauce, has gained a lot of attention and interest. According to the Christian Science Monitor, Burger King has no plans to release them in the United States. They are available only in Japan until November.

[Image source: Malay Mail Online]