A bit terrifying to think the total number of calories of all the Kit Kat that I currently have in my house is 7456.

Japanese Kit Kat was something I have dreamed about tasting for a long time. While visiting Tokyo I set myself a goal to grab as many different Kit Kat flavors as I could find. Finding them was not always easy, but it was well worth it. They all have really unique tastes and smells, not to mention very cool packaging. I also really like how each box\piece of Kit Kat has a space on the back for writing personal notes. That space is meant for friends and family to write words of encouragement to students which are studying for their entrance exams. That is probably because Kit Kat sounds similar to the “kitto katsu” – a Japanese phrase roughly translated as “you will surely win\succeed”.

If you’re on the hunt for unique Kit Kat, keep your eyes peeled when you travel Japan. They can pop everywhere. I was able to find them at supermarkets, gift shops, Don Quijote, Duty Free and the Kit Kat Chocolatory. Some of the flavors made an appearance in different places, while some I only saw once. The conclusion: If you see a flavor you haven’t seen before, grab it, even if you think it’s quite pricey – there’s a chance you won’t encounter it again.

 

So let’s get down to business and have a taste of 17 different Kit Kat.

Orange Cocktail Noir – Dark chocolate with an orange flavor that is not overbearing. I personally prefer the regular orange Kit Kat, perhaps because I’m not a huge fan of dark chocolate.

Strawberry Cheese Cake – First off, the smell of this Kit Kat is amazing – a delicate strawberry scent. I would love to see Bath & Body Works make a Kit Kat Strawberry Cheese Cake candle! The outside layer is creamy white and the filling between the wafer is pastel pink. The after taste reminded me of Collon and reminded Opher of strawberry ice cream. I would imagine eating this during tea break in a garden while classical music is played in the background and cherry blossom is all around.

Citrus Golden Blend Flavor aka Kankitsu Ogon Blend – Covered in pastel orange chocolate, this Kit Kat attacks your senses with citrus-y goodness. It’s zingy, has a great lemon kick to it and smells like an orchard.

Ginger –  It doesn’t really smell or taste like ginger. I expected a very unusually tasting chocolate but was disappointed to find out you get the kind of chocolate that is commonly found in a generic gift chocolate-box.

Red Bean – Super excited about this one, as I really fancied all the red bean filled candies I got to taste so far. Covered in the regular chocolate and filled with a subtle azuki cream, this is a must for all red bean lovers.

Sublime Framboise – This is by far the most expensive Kit Kat I’ve purchased in Tokyo. This Kit Kat bar consists of one long finger and costs ¥300 (2.5$/9.5₪). It is hand made with couverture chocolate that contains extra cocoa butter, which makes it shiny. I’ve also read it is limited to only 300 bars per store per day. Lucky me. It is firmer and crunchier than a regular Kit Kat chocolate. The beautiful raspberry layers provide a good contrast to the dark chocolate, which makes this bar very tasty. It’s definitely worth the splurge.

Purple Sweet Potato Flavor (Okinawa and Kyushu Edition) – One of the more unique Kit Kat flavors I encountered. The sweet potato flavor is very popular in Japanese desserts but I found it hard on my palette. The packaging is very cute as well as the purpuly color of the outside chocolate. The taste is very delicate and mild so I was able to enjoy it regardless of my previous disattachment to purple sweet potato.

Butter – Have you ever taken a bite out of a butter bar? Does that even sound appealing to you? If so this might be the Kit Kat for you. It really does taste like butter, albeit chocolatier. I must be honest, I’m not sure how I feel about it.

Matcha Green Tea – I was familiar with this one since almost everyone who returns from a visit in Japan brings a sample to share. I was also able to find them in Japantown in San Francisco in one of my visits there. The strong green tea flavor is accompanied with a white chocolate, which makes for great combination.

Sakura Green Tea – This one is very similar to the Matcha Green Tea Kit Kat. I’m sure there are nuances to the green tea flavor, since it combines Sakura flavor, but not being a regular green tea consumer, I just couldn’t put my finger on it.

Red Bean Sandwich Flavor (Azuki Sand Aji) –Turns out Azuki sandwiches are a delicacy in Nagoya. I can actually imagine myself enjoying such a dish, but for now I will have to settle for the Kit Kat version. It is covered in the regular Kit Kat chocolate but the filling is very delicious. I wonder if they are going to make an Azuki sandwich flavored Kit Kat flavored Azuki sandwich. So meta.

 

Wa-Ichigo – Japanese Strawberry – The Wa-Ichigo Kit Kat is made with quality Tochiotome strawberries, a variety praised for its fine balance of sweetness and tartness. It looks and smells amazing – the smell of the strawberries is much more prominent that the Cheese Cake Strawberry Kit Kat. And the taste? Amazing! Definitely one the bests. I’m so sad the set contains only 3 pieces.

 

Shinshu Apple Flavor – First thing you’ll notice about this Kit Kat is the amazing smell when you open the package. This limited edition Kit Kat is a combination of milk chocolate and apples which are native to the  Shinshu region. This combination works particularly well because of the rich apple flavor.

 

Ume – This one is a roller coaster of flavors – each and every bite provides you with an entirely new  sensation in your mouth. I find it a must for all fruity chocolate lovers.

Strawberry Maple – Yet another strawberry flavor Kit Kat made from white chocolate. The previous two were pretty amazing so the bar was set quite high, especially since this one is one of the more premium Kit Kat that can be found in the Kit Kat Chocolatory. The smell is pretty different as the maple kind of takes over. And what a great combo it is! I love the way the maple complements the strawberry and creates a perfect bite.

 

Halloween Pumpkin Pudding – This is a Kit Kat you’re supposed to bake in the oven. Yes. Kit Kat baked in the oven. It comes in a 12 piece bag, most with an individual Halloween themed package art and a different faced pumpkin lantern. I followed the instructions and put them on a tray in the toaster oven for 3-4 minutes. The final result: It doesn’t taste like pumpkin pudding as much as it tastes like caramelized sugar. We also tasted it without the oven shebang and actually preferred it that way.

Baked Cheese Bun with Sesame – This is another bake-in-the-oven-Kit-Kat. Yet again, the caramelized sugar was too overwhelming. I tried this one raw as well to get a clue of what it should taste like. However, this one disappointed us in the raw form as well. Taste felt somewhat artificial and overly sweet.

 

 

The Kit Kat winners are:

Strawberry Cheese Cake

Citrus Golden Blend Flavor aka Kankitsu Ogon Blend

 

Kit Kat Chocolatory

If you’re on the lookout for unique Kit Kat flavors, I wouldn’t miss visiting the Kit Kat Chocolatory. The shop (or actually the counter) is located in the basement of the Seibu department store. We were short on time so it was pretty difficult to pass by all the amazing counters there without being able to stare longer and taste anything. Even so – what wouldn’t we do for another rare Kit Kat?

I was quite disappointed to see that they don’t stock a TON a flavors, but rather a limited selection of premium flavors. I collected each of almost every flavor they offered. Eventually I bought 6 different flavors – Ume, Butter, Ginger, Orange Cocktail Noir, Strawberry Mable and Sakura Green Tea. They each cost ¥400(3$/12.5₪) and you get a nice little box with 4 small packages. I also got the Sublime Framboise that cost ¥300 (2.5$/9.5₪) for one longer-than-average-Kit-Kat finger.

 

Kit Kat Chocolatory Online:

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