Lots of new Kit Kats

I spent last week gallivanting around from Tokyo to Kyoto and home again with lots of stops at almost every Lawsons, 7-11, AM/PM, and other conbinis I could find. (Almost every because if I'd stopped in every one I wouldn't have seen anything else!) I came home with a Kinako Ohagi Kit Kat, Cookie Plus Kit Kat, Caramel Kit Kat Bites, and a Kit Kat in a can. Sadly, I did NOT find Sports Drink Kit Kat anywhere, but I'm still holding out hope. Otherwise, expect lots of reviews coming soon!

Sour Orange Kit Kat

This is one of the few crazy flavored Kit Kats that is not also a crazy color. Just looking at it, it looks like a regular milk chocolate Kit Kat. I always get excited about the milk chocolate ones since I prefer milk over white chocolate (and dark above everything else.) But so far they have been disappointing. Maybe it's because I have higher expectations for them than the white chocolate varieties or maybe they're just not as good. Either way the Sour Orange Kit Kat was slightly disappointing but still very edible.

Despite its generic look it had a very strong orange smell, a fake orange smell I'm afraid to report. It smelled more like something you would clean your bathroom with than a nice ripe mikan. Biting into it, the orange flavor is quite intense. It defnitely packs a punch. They aren't kidding when they call this a Sour Orange Kit Kat either. There is sourness throughout, from beginning to finish, thanks to the sour powder added to the wafers (advertised on the back of the bag as being invigorating.) If I liked Orange flavored chocolate then I would probably be a fan of this Kit Kat, but alas my feelings are pretty mild when it comes to citrus-y chocolates. There was also a weird hint of a soap taste at the end. I don't know if that was simply because I had soap on the mind thanks to the fake orange smell or what but it wasn't pleasant. It reminded me a bit of the Rose Kit Kat in that way.

Overall, I would give this a middle rating. I will definitely finish the bag (I served them with tea yesterday to a friend) but I wouldn't buy a second bag of minis. If you like oranges with your chocolate however I would suggest checking this one out.

Final Score: 5

Vegetable Juice Kit Kat

Yup, you read that right - Vegetable Juice Kit Kat. From the get go I was nervous about eating this one. I've had good experience with some of the more weird flavors (I loved Apple Vinegar for instance) and I've had some bad ones (the Rose Kit Kat was particularly bad.) So I wasn't sure which way this one was going to go. It went okay...for awhile.

To start with this Kit Kat is a collaboration between Nestle and Ito En. Ito En sells green tea and other beverages. Nestle makes snacks. Together they came up with the Vegetable Juice Kit Kat based off one of Ito En's drinks. In order to be better informed about the taste the Kit Kat was attempting to mimic I bought myself some juice.

First of all, let me say that I am not a drinker of vegetable juice. Just opening this up and drinking it was nerve wracking. I drink tea, coffee, and pop. On rare occasions I drink orange or pineapple juice. But on a regular basis, I prefer to eat my vegetables not drink them. Ito En's vegetable juice smelled horrible. But the taste was better than I expected. It was not too sweet with a sharper taste. Apple and carrot stood out although the picture hints that there are several other veggies and fruits involved. It wasn't my favorite but I could see why some people might like it.

Now onto the Kit Kat. It was made with white chocolate and was light orange in color. Unlike the juice it had a pleasant yet very generic sweet smell. It tasted sweet, and like the juice it was the apple and carrot taste that shone through, although much milder comparatively. Once again it was a taste I wasn't particularly fond of but I could maybe see where other people might like it. It ended on a sour note, saving it from being too sweet.

Up until this point I was having a very blah kind of Kit Kat experience. I didn't especially like it, but I wasn't gagging either. And then I decided, hmmmm I wonder how they taste together. Does the juice complement the Kit Kat? Were they meant to be consumed together? The answer: Absolutely not!!! Together they are pretty disgusting. I almost couldn't finish the Kit Kat after washing down one bite with the Ito En juice. I still have the second Kit Kat because I just couldn't bear the thought of eating any more of it. For that reason I am giving this the low score of 3. Nestle and Ito En's marketing ploy got me to buy their products but I won't be a repeat customer.

Final score: 3

Kit Kat Dark

This isn't actually a Japanese Kit Kat but instead comes all the way from Hong Kong. I was super excited to try it because while I enjoy a lot of the fruitier flavored Kit Kats they are usually made with white chocolate and I'm not usually a white chocolate fan. I prefer dark chocolate over everything else.

This Kit Kat though was not worth my excitement. Do you see that picture with the dark chocolate and the wafers? Well it's a lie! I bit into my first finger to find no wafers at all. It was just a bar of plain dark chocolate and not even good dark chocolate at that. It was much too waxy. I don't know if this was an aberration or if all of the Kit Kat Darks come this way but I was severely disappointed. This one merited the low score of a 2 since it hardly qualifies as a Kit Kat without the wafers.

Final score: 2

Umeshu Soda Kit Kat

I'm back in Japan and ready to eat some Kit Kats! I was worried I would miss some of the summer flavors after being gone for 6 weeks, but my friend Miyuki was kind enough to grab some for me. Thanks Miyuki! First up on my return was the Umeshu Soda Kit Kat.

I love umeshu soda. It's my drink of choice when I dine out here in Japan. A plum liqueur mixed with soda water, it has a sweet and sour taste that I really enjoy. So I was really interested in trying this one.

The Kit Kat is a light green color and has a generic fruity smell to it. The white chocolate lends to the sweet side but there is a sourness in the wafers. In fact, on the back of the box it talks about a soda powder in the creme to give it a fizzy taste but the effects are mild. In the end it's not a super close match to the taste of a umeshu soda but it's still a flavor I enjoyed. I've never had plum candy in Japan but my friend Marie likened its taste to the plum candy she used to eat as a kid. We both liked it. I would definitely eat this one again.

Final score: 6.5/7

New Scores

I've decided to implement a scoring system to better rank the different Kit Kats I try. A 10 is the very best - Woohee, stockpile it while it's available to last me a long long time good. And a 1 is the very lowest - why oh why did I put this in my mouth *gag* kind of bad. With everything else in between. And don't be shy! Weigh in with your own scores as you get to try them.

Yoroshiku!

USA = boring Kit Kats

I'm still in America - land of boring Kit Kats. Why is it do you think that Japanese people are so ready to dive into crazy flavors like Rose and Jasmine Tea while Americans stick to just plain old chocolate?

My theory is that Japanese kids are told in school not to talk about what they like or dislike food-wise and to just eat their kyushoku without complaining. I've seen students holding their noses and choking down things they don't like because they aren't allowed to put them back or give them away. They come out of school with a more adventurous spirit when it comes to eating because of it. American kids on the other hand have moms who pack their lunches with their favorite foods and can buy whatever they want on the lunch line so they never venture too far out of their comfort zone. Thus, we have boring Kit Kats in America and crazy "what were they thinking?" flavors in Japan because Nestle execs in Japan know that people will try them, no matter how crazy the flavor might be (Soy sauce anyone?) I have to say in this instance I side with Japan.

But that isn't to say I haven't had fun with Japanese Kit Kats while in America. I've been forcing
all the leftovers I've had from the bags of minis on friends and family. Some people looked at me suspiciously. Others who hadn't received any looked put out I hadn't saved any for them. But the most excited was my friend Kristin, who was in fact the inspiration for this blog in the first place.

Back in the spring I happened to mention to her that they had some crazy flavors, "for example I just ate a Jasmine Tea Kit Kat the other day and they have Espresso Coffee Kit Kats too."

Her response: "OMG! You should try them all and them put them on your blog and I will TOTALLY read it!!!....er...not that I don't read it now, but it would be really REALLY cool!" And thus JenKen's KitKat Blog was born.

So naturally I had to bring her back some Kit Kats. In return she took me on a chocolate tour of Chicago (where we had champagne truffles flown in weekly from Switzerland, designer cupcakes, and chocolate tea) and introduced me to the wonders of bacon chocolate (that's right bacon and chocolate - a match made in heaven!) Is it any wonder we are the best of friends?

I'm headed back to Japan next week where I'm hoping I can still find some of the bars that came out while I've been gone like Ume-shu Soda and Sour Orange. Many more reviews to come soon!


Oh and you can read Kristin's thoughts on her Japanese Kit Kats here.