Japanese Kit Kats: Wasabi, Roasted Tea, Rum Raisin, Cherry Blossom & More

Kit Kats are a quintessentially British chocolate snack, originally launched in London and South East England by Rowntree’s back in 1935. They quickly spread around the world and are now a popular sweet in many countries. The iconic “Have a Break, Have a Kit Kat” advertising slogan appeared in 1958, cementing the brand’s identity.

Although they were initially made in Britain, production and distribution was expanded (into Germany) to meet demand. Rowntree’s also signed agreements with Hershey and Fuijya to market and distribute their products in the USA and Japan respectively. In 1988 Rowntree’s was purchased by Nestlé, who then had global control over the Kit Kat brand everywhere except North America, which Hershey retained. Nestlé created new facilities in Japan, Malaysia, India and China. In 2000, Nestlé also acquired Fujiya’s share of the brand.

Variations in Kat Kat flavours didn’t appear until 1996 when Kit Kat Orange was launched in the UK. In the years since, flavours such as double chocolate, white chocolate, caramel, mint and peanut butter were also released. These flavours have been resolutely mainstream, chosen to appeal to the widest possible demographic and frankly, they add little to the wider confectionery scene.

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But in Japan, the world of Kit Kats is completely different. Indeed, Nestle has released over 200 flavours since 2000 including ginger ale, soy sauce, green tea, banana, and strawberry cheesecake. These are often created as short term limited editions, which presumably gives more scope for the unusual and the outrageous. The other side of the coin is an audience far more receptive to the new and different than us Brits.

Because it sounds so much like the Japanese good luck phrase, kitto katsu, which means “surely win”, Kit Kats have become a popular gift for any occasion that calls for wishing the recipient well. Of course, the constant innovation in new flavours (not to mention packaging designs) also keeps interest keen.

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Although we ate as many traditional local specialities as we could during our trip to Japan last year, I was determined to find as many Japanese Kit Kat variations as possible.

We tasted them all in one sitting – here’s our feedback on the 9 flavours I brought home:

 

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Wa-Ichigo Strawberry

“Quite a good strawberry flavour”, says Pete, but slightly artificial. To me it tastes like cheap strawberry flavoured milkshakes from our childhood, though that’s not necessarily a bad thing.

 

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Citrus Golden Blend

Although this smells incredibly sweet, on the palate it actually has an unexpectedly pleasant balance of sharp and sweet. Pete too likes that “bit of acid to it”. This works.

 

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Strawberry Cheesecake

To me this Kit Kat reeks of blue cheese; to Pete it’s Parmesan he picks up on the nose. I find it has an unpleasant milky flavour (and I mean the dairy product here not milk or white chocolate) as well as an odd hint of coconut. Pete (who has an even sweeter tooth than I do) comments on the extreme sweetness and the coconut and says that whilst he also detects a “faint hint of artificial fruit”, he “can’t tell what it is”. Not a resounding success with either of us, this one.

 

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Rum Raisin

Wow! It smells right! And it tastes right too. There’s even a hint of alcohol to the taste, though I can’t read the box to confirm whether or not it actually contains any. Pete really likes it too, but comments that he “wouldn’t like to have to take a breathalyser test after eating one!”

 

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Hojicha Roasted Tea

Oh, this is like a cup of strongly brewed black tea with milk and a rich tea biscuit. It’s fabulous and I absolutely love it! Pete too says it smells and tastes just like cup of tea. He’s not quite as keen as I am but definitely approves.

 

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Wasabi

Pete gets a hint of wasabi on the nose, but I can’t pick it up at all and wonder whether the taste will be equally faint. So I’m pleasantly surprised to find it has a strong and distinct wasabi flavour but no wasabi heat. Pete declares that it’s “disturbing, very disturbing” in the way that it captures the essence of wasabi but puts it into chocolate.

 

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Uji-Matcha

Described as Uji-Matcha, after a well-known tea-producing town in Kansai this is one of the more mainstream Kit Kat flavours available in Japan. Matcha (powdered green tea) is used to flavour all manner of sweet and savoury dishes from noodles to ice cream, from cakes to salt mixes for tempura. Given that he’s not at all keen on matcha as a drink or an ingredient, Pete’s understandably not so enamoured of this Kit Kat as I am. For me, it’s a straightforward and fairly successful flavouring though the distinctive bitterness of matcha is a little too tempered by the milk and sugar for my tastes.

 

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Sakura Matcha

In this Kit Kat, sakura (cherry blossom) is combined with matcha to create a uniquely Japanese treat. I find the matcha is somewhat overwhelmed by the flowers which give a rather strong perfume-like flavour which is very sweet and cloying. Neither of us would seek this out again.

 

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Adult Sweetness

This is the only box which had no English writing at all, so I turn to twitter to ask if anyone could read Japanese. My friend Richard responds with a range of possibilities, eventually concluding that the name roughly translates as “adult sweetness”. We are at a loss to work out whether it means sophisticated and grown up or an altogether ruder interpretation!

In any case, we don’t like it at all. Pete thinks it “smells familiar” but “unpleasant” and tastes “peculiar”. My exact words are that it has “an absolutely horrid smell” and I find it incredibly sickly. If forced to guess I’d say it was based on cookies and cream, but don’t hold me to it.

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Our top three, in no particular order, were Rum Raisin, Hojicha Roasted Tea and Wasabi with a runner up high five to Uji-Matcha.

 

Have you tasted any of the Japanese Kit Kat flavours? If so which ones and what did you think of them? Any you particularly loved or hated?

We’re going back to Japan later this year, so will look out for some different ones during our trip.

 

 

READER GIVEAWAY

I have one set of all 9 flavours above to give away to a Kavey Eats reader. The prize includes 9 individually wrapped mini Kit Kats, which I’ll put into a (non-branded) box for posting. I am happy to deliver anywhere in the UK.

(Note: Japanese mini kit kats are half the size of the usual two fingered ones we get here in the UK.)

 

HOW TO ENTER

You can enter the competition in 3 ways:

Entry 1 – Blog Comment
Leave a comment below, telling me what new flavour you think would be great in a Kit Kat. It can be savoury or sweet.

Entry 2 – Facebook

Like the Kavey Eats Facebook and leave a (separate) comment on this blog post with your Facebook user name.

Entry 3 – Twitter
Follow @Kavey on Twitter. Existing followers are, of course, welcome to enter!
Then tweet the (exact) sentence below.
I’d love to win a set of 9 mini Japanese Kit Kats from Kavey Eats! http://goo.gl/LrBDk #KaveyEatsKitKats
(Please do not add my twitter handle into the tweet; I track entries using the hashtag. And don’t leave a blog comment about your tweet either, thanks!”)

 

RULES & DETAILS

  • The deadline for entries is midnight GMT Friday 17th May 2013.
  • The winners will be selected from all valid entries using a random number generator.
  • Entry instructions form part of the terms and conditions.
  • The prize is a hand-assembled set of 9 mini Kit Kats in the flavours listed above and includes free delivery anywhere in the UK.
  • The prize cannot be redeemed for a cash value.
  • The prize is offered and provided directly by Kavey Eats.
  • One blog entry per person only. One Twitter entry per person only. One Facebook entry per person only. You do not have to enter all three ways for your entries to be valid.
  • For Twitter entries, winners must be following @Kavey at the time of notification. For Facebook entries, winners must Like the Kavey Eats Facebook page at time of notification.
  • Blog comment entries must provide a valid email address for contacting the winner.
  • The winners will be notified by email, Twitter or Facebook. If no response is received within 7 days of notification, the prize will be forfeit and a new winner will be picked and contacted.

This competition is closed. The winner is Doreen (blog comment entry).

 

Please leave a comment - I love hearing from you!
25 Comments to "Japanese Kit Kats: Wasabi, Roasted Tea, Rum Raisin, Cherry Blossom & More"

  1. Gill Bland

    Well, Salted caramel would be an obvious winner at the moment given the current obsession with it. However, I’d like to try a lemon verbena one, or maybe cardamom

    Reply
  2. Heather

    Coconut and macadamia nut kit kat! maybe with a hint of caramel for some moisture.

    Reply
  3. Suelle

    When we were in a Japanese motorway service station we saw chilli flavoured KitKats but didn’t buy them because we thought they would be easy to find elsewhere. We never saw them again, so were bitterly disappointed not to try them. We’re going to Japan again next year, so I’ll grab the opportunity if it arises again. I’m impressed with the number and range of flavours you found!

    I think I’d like to try a maple and pecan flavour KitKat if we’re talking about Western flavours. Green tea and yuzu would be an interesting Eastern flavour.

    Reply
  4. Insatiable Eater

    Loved the rum and raisin variety too! They totally nailed the flavour. I wasn’t a huge fan of the wasabi though. Anyway, they should totally do a mango and white choc version. I’d be all over it.

    Reply
  5. Chloe

    Really enjoyed this post! Who knew Kit Kat could be as versatile a flavour carrier as a jelly bean? Want to visit Japan even more now.

    Reply
  6. doreen

    Basil. I think a basil KitKat would be interesting.

    I grew up partly in Japan, so I’m well aware of some of their more unique flavours. An ube KitKat would be interesting to try, as would adzuki bean.

    Afraid I have no explanation for “Adult Sweetness.”

    Reply
  7. Kirsten Foster

    I love the classic combination of ginger and chocolate, so it would be ginger for me – maybe a cristallised ginger one, a classic ginger biscuit one and a pickled ginger one for Japanese weirdness?

    Reply
  8. Eleri

    What a fascinating article. I love all things japanese. If i was making a new flavour i might try buttered hot cross buns, chocolate croissants or creamy rice pudding?

    Reply
  9. Darren Allford

    Rasperrry and panacotta got to be worth a try? This, by the way, has blown my mind….

    Reply
  10. Glynis

    I had no idea that there could be such a variety of flavours.

    How about Banoffee flavoured Kit Kats? Bananas, toffee and cream,,,mmmm!

    Reply
  11. Lisa

    All these flavors would be very interesting to try! If I had to create my own kit kat flavor I think I’d attempt rhubarb and custard or pumpkin pie not sure which? Probably both! ;0)

    Reply
  12. Rosa

    These look divine! I recently got to try a few thanks to Haikugirl. I would love a melon flavoured kit kat, but knowing my luck that probably already exists!

    Reply
  13. Itsumo Japan

    Great review, Japanese KitKats are amazing aren’t they?

    I’d love to see Mugicha flavour. It’s a kind of tea made from barley and has a really nice roasted, slightly bitter flavour. Would be nice with wafer and chocolate I think : )

    Reply
  14. Matt

    I think bergamot would be delicious and very popular, but if I was going to be more off-the-wall, I’d love to try a tomato/sun-dried tomato flavour kit kat.

    Reply
  15. Lynda

    Japanese kitkats must be in the air – I just got some from the Japan Centre. Definitely novelty factor appeal – flavours are intriguing though not sure i want to eat again!

    Reply
  16. Sharinnah

    I have tasted the following Japanese Kit Kat flavors:

    1. Green Tea
    2. Blueberry Cheesecake
    3. Strawberry Cheesecake
    4. Amaou Strawberry
    5. Ichigo Strawberry
    6. Wasabi
    7. Golden Citrus Orange
    8. Orange
    9. Lectier Pear
    10. Apple
    11. Hazelnut
    12. Hokkaido Cookies and Cream
    13. Passion Fruit
    14. Raspberry
    15. Pumpkin
    16. Red Bean
    17. Adult Sweetness Choco
    18. Chili Pepper Powder
    19. Edamame Soybean
    20. Brown Sugar Syrup
    21.Roasted Tea
    22. Purple Sweet Potato
    23. Caramel Pudding
    24. Sakura Matcha
    25. Cinnamon Cookie

    They’re all from Japan. Craaazy flavors! Every year (usually around November) they release new flavors. I’m looking forward to this year’s. 😀 😀 😀

    Reply
    kaveyeats

    Wow, Sharinnah! I’m very envious! 🙂 Any feedback on your favourites?

    Reply

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