Cola and Lemon Squash Kit Kat

Sorry to not be posting much but there have been fewer Kit Kats to review and now that rainy season is over and summer is finally here I've been enjoying more summer appropriate treats (as in ones that don't melt all over me in this 35 degree heat.) I highly recommend Lotte Peach Ice Cream and Pure Apple Gummies. But enough about other snacks, let's talk Kit Kats shall we?

This is a two-fer review. Two reviews in one because with this Kit Kat you get two different Kit Kats in one box. That made it a bit of a challenge for me actually because I generally like to eat two of any Kit Kats I review so that I can get a good idea of the flavor. So if you try these and wonder where on earth did I come up with this review then that's my excuse. (I think some of you think that anyway heehee.) Unfortunately, these were not good enough to warrant buying a second box to make sure I was fully appreciating all the nuances but here's what I got.

First up: Cola Kit Kat - 100 calories made with white chocolate but colored a light brown color to suggest cola. It smelled kind of like cola but really more like bubblegum in my estimation. The chocolate itself is cola flavored and there is more of that "soda" powder between the wafers. The same "soda" powder that was in the Ramune Kit Kat and it gave it that same bubblegum/Fruity Pebbles twist. Sadly this addition ruined it for me. The chocolate itself was not too bad, a little on the sweet side, but actually tasted like cola. A little less "soda" powder and it would have been an interesting snack. I think I'd still prefer a real glass of coke though.

Next up: Lemon Squash Kit Kat - for those of you not in the know Lemon Squash is a kind of soft drink sold here in Japan. This bar was also 100 calories and made with white chocolate. It was colored yellow and smelled like lemon. The chocolate had a nice lemon flavor to it. This, too had the "soda" powder between the wafers but it worked better here. The powder has a bit of sour kick to it that went nicely with the lemon. This was definitely the better of the two but it still wasn't something I would choose to eat again. If you're a regular reader of this blog you'll know that I have mixed feelings about chocolate and citrus together and this was another example of that. It was good but not my cup of tea.

Overall this was more fun for the novelty factor rather than the flavor factor. I'm always happy to try new Kit Kats but this isn't one I can enthusiastically recommend or one I will buy again. They weren't bad but they weren't that good either.

Final Score: 5

Aloe Vera Yogurt Kit Kat

Until I came to Japan the only thing I knew about aloe vera was that it's good for sunburns but apparently you can eat it. They put it in yogurt here in Japan, sometimes by itself and sometimes chunks of aloe mixed in with your regular fruit yogurt. I've always shied away from eating it because, well, the idea of eating something I previously only thought of as a topical medicine didn't sound appealing. It still didn't sound appealing even after I saw the latest Kit Kat mini - the Aloe Vera Yogurt Kit Kat. They sat in my kitchen while I ate every other Kit Kat and snack I had while I worked up the courage to try it.

The Aloe Vera Kit Kat comes in a bag of 12 minis. Each is 69 calories. They are tinted a greenish color and smell like a bad sunburn. I didn't get a good sense of any yogurt, which is too bad. Mostly it had a very sweet white chocolate flavor with a hint of something else. Since I don't eat aloe vera often I'm assuming that's what it was. It had a sharpness to it and tasted slightly medicinal although that could be my preconceptions of aloe vera getting in the way. It wasn't bad but it wasn't something I want to try again, especially since the aloe vera hung in my mouth long after I finished the bar.

I wouldn't recommend this to anyone unless you are accustomed to and like eating aloe vera or you are feeling adventurous.

Final Score: 4

Blueberry Kit Kat

One of the foods I miss the most in Japan is blueberry pancakes. I suppose I could make my own but blueberries (like everything else) are expensive here and unless I have blueberry syrup from Cracker Barrel to go on them it's just not the same. To make up for the lack of blueberry pancakes though I do have some pretty fantastic blueberry honey (also expensive but worth it) that I slather on home made biscuits, which for the record are almost as good as Cracker Barrel's. Man, I miss Cracker Barrel.

Anyway, all of this is to say that I was excited to see some Blueberry Kit Kat minis and that I'm still avoiding the Aloe Vera Yogurt Kit Kats sitting in my kitchen going on a month now. I found these minis in a mix pack at the 7-11 that also came with regular chocolate and what else but some more Strawberry Kit Kats. I did notice a bag of nothing but Blueberry at the grocery store yesterday so if you'd rather not have more Strawberry Kit Kats (understandable) I suggest looking for that bag instead.

Each Blueberry Kit Kat mini is 66 calories. They are made with a very creamy milk chocolate. That or they melted a bit when I left the house and turned off the air conditioner. It has been pretty hot here when it's not raining. Either way, even if it was messy, I liked it. They have a blueberry smell and a nice blueberry flavor in both the chocolate and the creme. It could be a little more but it's better than the Blueberry Cheesecake Kit Kat where I struggled to find the blueberry taste.

I'm a big fan of Nestle's fruit/milk chocolate combinations and this is just one more example to add to a list that include the Yubari Melon Kit Kat, Banana Kit Kat, and Strawberry Kit Kat. They do a better job of sticking to the natural flavor when they use milk chocolate versus white. Then again I don't like white chocolate that much so take that as you will.

Overall it was a really good snack but it's still not as good as some blueberry cheesecake ice cream! Especially in the summer heat. But if you don't mind a little chocolate melting on you then I would recommend picking these up.

What are your favorite blueberry treats? Muffins, pancakes, cheesecake, ice cream, jam? Are there better blueberry chocolates out there I should try? Let me know in the comments!

Final Score: 8

Strawberry Kit Kat Little

I'm going to be honest. I don't buy EVERY Kit Kat that I find. I passed up a Green Tea Kit Kat Bar last month because I'm not really a huge fan of Green Tea Kit Kats and I've already tried three or four different varieties. It wasn't on the Breaktown website so I assumed it wasn't new.

But despite having tried more Strawberry Kit Kats than any other flavor I still find myself picking them up. This isn't even the last one! I just bought a mixed bag that had more Strawberry Kit Kats in it (although to be fair I bought it mostly because it had Blueberry Kit Kats too.) The only thing I can say is that even though Nestle overdoes it with the Strawberry variations there must be a reason why...people like me keep buying them.

I am however getting a little tired of writing about them so this review is going to be short. Here we go...The Strawberry Kit Kat Little(s) consists of a handful of cube shaped milk chocolate "balls" with 186 calories. The strawberry taste in these chocolate cubes is almost identical to that of the earlier Strawberry Kit Kat mini. The main difference is that with the Kit Kat Little that flavor is more concentrated. I actually prefer the stronger flavor and so these consequently are my favorite of the many different Strawberry Kit Kats I have tried.

If you do happen to come across these and liked the Strawberry Minis and don't mind to have another Strawberry Kit Kat and you also don't mind cube shaped chocolate that melts in your hand then definitely pick these up! There you go, another Strawberry review in the bag. I'm getting to where I can write these in my sleep.

As some of you know, my contract is ending soon and I'll be heading back to Ohio - land of boring Kit Kats. I hope to keep this blog going however by ordering Kit Kats via sites like NapaJapan. What does this mean for the Strawberry Kit Kat? Well, it will be more expensive to have them shipped from Japan rather than picking up a bag while in 7-11 to pay my internet bill so this might very well be the last impulsive Strawberry Kit Kat purchase. Nestle will have to really reinvent the Strawberry Kit Kat for me to buy it again. (I say that now...I'll guess we'll see though.)

Final Score: 9

Contest Winner!

I had lunch with the 8th graders today and after a halted explanation in a mix of Japanese and English about this blog the always genki Honoka chose a winner for the anniversary contest. I asked her to write down any number from 1-67 (the number of comments on the contest post) and then give me the number. She chose lucky number 7. That means Kate you are my winner! Please email me your address at jenken04 @yahoo.com so I can send you your fabulous prize.

To everyone else thanks for participating! I loved reading your ideas for future Kit Kats. Who knows maybe Nestle can take some inspiration and save us from anymore Strawberry Kit Kats!

Bitter Almond Kit Kat

Nuts and chocolate go together. Beauty salons and Kit Kats...well I don't see the connection there but I'm not going to complain because Nestle and its latest partner Tokyo Beauty Clinic came up with a pretty good Kit Kat. I was so excited about this one, especially since the other TBC sponsored Kit Kat is Aloe Yogurt (not a flavor I'm looking forward to frankly) that I broke into the box before I remembered to take a picture.

The Bitter Almond Kit Kat comes in a box of two. Each bar is 99 calories and made with dark chocolate. Because of the way a Kit Kat is made - chocolate covered wafers - it makes putting whole almonds into the mix a little tricky. So instead they are ground up and mixed with the chocolate. You can see flecks of beige in the chocolate and the bar gives off a nice almond smell. The chopped almonds give it a more diffuse flavor and it's really the dark chocolate that shines through on this bar. I'm a big fan of dark chocolate so this bar was a huge hit. It was bitter but not too bitter and combined with the almonds and wafers it made for a great snack.

Like I said before nuts and chocolate are a no brainer. And dark chocolate is always a winner in my book so while this isn't one of the more exciting Kit Kats I've tried, it is one of the better ones.

Final Score: 8

Reminder

My anniversary contest is still running but it will be closed on Wednesday, June 16th! So if you haven't entered yet hurry on over and comment.

http://jenkenskitkatblog.blogspot.com/2010/05/contest.html