Nestle Strawberry KitKat

Here is another Japanese KitKat review. I've caught the Japanese KitKat bug, and there are several more on deck, including new ones from my recent trip to Japan. This review is about an older KitKat.

To be specific, this is not just a strawberry KitKat, it's a Tochiotome Strawberry KitKat. I don't know if there's a translation for that or not, but it's a variety of strawberry in Japan. I believe they are grown in Tochigi prefecture in Japan. Maybe that's where Tochi comes from, and otome means maiden.


The KitKat is a milky pink, as is most strawberry chocolate. I don't know that it tasted different from other Japanese strawberry chocolate, but it was smooth, creamy, tart, and flavorful. The strawberry flavor went really well with the wafers, and it was altogether tasty!

If you like strawberry chocolate, I'm sure you'd like this KitKat. It's no longer available, but it's only a matter of time before Nestle puts another one on the market.

A-

KitKat Website (Japanese)

Nestle Fragrant Black Tea KitKat

Continuing with my recent theme of Japanese snacks, here's another KitKat review I've been lazy about posting. October was a busy month, so I kind of let candy blogging get put on the back burner.

As far as I know, there were four different flavors released in this series of wider, more filling/less cracker KitKats. This is my third, and since these are no longer being made, I doubt I will ever try the fourth. The fourth is an apple flavor, though, so I'm not too upset. Fruity KitKats are not my favorites, with the exception of orange. Actually, there may be a fifth variety of this kind of KitKat that is orange, but I'm not sure if it came out at the same time.



Anyhow, the KitKat pictured above is called "Fragrant Black Tea" and it certainly was. The chocolate coating is smooth, as always. As for the filling, it was the bitterest KitKat I have ever tasted. It was much stronger in flavor than any KitKat I've ever tried. That's not necessarily a bad thing, but it was a little weird. Delicious, but weird.

I liked this KitKat, but it's not a new favorite. It was definitely a fun tasting experience, especially if you enjoy tea. It really tastes like black tea, and it doesn't taste like a rehash of an old KitKat.

B+

KitKat Website (Japanese)

Nestle Gianduja KitKat

Before this KitKat, I had never heard the word "Gianduja" before in my life. Wikipedia tells me that it is "a sweet chocolate containing about 50% hazelnut paste" that is similar to Nutella.

I'm not a huge fan of Nutella, so I was a little wary of this one, but my husband loves the stuff, so he was very excited. This is another KitKat that has more filling and less cracker, but unlike the matcha version, this one worked.



The hazelnut flavor wasn't strong, but it was very pleasant and just strong enough to give the cream a flavor. Both the chocolate coating and the chocolate/hazelnut cream were smooth, rich, and melty. It made for a very pleasant KitKat.

Unlike the matcha version where the green tea flavor was missing, the hazelnut flavor here was just enough. I'm sure I would have liked it more if I was more of a hazelnut lover. My husband really enjoyed it, though.

B+

KitKat Website (Japanese)

Meiji Blueberry White Chocolate

All over my apartment, I have scrap pieces of paper with tasting notes. This review is for chocolate that I ate a while ago, but I thought since I have the pictures, I should post a review.

I love Meiji chocolate. They do flavored white chocolate very well, especially green tea flavored. A few months back, I reviewed Blueberry Apollo, and this one is pretty similar.



The chocolates are very pretty, and again come individually wrapped. Like the Apollo, it has the "Meiji Hokkaido Label" from the Hokkaido factory. These are labeled as blueberry and yogurt flavor, but they tasted very similar to the Apollo, which were not promoted to contain yogurt.

The texture of the white chocolate was a little to flaky at first, but it melted well to a smooth consistency. The blueberry flavor melded well with the white chocolate, but it didn't really knock me out. I think I liked the Apollo better just because of the novelty of the shape.

So, these were tasty, but not exceptional. I don't even know if they are still being made, but Meiji recently put out a lavender flavored version of the same kind of chocolate. I'll have to try to get my hands on it.

B

Meiji Website (Japanese)

Nestle Soy Sauce KitKat

I spent the last part of October and the first couple days of November in Japan with my husband. What a vacation! I'm still jet-lagged as I type this, but I'm trying very hard to get back on my local time schedule. Anyhow, I thought I'd do a little blogging to help me stay awake.

Here we have the Tokyo only limited edition Soy Sauce KitKat. This is pretty much the weirdest sounding KitKat in the world. I bought this one at Tokyo station just before catching my train. They also had a kinako (toasted soybean flour) flavor, which sounded a lot better, but I couldn't find it and I was in a hurry.



The packaging is very stylish and fancy, as this is meant to be a gift (おみやげ). In Japan, most regions are known for some kind of snack or food, and it's common to bring those things back for other people when you visit that particular place. I don't know if Tokyo is known for soy sauce, but they had a matcha version in Kyoto, so maybe.

I had read about this flavor before leaving for my vacation, so I knew what to expect. Not to be anti-climactic, but I can confirm what everyone else says: it tastes like maple syrup. I could go on and on about how nasty the flavor sounds, but the truth is, they don't taste like soy sauce. They might have had a slight soy aftertaste, but that might have just been my imagination.

The bars are white chocolate, and a little smaller than the normal KitKat double-stick. The box contains 12 mini bars. I've seen these special regional KitKat boxes for anywhere from 700 to 900 yen, so they are a little pricey.

If you were expecting a fun tasting experience, prepare yourself for disappointment. At least they don't taste bad, even if I secretly wanted them to. All in all, if you like maple syrup, you'll like these. Maybe they should repackage them and sell them in Canada or Vermont.

Check out other reviews: The Impulsive Buy, The AV Club, Pretty Pretty Yum Yum, Hamburger Calculus, and Jen's Kit Kat Blog. PHEW!

B-

KitKat Website (Japanese)