A Treasure Trove of Kit Kats

Posted on 26th Dec, 2018 in Snacks

As strange as it sounds, ever since my first trip to Japan I've been enamored with Kit Kat. Here in the US, Kit Kat is a delicious chocolate covered wafer and nothing else. The reason for this is that they're produced by Hershey's, who really hasn't dared to experiment much with the candy until recently. However, everywhere else in the world Kit Kat bars are produced by Nestle. As a result they have a rich and exciting variety of flavors. So whenever I travel abroad, I make sure to grab as many of the local flavors that aren't available at home.

Among all of the countries with unique Kit Kat flavors though, Japan is king. With literally hundreds of special flavors produced since 2000, the Japanese might be even crazier about Kit Kat than me. Allegedly, they're often given as good luck gifts since the name Kit Kat sounds similar to the phrase kitto katsu which translates roughly to "surely win".

Recently my friend (and anime convention senpai… KitKat-senpai?) went on a trip to the Philippines and Japan. (You should read about it if you have the chance.) She was kind enough to smuggle bring me back a huge stash of Kit Kats! Below I've decided to go over the delicious options.

Dark Chocolate 

If there was a phrase that summed these up, it'd be 「大人っぽい」. These are Kit Kats all grown up. The delicate blend of dark chocolate in to the standard Kit Kat formula makes it grown up and sensible but still delicious and fun. Definitely a good snack for those with a slightly more mature palate.

Strawberry (こだわりのストロベリー)

Perhaps the most fragrant of all the Kit Kats I've ever tried, the Strawberry flavor is bright and sweet with just the right amount of tartness.

Strawberry Tiramisu (ストロベリーチラミス)

The smooth taste of coffee with a slight hint of strawberry puts the flavor profile of these Kit Kats on the more complex side. It's an impressive bit of food science that managed to capture these flavors.

Onsen Manju (温泉饅頭)

These Kit Kats are a limited time offering that are only sold in 21 hot spring resorts areas across Japan. If I remember correctly, KitKat-senpai went to Hakone so that's probably where she picked them up. Although I've never tried manju, I can safely say that with a white chocolate base and red bean powder sprinkled in between the wafers, these Kit Kats are quite tasty. Also they've got cute cat mascots on the wrappers!

Chocolatory Strawberry Cheesecake

Topped with real fruit and wrapped individually, this line of Kit Kats is a little more luxurious than the others. Although the flavor is supposed to be strawberry cheesecake, it tastes closer to strawberries & cream. It's still quite delicious though. It's milder than the other strawberry flavors so far and the fruit on top lends it a nice balanced taste.

Sake

Now here's something magnificent, a Kit Kat that's iconically Japanese and slightly (0.4%) alcoholic! Containing sake powder between the wafers and coated in a sweet white chocolate, these Kit Kats are a highly aromatic delight. I would recommend them to anyone who appreciates sake. However, I wouldn't recommend bringing them to work (as I might've learned from experience).

Yokohama Strawberry Cheesecake

This is the regional souvenir flavor for the famous port city of Yokohama. They come in a fancy box and taste completely different from the Chocolatory variety. The flavor is closer to actual cheesecake while still being sweet with a hint of strawberry.