Nestle KitKat Matcha Tiramisu

New matcha KitKats are always very exciting, so from the moment this one was announced, I knew I needed to get my hands on some. However, I was a little skeptical about matcha tiramisu. To me, tiramisu means a strong espresso flavor, but I suppose that it could be made with other beverages. Tea seems a natural choice after coffee, and a Google image search turned up results proving that it has been done before.

Knowing that there would be no coffee flavor, I wasn't sure what to expect of this KitKat. Honestly, I was hoping it would taste a little like the regular matcha KitKat because I like that one so much. And it did.


The single bar (thicker than one bar from the normal two bar pack) was pale green and smelled sweet. It tasted very similar to the regular matcha flavor, but much creamier. The matcha taste was weaker, overpowered a bit by the creaminess.

It was a very good KitKat, but I just can't call it tiramisu. A Flickr contact pointed out that the extra creaminess is probably supposed to be like the mascarpone cheese used to make tiramisu. It was definitely noticeable, so I think Nestle did their job. I also tried the regular tiramisu flavor that was released at the same time, and should have that review up tomorrow.

A-

KitKat Website (Japanese)

Nestle Strawberry Milk Chocolate KitKat

I am rather backlogged with reviews right now. I haven't been uploading as much as I'd like to, due to some real world responsibilities, but I'm trying to get back into the swing of it now. These strawberry KitKats have been at my house for over a month and I'm just now getting to them.

I was on the fence about buying them when I saw them in Ann Arbor, MI, since I've tried many strawberry KitKats in the past. The milk chocolate base was what pushed me over the edge, and I caved in and made the purchase in the hopes that these would not be as overwhelmingly sweet as their white chocolate cousins.


It smelled like strawberry milk with a hint of cocoa when I opened the wrapper, and the wafers on the inside mostly smelled like chocolate. Thankfully, these weren't melted.

The strawberry flavor was quite mild, and every now and then, there was a little burst of fruitiness. It was definitely artificial, but as I had hoped, these weren't as sweet as the white chocolate kind. All in all, a solid KitKat. Nothing spectacular, but definitely good.

B+

KitKat Website (Japanese)

Nestle Houjicha KitKat

Here is another souvenir from Toronto. Because it was a bag full of mini bars, they were a little pricey, but not terrible at about $6 Canadian. Houjicha is a variety of Japanese green tea, but it is roasted over charcoal, giving it a very different taste. I really like houjicha, especially with meals and snacks.

Unfortunately, my bag of KitKats must have seen some heat at some point, because all of the bars were melted. For that reason, I didn't get a picture of the chocolate itself, but from the outside, they looked like normal milk chocolate KitKats.


The KitKat smelled like milk chocolate with a slightly roasted, almost caramel flavor, but it was not at all overpowering. I broke one in half to smell it, and the flavor was the same, but slightly stronger. The bag said there was houjicha in the cream between the wafers, so that made sense.

I don't know if it's because these were melted, but the flavor was very similar to plain old milk chocolate KitKats. Three out of four people I shared these with thought the same thing. The tea flavor was there, but it was very subtle. When I concentrated, I detected just a tiny bit of bitterness reminiscent of tea. I should also mention that, as with a lot of milk chocolate KitKat variations, the sweetness was at a good level. These KitKats tasted good, but I was hoping for a stronger tea flavor.

B

KitKat Website (Japanese)

Nestle KitKat Cookies+

I'm pretty late to the party in trying this kind of KitKat, but even before trying it, I was sure this would be a case of "better late than never." On a mini-vacation to Toronto, we stopped in again at the Pacific Mall, and although many of the items are of Chinese origin, the selection of packaged snacks and candy is dominated by Japanese products.

Most of the comments I had read on Flickr and in blogs for this KitKat were pretty positive, and I am a big fan of chocolate cookies (I'd prefer Oreos without the cream, I think), so I was fairly certain I would like this flavor. It did not disappoint!


The bars smelled like hot cocoa, very rich and chocolatey. They tasted rich and crunchy, not too sweet, and even a little bit bitter. The flavor of the chocolate cookies inside and the chocolate outside went together very well. I couldn't taste the wafers, but their texture also complemented the cookies.

I only got one box, since I'm trying not to overload myself with snacks, but I wish I had bought more of these. Cookies+ is definitely a new favorite of all the 40 KitKat flavors I've tried! I actually have a spreadsheet to keep track of them. Anyhow, this flavor was a fun departure from the normal KitKat fare, and I recommend trying it. Check out ZOMG, Candy for more thoughts on this KitKat.

A

KitKat Website (Japanese)

Tirol Kuri Zenzai Chocolate

Tirol multipacks seem to have the 4-5 standard flavors as well as a flavor that changes periodically. I've seen Strawberry Milk, Strawberry Mochi, and this one (more recently), Kuri Zenzai.

Kuri means chestnut, and zenzai is a soup made from azuki beans (sweet red beans) and mochi (sticky rice cake). I've never tried it before, but it sounds nice. The chocolate itself has a cute little picture on the front featuring all three of the ingredients I mentioned.


The chocolate itself is very attractive, with a lighter color on top and darker chocolate on the bottom. I think it was all colored white chocolate, though, and no milk chocolate. It smelled toasty and slightly burnt, a bit like caramel.

The chocolate was lightly flavored and tasted roasted. Perhaps that was where the chestnut came in, because I couldn't taste the nut itself. I didn't taste azuki at all, just sweet white chocolate. The mochi center added a nice, chewy texture with a firmness that offset the smooth chocolate.

Although I'm not sure the flavor was particularly accurate, it was good, and the roasted taste was original and different from what I'm used to. Definitely a fun addition to the Tirol variety pack.

B+

Tirol Chocolate website (Japanese)