Kinako Ohagi Kit Kat

It's fall in Japan so even though the weather is still hot and humid there is a plethora of autumn related products flooding the market. Nestle's latest Kit Kat is based off a traditional Japanese treat served during Higan, the three days around the spring and fall equinoxes where people visit their family graves and pray for their ancestors' souls. Ohagi - a treat similar to mochi covered in sweet beans, sesame, or kinako - is named after a fall flower called Hagi. (In spring the same treat is actually called botamochi.) If you remember from my Kinako Kit Kat review kinako is toasted soy flour and it's delicious. There's a picture of a piece of kinako ohagi on the Kit Kat box.

I've never had kinako ohagi and to be honest I probably never will. (I'm not a fan of mochi or sweet beans.) But the Kinako Ohagi Kit Kat hit the mark. It was milk chocolate and had the same nutty smell that the Kinako Kit Kat had. It's that nutty flavor of soy flour that I really like and it's concentrated in the wafers. In fact if you had given this to me in a blind taste test I might have guessed peanut butter first, although it's a little more subtle than your regular PB.

So that settles the kinako part but I was left a little confused about the ohagi. It wasn't until I read the back of the box that I realized that there are rice puffs in the chocolate coating to account for the ohagi. Their extra crunch is lost with the wafers, but I did spot one or two when I ate the second bar. Overall, I really enjoyed this Kit Kat. If I didn't have other Kit Kats in the kitchen and in the mail I would definitely buy this one again (I still might actually!)

Final Score: 9