Framboise Kit Kat. One of my favorite things to do during lunch is read my student's ridiculous t-shirts and pen cases that are covered with either French or English. I don't speak French very well but I can read enough to know that the Japanese mangle it just as much as they do English. It's hard to mess up one word though. I'm thankful that Nestle decided to just go with Framboise Kit Kat (that's French for raspberry by the way) and stuck with Japanese for the rest of the box.
The Framboise Kit Kat came in a box of two. Each pack is two fingers and has 97 calories. There is no picture on the packaging to indicate what kind of chocolate is used so I was expecting white chocolate but to my surprise it was actually milk chocolate. Like with other milk chocolate varieties, (I'm thinking mainly Yubari Melon Kit Kat) the fruit doesn't overwhelm the chocolate but works with it to make a very enjoyable snack. Final Score: 8. Citrus Blend Kit Kat - Shikoku Limited Edition. We have these convenient stores in Ohio called United Dairy Farmers (or UDF for short) that also have ice cream counters that sell UDF brand ice cream and a variety of malts and shakes.
My favorite is the Orange Freeze - orange sherbet and orange juice. It's also the reason why I tend to gain 5 pounds whenever I go back to the States. I used to make a similar version in my college cafeteria with orange sherbet, orange juice, and a little bit of Sprite. It's a great summer treat - cold, sweet, and refreshing. So why am I waxing nostalgic for UDF Orange Freezes? Well, if you put one of the Citrus Blend Kit Kats in the freezer and then ate it then you would have an Orange Freeze in Kit Kat form. I didn't expect to like these as much as I did, but eating one (or 3) made me really wish they had UDFs in Japan.
The Citrus Blend Kit Kat is a regional limited edition from Shikoku. Final Score: 7. Apple Kit Kat - Shinshu Limited Edition. Recently I went back online to the Nestle E-shop and picked up some more regional special editions - this time from Shinshu. I should note that there are a lot more regional special editions out there that are NOT offered anywhere online. The only way I am going to get them is to get off this peninsula and buy them wherever they are offered locally. So Sendai and Nagano have suddenly made my list of places in Japan I want to see so I can pick up the Sakura Kit Kat, Zunda Kit Kat, and what I can only determine is another spicy Kit Kat. But until I make more travel plans then I will make do with the ones I can find online, starting with the Apple Kit Kat. Nagano is known for apples and so it makes perfect sense that their regional special edition Kit Kat would be apple flavored. Final Score: 7.5 Check out the list of Regional Special Edition Kit Kat varieties here!
Sakura Matcha Kit Kat. Nestle is really hitting the "give a student some encouragement, give them a Kit Kat" campaign hard this year. First we had the lucky 5 sided mug. Then the Milk Coffee Kit Kat with random sakura design. And then they released bags of white and milk chocolate Kit Kat minis also with more sakura design (not reviewed because plain white and milk chocolate is boring.)
And now there is the Sakura Matcha Kit Kat with a convenient space on the back for you to write and encouraging message to those students studying themselves silly trying to get into the best high school/college. The Sakura Matcha Kit Kat is 100 calories and made with white chocolate. Overall I was very pleasantly surprised. Final Score: 8*nostalgic**delicious. Sports Drink Kit Kat.
I'm way late to the game with this one. The Sports Drink Kit Kat came out in late summer while I was on vacation in the US and I just couldn't find it when I got back. When I went to make another internet purchase a few weeks ago I noticed that it was still available from napajapan.com so I went ahead and ordered it along with some other Kit Kat varieties that are no longer available in the conbinis.
(Reviews forthcoming!) The Sports Drink Kit Kat is a joint venture with JFA Dream Asia Project which has something to do with soccer (the site is in Japanese...sorry!) It's meant to taste like one of the many sports drink on offer here in Japan, none of which I have ever tried so I can't account for the authenticity of the taste. I don't like to sweat enough to ever warrant needing a sports drink. I might have to try one though after having this Kit Kat. Citrus flavored Kit Kats are not my favorite but this was one of the better ones.
What do you think? Final Score: 6. Maple Kit Kat. With the Winter Olympics approaching Nestle decided to release a special Kit Kat. Not that they need a special reason to release a new Kit Kat but it does help in deciding which flavor to release next. The Maple Kit Kat is in honor of the 2010 Vancouver Olympics and features real maple syrup from Quebec. Although someone should let them know that Vancouver and Quebec aren't really that close - almost opposite ends really of a very large country. But still it's a fun theme for a Kit Kat. I like maple syrup and can often be found eating pancakes or french toast smothered in maple syrup on the weekends. At home I buy the cheap stuff like Aunt Jemima's that's made with corn syrup and other artificial flavoring but here in Japan there's no cheap alternative so I'm forced to spend 1,100 yen on a bottle of 100% maple syrup straight from Canada. But even though I like maple syrup I'm not usually a fan of maple flavored things.
Do you like maple flavored treats? Final Score: 7. Raspberry Passion Fruit Kit Kat. Valentine's is drawing near and Japanese shops are filling up with chocolates. In Japan women give chocolates to men and then we have to wait a month before we get any reciprocal gift and even then it's cookies not chocolates, which is really unfair if you ask me. Although I guess with a Kit Kat you really get both so it's a win-win.
The latest Kit Kat is Valentine's Day themed with two different boxes to choose from - one pink and one brown. They are cute enough on the outside but they get even cuter once you open them up. The inside of the box is covered in hearts and the individual Kit Kat wrappers are as well. The Raspberry and Passion Fruit Kit Kat are made with dark chocolate so right there I am already very happy. This is a fantastic Kit Kat. Final Score: 10!!! Calpis Kit Kat. I don't like Calpis. In part because it tastes like flat Fresca, but also because it looks suspiciously like skim milk despite claiming to be a soft drink. But mostly I don't like it because Calpis sounds like cow's piss and who would want to drink something called that?
I do giggle every time my friend Miwa orders it though. And she gives me a strange look every time too. It's our tradition. Usually I comment on how a particular Kit Kat is good but not as good as the real thing. They came in a bag of minis bought at my local supermarket and each mini is 69 calories. Final Score: 6. Yubari Melon Kit Kat - Hokkaido Limited Edition. Japan is obsessed with brand names.
Even certain fruits and other food items can be more expensive if they have the right name on the label. And I'm not kidding when I say expensive. A friend of mine tried strawberries that cost $10 a piece this weekend. I've seen mangoes advertised at 8,000 yen for one mango. That's $80! A melon from nowhere, Japan will sell for a lot cheaper than a melon from Yubari, Japan. The average price for the Yubari label is $60-$150. The truth is that I never used to be a big melon fan. Actually even the 1,000 yen ones are pretty amazing.
That being said, I've never had a Yubari melon and because I'm frugal and don't think laying out a $100 for some melon is a good idea I'm going to guess that the closest I'm ever going to get to eating one is this regional limited edition Kit Kat. I got this box as omiyage from a friend who went to Hokkaido during winter vacation. Upon opening the wrapper I could instantly smell melon. Final score: 8.5. Milk Coffee Kit Kat. I've tried the Espresso Coffee Kit Kat, Tiramisu Kit Kat, Cafe Latte Kit Kat and now comes the Milk Coffee Kit Kat. That makes four. Four! I have tried four coffee flavored Kit Kats in the nine months I have been buying and blogging Kit Kats. It must be hard to keep up the pace they do releasing new flavors all the time so they aren't opposed to tweaking existing flavors and re-releasing them. The Milk Coffee Kit Kat comes in a box of two that proclaims that soon the cherry blossoms will bloom.
Anyway, each bar is 100 calories. Then again I don't drink my coffee with milk. Final Score: 7. Green Tea Kit Kat - Kyoto Limited Edition. I've reviewed the Green Tea Kit Kat once before. That one came in a mixed bag of minis and wasn't my favorite. This one came from a box of Limited Edition Kit Kats from Kyoto. Now I know there are different kinds of green tea. There is the really thick kind that looks like pea soup and is served in a bowl and tastes bitter but goes well with sweets. And there is the less thick kind served in cups. But please don't ask me which is which when it comes to these Kit Kats because I have no idea. I've tried looking it up but my Japanese kanji skills are failing me.
Like the other regional limited edition boxes this had 12 minis in it, each only 69 calories. I wasn't a huge fan of the first Green Tea Kit Kat I tried. Overall, it was a nice snacking experience. Final Score: 7. Yuzu Kosho Kit Kat - Kyushu Limited Edition. So what is a Yuzu Kosho Kit Kat? It's Yuzu Citrus and Japanese Chili Flavor and it's a limited special edition from the island of Kyushu. Yuzu are small yellow citrus fruits that are similar to a mikan orange or grapefruit. The juice and rinds are used in many different recipes but I was told by the little old ladies giving them to me not to eat them like I would eat an orange. Instead they said I should put them in my bath to ward off colds. The traditional time to do this is the night of the winter solstice and it's supposed to bring you good luck and keep you healthy. I can't say if that's true or not because my yuzu are still in the kitchen waiting to be used up, but it's definitely yuzu season because everywhere I look there are yuzu products being offered.
Yuzu Kosho is a spicy sauce made with yuzu, green or red chili peppers, and salt. Like the other Regional Limited Edition Kit Kats this came in a box of 12 for 810 yen. Final Score: 8. Mild Bitter Kit Kat. I'm back from vacation in Kyushu and I find I have a backlog of Kit Kats to review. Some I've tried and just haven't posted and some others have been pushed aside in favor of holiday treats and the large package of Dark Chocolate Reese's my wonderful mother sent me for Christmas. I'll try to get back on track this week and should keep busy for several weeks more. Coming soon are Limited Edition Kit Kats from Kyushu, Okinawa, and Kyoto, random Kit Kat promotions involving cheese and coffee cups, and one more strawberry variety.
Today, however, is a special edition so special I figured I wouldn't ever be trying it because even though I am wholly committed to my Kit Kat mission I am not about to seek out the one store in Tokyo that carries it. But orchid64 over at Japanese Snack Reviews graciously sent me some to try. These Kit Kat minis came in a bag of 14 sold only in Okashi Omachioka - a discount snack shop found around Tokyo. Still, it was a good Kit Kat. Final Score: 8. Sparkling Strawberry Kit Kat. It's strawberry season in Japan. Well, technically it will be strawberry season in January but Nestle thinks that December is close enough so we have not one but TWO strawberry flavors out right now.
I'll be reviewing the other one later. Today it's the Sparkling Strawberry Kit Kat. I'm not sure what is supposed to sparkling about these strawberries. The Sparkling Strawberry Kit Kat is 99 calories a bar and comes in a box of two. Overall, I give this one a lower score. Final Score: 4. Strawberry Cheesecake Kit Kat - Yokohama Limited Edition. I recently took a trip up to Tokyo to visit a friend. I warned her before I came that I would be hunting Kit Kats so she wasn't surprised when I insisted on going in every conbini we came across.
Although a fat lot of good it did me since I didn't find a single one I didn't already have. I had better luck in the train station though. They had lots of regional specialties on sale for those travelers looking for some last minute omiyage. A few of them I had already tried, like the Soy Sauce Kit Kat and the Wasabi Kit Kat. And then there was the Sweet Potato Kit Kat that looked similar enough to the Roasted Sweet Potato Kit Kat that I didn't think it was worth the money to try it again.
But they did have Strawberry Cheesecake Kit Kat, which although it is doing very poorly in my poll, I just couldn't pass up. Final Score: 7. Whole Wheat Kit Kat. Wasabi Kit Kat - Shizuoka Limited Edition. Melt In Your Mouth Chocolate Kit Kat. Ginger Ale Kit Kat. Roasted Sweet Potato Kit Kat.