Nestle KitKat Framboise

This is the last of the September KitKat series, and Framboise is definitely my favorite. Like Semisweet and Bitter Almond, this one also seems to be tailored to adults, although it's probably more kid-friendly than the previous two.

This fall, I'm taking a French class one night a week. In high school, I studied French all four years, but switched to Japanese in college. My French suffered as a result, but at least I still remember that framboise means raspberry. Don't ask me to say "last week" in French though, because I'm totally drawing a blank. Hopefully we'll get to that in this week's class.


Both the scent and flavor of this KitKat were very strong (and pretty authentic). The flavor was more like raspberry liqueur than the actual fruit, but I was blown away by how the framboise came through the chocolate. It reminded me of Chambord, although I should note that the KitKat didn't taste boozy.

The milk chocolate was creamy and smooth, and the raspberry flavor between the wafers was tart and delicate. It was a little sweet, but I really enjoyed it. Raspberry and chocolate are a classic combination, and this KitKat is a great example of why it works so well.

A

KitKat website

Nestle Semisweet KitKat

Well, since I mentioned the other KitKats, I may as well review them all in a row. I still have several treats to sample and review from my generous package from Tsunami.hk, but even with tasting notes, I think it's best to review things while they are fresh in my memory.

This Semisweet KitKat was purchased from an Asian grocer in Richmond, British Columbia. As I mentioned, the one rainy day of my vacation spent in Vancouver was not very productive, except for the KitKats I acquired (oh, and eating kabocha croquette at Guu).


The very stylish box promised sweetness in moderation, and the KitKat delivered. The chocolate smelled bittersweet and strong, and the cocoa tasted slightly fruity. It was an interesting flavor balance with the wafers, but the snap of the darker chocolate was a great texture match.

Semisweet was easy to eat and very enjoyable. It reminded me of Bitter Almond, only less sweet. Nestle was going for a more adult flavor, and I'd say they nailed it. If this flavor was permanent (and available in the US), I could see myself buying it often.

A-

Nestle website

Nestle Bitter Almond KitKat

My husband and I visited Vancouver, BC during our Seattle vacation, and I can tell you that if you go there, one day is not enough time. It was my fault for overscheduling our trip, but all we really got to do was walk around the various Asian malls in Richmond. It was raining all day anyway, so it worked out rather well.

During those shopping walks, I picked up a couple Japanese KitKats that I hadn't tried yet. These are more recent than the Milk Coffee KitKat I reviewed two weeks after expiration, but they aren't brand new, either. First up is Bitter Almond.


The bars smelled of slightly bitter cocoa. Just like on the package, I could see flecks of slivered almond just below the surface of the chocolate. The almond flavor was entirely on the roasted side of the spectrum (with none of the cherry notes I love), but that was probably a better match for the slightly bitter cocoa.

The almonds added an extra crunch to the texture, and the flavors went together very well. It reminded me of Almond Crush Pocky, only not as good. Stronger almond flavors probably would have won me over, but in the end, this KitKat was good but not great.

B

KitKat website

Nabisco Pinwheels

Recently, my mom shared the link to my blog with some of her cousins, and they requested that I review Nabisco Pinwheels. When they were growing up, their grandmother (and my great-grandmother) always served these cookies during visits, and it's a treat they all remember fondly.

Marshmallow isn't my favorite, but my mom loves it, so I approached these cookies with an open mind. I was immediately encouraged by the mention of "pure chocolate" on the bag, since many similar cookies tend to go for mockolate. The Pinwheels themselves were attractive and glossy, and they reminded me more of windmills or small crullers.


The real chocolate did make a huge difference. Each cookie was coated in a thicker than expected layer of chocolate with a good snap and just a slight bitterness. The marshmallow layer was sweet, as expected, but the chocolate cookie on the bottom was mildly bitter, which balanced out the sweetness quite nicely.

I sampled these after dinner with my parents, my sister and her husband, and my husband, and everyone was pleased with the cookies. Each cookie is 120 calories, which is pretty typical for a cookie, except that marshmallow isn't terribly filling. Still, Pinwheels are probably my new favorite marshmallow cookie (better than Little Debbie Marshmallow Supremes) simply because the thick, real chocolate coating was so tasty. They were a little pricey at $4.99 US for a box of 12, but I'd definitely recommend them to any marshmallow fan.

Here's another review I found at Unbecoming Levity.

B+

Nabisco website

Extra Strawberry Shortcake Gum

Whether you prefer Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory (1971), Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (2005), or Roald Dahl’s classic novel, you’re certainly familiar with the iconic blueberry scene. I’ll admit it – as a child, the scene was a little intense.

The thought of an all gum dessert seemed very futuristic when I was younger, but with the advances in food science, it seems like Extra has just about taken us there. The new Dessert Delights line of gum definitely reminds me of Willy Wonka, with flavors like Mint Chocolate Chip (review soon) and the flavor reviewed here: Strawberry Shortcake.


The scent was typical of strawberry gum, floral, and slightly artificial. The first bite was very juicy and reminded me of how Strawberry Shortcake (the doll) smelled. Then, as the flavor developed, I tasted touches of cream. Here's the Willy Wonka part: maybe it was my imagination, but I swear I could taste angel food cake flavor in there, too.

Unfortunately, the flavor weakened dramatically after just a minute or so, but the angel food cake flavor hung around longer. The gum also got a little hard at this point seemed to make my jaw tired after about five minutes. Still, the flavor was complex and the experience of chewing a dessert gum was pretty cool. Thankfully, I haven't shown any signs of turning into a strawberry...yet.

Check out another review at Gum Alert.

B+

Extra website

Nestle Milk Coffee KitKat

This Milk Coffee KitKat has been hanging around in my candy cupboard for a while now, and the only thing that really stopped me from eating it was that I had too many other options. This was a spring flavor, and it's not officially fall yet, so I'm only 1 season late, right?

For the record, this KitKat was slightly expired when I pulled it from my stash, but I don't think it affected the flavor. It might have affected the scent, but more on that later. I got a few new KitKats on vacation and decided that it wasn't fair to review the new ones before this one.


The packaging really drew me in because I love pink, but it didn't really say "coffee" to me. The bars definitely smelled like coffee, along with a hint of cheese (not sure if that's normal). Thankfully, there was no cheese taste - just the flavor of nice, mild coffee with a rather sweet cream.

Coffee chocolates usually aren't my favorite, but this one was surprisingly tasty. The sweetness of the white chocolate was offset by the bitterness of the coffee, with neither flavor dominating. I think it'd be nice with a little black coffee or espresso on the side. If I had a KitKat top 10, I don't think Milk Coffee would make the cut, but it was still an enjoyable flavor.

B

KitKat website

UHA Cream Soda Puccho

It's been a little while since my last post because my husband and I took a delayed summer vacation to Seattle, Washington. Seattle was so green and beautiful, and we lucked into some great weather. I picked up some chocolates and candies to review, so I'll get right to it.

There is a fairly large Japanese population in the Seattle (and Vancouver) area. I picked up this Puccho flavor at one of the many Asian shopping centers because melon flavors are usually a good bet for me. In Japan, cream soda almost always means melon cream soda; the melon is implied.


The candies had a very muted color scheme, with pale green stripes on white. Some of the signature Puccho tough jelly balls were visible as well. There was a faint fruity smell, abut the taste was stronger. The flavor was mild honeydew melon with hint of citrus and cream.

Along with the tough jellies, there were some fizzy powder pellets that had a nice, tangy citric acid flavor. The fizz was pretty sharp and powerful, but short lived. I'm a big fan of melon flavor and fizzy candy, so this Puccho was definitely to my liking!

A-

UHA website