This past weekend, while television sets were tuned to The Black Eyes Peas halftime show, the Lingerie Bowl or even the Puppy Bowl, my house was a bit preoccupied. After a recent trip to Japan where I returned with a suitcase full of Kit Kat varieties, the best way to share the wealth was a full-on taste test party. If adding wasabi flavor sounds like a waste of a cream-filled and chocolate-covered wafer, then you need to read this post because it was actually quite delicious. Step into the world of odd candy and read on to find out what flavors did and did not please our palettes.
This past weekend, while television sets were tuned to The Black Eyes Peas halftime show, the Lingerie Bowl or even the Puppy Bowl, my house was a bit preoccupied. After a recent trip to Japan where I returned with a suitcase full of Kit Kat varieties, the best way to share the wealth was a full-on taste test party. If adding wasabi flavor sounds like a waste of a cream-filled and chocolate-covered wafer, then you need to read this post because it was actually quite delicious. Step into the world of odd candy and read on to find out what odd flavors did and did not please our palettes.
Thecurrent list of Kit Kat varieties is a list that asks “Why not?” rather than “Why?” With just over 100 flavors available, most are produced only in limited runs and then sold either regionally or seasonally. Given these circumstances, I was able to collect 11 different flavors during my trip, and they were more than enough to put every party-goer’s sweet tooth to the test. Here’s the full rundown of everything that worked and every thing that did not:
“Daigakuimo” (Sweet Potato):
Sold in the “Chunky” bar format, this is an intimidating Kit Kat, weighing in at nearly five times the mass of a standard wafer. But did it actually taste like a sweet potato? Yes and no. The flavor was definitely there, but the candy was sweetened to the point of nearly wiping the flavoring out. Some of our taste-testers commented the sweetness made it taste more like a yam. Perhaps something was lost in translation, but I felt it would still be a bit over-sweet even if that were the desired flavor.
“Matcha” (Green Tea):
Matcha, referring to the Japanese word for finely-milled green tea, is a very traditional flavor in that culture. Having tasted several different varieties of green tea and green tea inspired products while in Japan, I can say that Nestle got the flavors perfectly in this candy bar. On that scale of comparison, it measured closest to the Starbucks green tee latte due to both of the products using milk and a bit of extra sweetness. Our taste testers’ enjoyment of it simply came down to their natural preference for green tea. Those who enjoy the tea loved the candy. The most common adjective used when commenting on this flavor was “smooth.”
“Ramune” (Soda Drink):
This two-pack of soda-inspired flavors provided a bit of a shock to the senses. The first, what our group thought was a cola-based candy, actually proved to have a root beer taste. Some noted that the candy was completely unremarkable, but others compared its flavor favorably to root beer gummy candies they had eaten in the past.
On the other hand, the second soda flavor was a complete dud. What looks to be a lemon-lime soda tasted closer to a lemon cleaning product or “something I never wanted to taste in my life.” We’ll need to clean that taste tester’s palette before we move on.
Strawberry:
Sold in the bite-size, or as the packaging states “Big Little!” variety, these little Strawberry treats were actually pretty delicious. While considered a safe flavor when compared to some of the others we would later be tasting, some of our testers remarked that Strawberry tasted too close to a fruit snack and not a chocolate-based product, while many others felt that they could down a whole package if presented the opportunity.
Soy Sauce:
A regional flavor sold only in the Tokyo area, this flavor was the absolute hit of the party. Its secret? Soy Sauce Kit Kats taste nothing like soy sauce. Instead, we drew comparisons to french toast sticks or even better: a large stack of pancakes dripping with syrup and butter. It even smelled like a hearty breakfast from two feet away. The more enterprising foodies of our group tried to decompose these flavors and settled on a blend of butterscotch and vanilla.
Wasabi:
Another regional variety and another surprise hit, Wasabi Kit Kats are only sold in the Kanto region of Japan. Now before you judge this flavor, you may need a bit of a primer on wasabi in general. What Americans think of as wasabi is actually an imitation product made from horseradish, mustard, corn starch, and food coloring. Real wasabi root still has a sharp and spicy kick to it, but it does not have the offensive “burn out your nasal cavity” effect that horseradish can possess.
The Wasabi Kit Kat proved true to the real wasabi taste as the spice was dull yet warm and present mainly in the aftertaste. It even drew comparison to the effect of drinking a whiskey, as both placed that lingering feeling in your chest. After much prodding, even the most hesitant of taste testers were convinced to try it and it receive thumbs up around the room.
Strawberry Cheesecake:
The last of the regional varieties, this flavor is exclusive to the Yokohama area. It can be summarized in short by saying it never truly did taste like a cheesecake. The flavors hit in two waves: first, the strawberry which most of our taste testers already knew they liked and second, the cheese flavor, whose foulness we will cover a bit later when we discuss the Cheese Kit Kat.
Orange:
Another fruit-inspired product sold in “Big Little!” form, this one actually fared even better than its strawberry cousin. The mixing of citrus and cocoa is not an unfamiliar practice. Chocolate Orange, anyone? Nestle manages to pull this off just as well with their own little bite-size confection. The key to this variety was providing the sweet citrus flavor without the resulting overly-sugared taste that so many previous Kit Kat varieties had been plagued with.
“Sakura Macha” (Cherry Blossom Green Tea):
We already knew that Nestle could successfully put green tea into a candy bar with the smooth and delicious Green Tea Kit Kat, but what was to be expected when mixing in the flavor of a cherry blossom? The answer was a fruit punch kick that was present almost exclusively in the aftertaste, in this case allowing the two flavors to complement each other. File this one under “unexpectedly delicious.”
Cheese:
The bane of our existence; not a single taste tester would take a second helping of Cheese Kit Kat if given the opportunity. While most felt this variety would work best with the sharp kick of a Wisconsin cheddar, this instead brought out the feeling of a soft cheese that had sat out for a bit too long. The flavor even came complete with a truly gag-inspiring aftertaste. Perhaps it was our fault for not dressing up and sampling some wine alongside our Cheese Kit Kats, but whatever we did to cross the makers of this flavor, we were sorry.
I hope you’ve enjoyed this review of strange yet familiar candy products from across the globe. All of the members of our taste test panel were very glad they had the opportunity to sample such products, but everyone went home with a stomach ache. With over 100 total flavors, perhaps we will have a round 2 some day!
