Sports Drink Kit Kat スポーツドリンク味キットカット

This Kit Kat was launched to support Asian Soccer and is sponsored by the JFA. On the back of the box it explains about how playing soccer makes kids bright and healthy and gives them dreams to aim for.

That explains why the flavour is Sports Drink, though exactly which sports drink we don't know. The back of the packet states that there is lemon powder and vitamin c contained in the chocolate.

The smell of this Kit Kat reminds me of rare cheesecake. It has a lemon-cheese scent.

When I bit into the Kit Kat I could taste the lemon immediately. There was a light lemon taste in the white chocolate, and bursts of sour lemon in the cream between the wafers. There seems to be a bitter taste at the base of my throat after eating this Kit Kat leading me to suspect there was grapefruit flavour in there, though I can't find it on the ingredient list, so maybe some chemical bitterness perhaps.

In all, I liked this Kit Kat, but not happy with the aftertaste. I probably wouldn't eat it again based solely on that. I don't think it's anything very special at least, and doesn't even remind me of a sports drink to be honest.

Festival Hi-Chew Toffee Apple

I just received a parcel of yummy treats from Japan and this was in the box. I was disappointed to find that this Hi-Chew is smaller than the average packet, and has only 7 pieces.

As a kid, Toffee Apples were one of my favourite sweets. Whever we went to the local vegetable shop there was always a big tray of toffee apples, one for 50 cents, and my mum would buy me one.

So seeing this Toffee Apple flavour or what Japanese refer to as Ringo Ame (Apple sweets) made me feel abit nostalgic for the old days.

Each pieces is a light pink colour on the outside and white in the centre, and has pieces of chewy toffee inside. From the outside there is the very same smell of the toffee on the outside of the apple. Oh the memories!

Biting into the Hi-Chew is a strange experience because on one hand there is the soft chewy chew, followed by a big crunch as I bite down on a piece of toffee. The flavour of the Hi-Chew is quite tart, like a green apple, and the toffee brings the sweetness.

I really like the flavour combination, but I'm not so sure about the bits of toffee. It takes some getting used to, crunching down on those toffee bits. I think kids would definitely love this because of the change in texture, but as a long-time Hi-chew lover, I just can't get my head around the crunch part and I would prefer it if there was two flavours but without the crunchiness.

Still, I am glad I tried this, so I could see what it was like. It gave me a nice trip down memory lane, if nothing else.

UCC Coffee With Milk

This coffee by UCC has been around for years, but I've never actually bought it until now. As I'm currently having a coffee fad, it stood out to me in the drinks section of my local Japanese supermarket and as it was on special it made the decision for me.

I love the blurb on the front of the can -

UCC: The pioneer maker of the canned liquid coffee in Japan. Come on, and enjoy its original taste.

The can holds 337ml. The ingredients are sugar, skim milk powder, coffee, whole dried milk. Even though the coffee is second last on the list it is quite prominent in the drink.

The colour of the coffee is a very dark colour, like when not much milk is added, even though milk is higher than coffee on the ingredient list. I'm glad this coffee has sugar in it, it's not really sweet but sweet enough not to be too bitter.

I've never been a fan of coffee in a can mostly because Japanese companies tend to make it too strong for me, but this coffee by UCC is something I could drink quite regularly.

I like the can itself, the simplicity of the design, the price, and most important the taste. I think quite often Japanese drink makers rely on package design and advertising quirks to sell their products rather than the actual content and what it tastes like. Fortunately UCC coffee has stood the test of time and is still here to provide us with a refreshing coffee that doesn't need silly advertising campaigns to promote it.

So yes, I can now say, I'm a fan of coffee in a can but only if it's made by UCC!

栗入りどら焼き (Sweet red bean and chestnut filled pancakes)

I found these were half price at the local Japanese supermarket and snapped them up.

They are what the Japanese call "dorayaki", small round pancakes filled with red bean, soy bean or chestnut paste. There are 5 individally wrapped cakes in a plastic tray inside the bag.

These have red bean paste and little bits of crushed chestnuts poking through.

The pancake itself is dark brown and when broken in half is quite thick, but you can also see the air bubbles of where the cake has risen, so it's nice and fluffy. The filling is really generous too and is the right amount of paste to cake ratio.

The cake was dry enough but not too dry, so that with the bean together as a sandwich it became a nice moist texture without being too sloppy. The main taste of this dorayaki is red bean, and only by biting down on a piece of chestnut or actually picking out a piece and eating it, can I really taste it in there.

This was great for me as I'm not a huge chestnut fan but I love azuki, so it was nice to try something a little bit different for me while being within my comfort zone.

These were great served with a cup of tea, my husband and I really enjoyed them. It was a nice sweet without being overly sweet.

The maker - Marukyo - make other such dorayaki treats that I have also seen around, so maybe I will try another type from them next time.

Triple Berry Kit Kat (Wishing On A Star)

I bought this a month ago but only just opened it today, though it is still very fresh.

Not sure why but on the top of the box it says "hoshi ni negai wo" which is the equivalent to "wishing on a star" in English. I guess it must have been some kind of promotion.

This Kit Kat is Tripleberry, and the box has an image of strawberries, blueberries, and cranberries. There is juice powder of all three berries in the chocolate, though how much I'm not sure, as for major ingredients they are pretty far down the list.

The Kit Kat itself is white chocolate with pink swirls. It smells very much like strawberry.


The first bite is very florally. It almost tastes like rose, or what I would imagine a rose would taste like. There are some very sweet notes, and some sour bursts.

I can't really tell any of the flavours apart, it's one amalgamation of berry. I can't distinguish which is which. The chocolate on the outside is quite sweet and contains the sour bursts, while the pink cream sandwiched between the wafers has a stronger berry flavour, more like strawberry.

For an all-round berry flavour it's quite good, but if you were hoping to taste all the flavours singularly, you would be disappointed.

I enjoyed this bar because while it was sweet, it wasn't tooth-achingly so. If they ever reinvent this I would like to try it with a milk chocolate coating.

Hokkaido Yubari Melon Hi-Chew 北海道夕張メロンハイチュウ

Hokkaido is well known for it's Yubari Melon, in fact it's the most popular melon in all of Japan. They are named after the small town near Sapporo where they come from. Yubari Melons are the most expensive melons, costing anywhere upwards of $40 just for one!

The first time I ever went to Japan I saw this Yubari Melon Hi-chew and was in awe. I never tried it. That was 2004. Now, more than 5 years later I finally got my hands on a packet of it. Why did I wait so long? I don't really know, to be honest, it just panned out that way.

Yubari is dear to my heart. My husband's family are from Hokkaido and still live there, so I have a very personal relationship with melon in general. I've always loved the yellow fleshed melon that we call Rockmelon or Canteloupe.

The colour of the chew is a very pale orangey white colour with an orange strip through the middle. The melon scent is very strong even before the wrapper is entirely off.

The exact flavour of the orange flesh is present in the first bite. It's just like eating a real melon, albeit a rather chewy one. Further chews make the chew softer and more pliable in my mouth but the flavour doesn't increase or decrease but stays the same. Towards the end I get a flavour reminscent of an overripe banana, but it's not bad tasting, it just reminds me of that, but also reminds me so much of the Yubari I eat when I go to Hokkaido. Oh my goodness, it makes me feel so homesick for Hokkaido.

This Hi-chew is full of Yubari flavour and doesn't really deviate from the taste at all. I couldn't stop eating these, and I'm already on my third one. The only thing bad I have to say that would probably be true for all Hi-Chew's is that after eating a few it makes me thirsty, and the taste left in my mouth is like bubblegum more or less.

I think this Hi-Chew is probably more suited only to those who love this type of melon. It's very full-on, and offers nothing different in the way of new taste sensations. If you want a trip down memory lane, like I did, then this is your bet.

Ramune Kit Kat ラムネキットカット

Ramune is the Japanese word for Lemonade. In drink form it comes in a clear glass bottle that is sealed with a marble. It is pronounced rah-moo-nay. On Wikipedia it states that Ramune is traditionally a lemon-lime flavour though I disagree. All the ramune's I've ever had tasted more like just plain lemonade, no lime flavour at all. Yasu said he's never been able to taste lime either, so thankfully it's not just me.

Well as a generally sought after ingredient to any Otaku/Japan geek's party, it was a given that eventually Nestle would make a Kit Kat version. And so they did.

They come in a large pack of 14 mini's, but I just got 4 mini's singularly.

Opening the wrapper, I can smell the scent of fizz, and a mild generic bubble-gum like scent. The colour of the chocolate is a wishy-washy blue coloured white chocolate. The wafer inside is amazingly golden with a white cream that packs a fizzy punch when bitten into.

The outer chocolate has a real bubble-gum flavour with very small bits of sourness not unlike a strawberry. The cream in between the wafers is where the real fizz texture and flavour are pronounced.

The chocolate is sweet and milky, but made interesting by the occasional burst of sour. I think this Kit Kat tries to embody the fizz of drinking a bottle of Ramune and succeeds. I think it would be interesting if they made a peach or melon ramune kit kat. I would really like to try that.

In all I was very happy with this Kit Kat, I think it delivered on what it set out to do, and it was a very good imitation of the soft drink.

Another review and thumbs up for this kit kat.

Asahi Mitsuya Cider

It wasn't a concious decision to review more Japanese beverages, it's that it's the only thing I've bought recently from the Japanese supermarket! I promise though there are some more Japanese Kit Kat reviews on the way from tomorrow.

I bought this bottle of Asahi Mitsuya Cider at the same time as the Kirin Lemon Tea. Mitsuya Cider is popular enough that it stays around the Japanese supermarkets here constantly. It's not one of those drinks that comes and goes and never returns. Because of that I have bought this drink several times but this is the first time I have reviewed it.

The bottle is 500ml. The nutritional information states that there is 175.5 kg of energy, 0 g of fat, 11 g of carbohydrate, and 8 mg of sodium.

When I opened the bottle there is a loud sound of the gas, but not much fizz. The smell reminds me of bubblegum or a gobstopper bubble gum ball. Ultimately I think this is Japan's version of lemonade. My thoughts are that usually cider is made with apple, and there are no apples or fruit in this drink. The ingredients list water, fructose, flavour, and caffeine. Just what flavour it is I don't know.

Although the drink doesn't look fizzy, when I take a sip the cider fizzes in my mouth. The taste is firstly like a soda water with a dash of lemon, or a weak lemonade, but the end is like the taste of having chewed bubblegum until it had no more flavour. It's not really a nice flavour to end on, and really just makes me thirsty. I really want to have a tall glass of water after drinking this.

I wouldn't even recommend this for curiosity's sake though my husband loves Mitsuya Cider, and that is why I keep buying it. I guess it holds something that I can't fathom to others who have grown up with it.

A little bit of info, the red symbol on the front of the bottle is actually 3 arrows joined together. In Japanese "mitsu"is 3 of something, and "ya" is arrow. So you get 3 arrows.

Kirin Afternoon Tea Lemon 午後の紅茶・レモンティー

I must admit, I'm a big fan of the royal milk tea that Kirin make. Today I was passing a Japanese supermarket and had such a thirst, I needed something really refreshing. The canary yellow label on this bottle sang out to me and I bought it.

It didn't disappoint. It really is a very refreshing drink. Despite the fact that the label states there is only 0.1% lemon juice in the tea, the lemon is quite present in the flavour. It's basically Kirin's straight tea with a dash of lemon. The label says it has water, sugar, tea, spice, lemon juice, and vitamin c. I'm not sure how much actual vitamin c you would get from drinking this, but as it's last on the list, I would say not much. It's an afternoon tea anyway, not exactly the place to look for vitamins.

However, it's pretty good if you're watching your weight as there is 1 gram of fat per 500ml bottle. 0 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of salt and 34 grams of sugar.

This is a greatly refreshing drink for a hot summer's day and in my case an unusually sunny and warm winter's day! I will definitely be buying this again.

Kinoko no Yama Tiramisu - きのこの山・ティラミス味

Kinoko no Yama (Mushroom mountain) has been around since my husband was a boy, and this year marks their 30th anniversary. It's a favourite of Japanese children and originally just came in chocolate top with plain pretzel bottom. The past few years have seen more and more exciting and interesting flavours being developed for Kinoko no Yama, and Tiramisu is the latest, released for their anniversary celebrations.

I've only recently jumped on the Tiramisu bandwagon and realised how great the dessert is, so I thought this would be a good way to try out more of the flavour.

Kinoko no Yama is a favourite treat of mine. I really love the cute little mushrooms and my favourite way to eat them is to bite off the top first.

The mushrooms are 4cm high by 3cm wide, double the usual size. That means that while the package weighs 22.4 grams, you only get 7 individually wrapped mushrooms, not as many as usual. A great waste of packaging and space.

The individual bags are see-through with red writing. It's evident that the mushrooms have been bumped around abit in transit as there is a fair bit of chocolate dust on the inside of the bag and the chocolate itself looks abit rustic.

There is no obvious smell from the chocolate, but once I bite in I get a brilliant taste of a rich, golden roasted coffee, it is so divine. The chocolate is smooth like silk and at the end has a small bitter bite. The layer of chocolate underneath is mild, not too tangy or sour, but creamy and has slight black flecks in it which might be vanilla. On the box it says this layer is marscapone cheese, something I have never tried so I'm not sure if this is a true taste or not.

The pretzel itself is dark chocolate, lots of cocoa in there, some salty notes and finishes off with a slightly bitter note. It's almost music for my mouth. This chocolate-cookie combination is a triumph and well done to Meiji for getting it right! It really tastes like a Tiramisu but alot crunchier.

This would make a nice, albeit less-is-more gift, or just be a little bit decadent and treat yourself!

To learn more about Kinoko no Yama you can visit this site.

Takenoko no Sato Cheesecake - たけのこの里・チーズケーキ味

Takenoko no sato (or Bamboo Shoots in the village), is shaped like a bamboo shoot with a cookie base and a flavoured chocolate covering. They have a brother called Kinoko no Yama (mushrooms on the mountain), which is pretzel based, and looks like a mushroom.

As my husband is a big cheesecake fan I bought this Takenoko for us to try. Takenoko is his favourite, he prefers the cookie base, while I prefer the pretzel base of Kinoko.

While this box is large, it only weighs 23.4 grams and there are 7 large indivdually wrapped bamboo shoots. A major waste of packaging and space. These are 3cm x 3cm, double the size of the normal chocolate Takenoko.

There is no perceptible scent from the cookie. The cookie is covered in a creamy coloured chocolate with Vanilla Bean specs within. The first taste when biting in is a creamy vanilla chocolate, followed by a more milky taste that develops. The crispy biscuit underneath is good, crumbly in texture, sweet but not too much. There is some saltiness that develops at the end that rounds out the flavour.


I found this to be more vanilla flavour than cheesecake. There was no cheese flavour, or tangy yoghurt like flavour that is usually present with cheesecake flavoured snacks. It was disappointing for me as I expected a nice creamy cheesecake. My husband wasn't disappointed though because he loves the cookie crunch and really loved the vanilla flavour anyway.

I just wish that Meiji had labelled this better, or developed the flavour better, because it did not deliver it's promise of flavour. This is a really nice cookie-chocolate snack if you don't expect it to be cheesecake. If someone had blindfolded me and told me it was vanilla bean, I would be really happy.

I wouldn't go out of my way to get another box as a) the flavour is quite pedestrian, and b) the contents of the box in no way match the price.

Citrus Ginger Throat Candy

Japanese Nodo-ame (のど飴) or throat candy, have a reputation for being more like a regular candy than something to medicate when you have a sore throat. At the time I bought this pack, my husband was sick with a cold and a sore throat. I took them home but somehow he overlooked them and didn't use them.

This time around it's me who has a sore throat, and I thought I could give an accurate review in regards to my feelings on the candy's effectiveness.

This throat candy is made by Kanro, a company known for it's candy and gummy. The flavour is Citrus and Ginger, and the pack shows a picture of lemons, an orange, and grapefruits. The pack itself is somewhat rustic looking and quite different to other throat candy packets I have seen. It seems to be more "homestyle" as if trying to represent a feeling of nature or natural.

There are 10 individually wrapped pieces of lemon-yellow candy. They are approximately 1.5 x 2.3 cm, and 0.8cm high. There is a vague smell of grapefruit from the candy itself.

The first thing I taste when I put the candy in my mouth is the citrus flavour, mostly of grapefruit. It's a nice flavour, not too sour, but also not too sweet. Other moments I can taste the tang of lemon, or juicy orange, but mostly the grapefruit comes through. As I suck the candy piece, a ginger taste starts to build up in my mouth until it becomes a very hot feeling. It's mostly on my tongue and inside of the cheeks than at the throat. Even swallowing the burning hot, does not make my throat feel hot. The hotness stays in my mouth.

Surprisingly my nose started to become unblocked after sucking on this candy for a few minutes. My throat also felt slightly less sore. I can only attribute that to the ginger, as I know that it has healing properties, and is a well-used ingredient in cold and flu remedies.

The hotness in my mouth is not like eating a chilli, it's more like someone turned a heater on in my mouth. It's hard to describe. It's not uncomfortable. I imagine if you are eating it in Winter as I am, It's a very nice warm-up for a cold night.

The candy is hard all the way through. I'm glad of that though. I'm not really a fan of the candies that have liquid in the centre.

I think this candy lived up to expectations and absolutely topped them. My throat has definitely benefitted from this candy, unlike most other Japanese throat candies I have tried. It also has a nice natural flavour, and the heat which the ginger generates in my mouth is a welcome relief from the cold.

If indeed you like these flavours in general, you needn't stick to eating them only when you are sick. I think this candy could be enjoyed at any time of the year.

I thoroughly recommend these throat candies. Please note that Kanro have changed the pack design and the amount of candies contained inside to 11. The image of the new pack is here.

Hokkaido Azuki Apollo

This Hokkaido Azuki Apollo was a limited release, along with other flavours like Muscat, and Peach.

On one side of this box is a photo image of Clark, as in "boys be ambitious". The other side is a normal Apollo box with a square stamp on the top showing the product is from Hokkaido.

The Area of Tokachi in Hokkaido is well known for the tasty Azuki they produce. The fact that this Apollo is made from those Azuki is meant to make this all the more attractive to Azuki consumers.

The box is the regular size and holds 22 pieces inside. They are contained only in the box without other packaging, and because of that I think that the pieces look abit rustic. As in, they have rubbed together and been thrown around in the box, so they are somewhat dusty with bits of chocolate.

The colour is somewhat different than I expected. I thought it would be a dusky rose colour on top and brown on the bottom (though the box has a picture of a light pink on top, brown on the bottom). In actual fact, the chocolate is light brown on the top with flecks of darker brown, with a dark brown chocolate on the bottom.

The smell when I opened the box was similar to that of the Oshiruko Kit Kat. However, when I pop one into my mouth, the taste is a fully flavoured Azuki bean, and the texture is exactly the same as if I popped a spoonful of Azuki beans in my mouth. You know that crushed up texture of Azuki, it's very hard to describe. The chocolate at the bottom is very lightly there, and is a very good match for the Azuki that takes centre stage.

I loved this version of Apollo, it was fantastic and tasted great, and very true to Azuki. The chocolate was a very good combination, offering a slight bitterness at the end to offset the sweetness.

If you see these I recommend you pick up a pack, you won't regret it!

Morinaga Ichigo Caramel (Strawberry Caramel)

This Ichigo Caramel was released for Mother's Day (May) in Japan. It was only around for a little while before petering out. Fortunately for me I received it as a gift with a bunch of other food gifts, and it makes a change from the usual Milk, and Matcha flavours that Morinaga usually make. Not to say I don't also like those, but I do like to try new flavours of caramel when I can.

This box holds the same quantity as usual. 12 individually wrapped pieces 1.5cm x 1.5cm in size. When you push the bottom of the box, the top slides up, similar to a matchbox. You can also push down from the top and have the same effect.

Each piece of caramel is bubblegum pink in colour. It doesn't carry much scent, a very faint strawberry mousse flavour, if anything.

The first taste is a very floral, almost musk-like flavour. The caramel is quite hard and takes a couple of chews to reduce the size. While chewing I get a vague strawberry mousse flavour, but there is still quite alot of floral flavour in there. The strawberry flavour never really builds up in intensity, while the floral notes are extremely strong and overwhelming. After swallowing this caramel I'm left with a taste similar to having chewed pink bubblegum for a few hours. It's not a pleasant taste, and the floral taste has burnt my throat.

This caramel was not enjoyable. Where was the strawberry?? I can just imagine the poor mum's that got saddled with this for Mother's Day. They probably hid it in the garbage when their kids' weren't looking. I guess Morinaga should stick to the basics.

Luckily this was a seasonal thing so I don't have to warn anyone off trying it. It's unlikely you will come across it, but if you do, buy at your own risk! And don't say I didn't give you fair warning. If you have tried this, let me know what YOU thought about it!

Heart Apollo

Apollo is one of those great Japanese chocolates that has been around for years and is ever popular with kids. It was one of the first Japanese chocolates I ever tasted, and it has continued to be a favourite of mine.

Imagine my delight when a friend of mine in Japan included this box of Heart Apollo in a care package she sent to me! This box of Heart Apollo I was told, was brought out to celebrate Mother's Day in Japan.

The box is really sweetly decorated, and the Apollo themselves are in the shape of hearts (when looking from above). The only thing that bothers me about this box of chocolates is the packaging. The box makes it seem like you are getting alot, when in fact there are only 8 individually wrapped Apollo chocolates. They are bigger than normal, but one individual wrap could fit two Apollo inside. The box is large enough to accomodate twice the size, so it is abit annoying to find such a small amount inside.

The box says 47 grams, but I think half of that we could safely say is the cardboard box and wrapping.

Each chocolate wrapper has a message in English on it. There are four themes:

Thanks
Love
Happiness
Cheer

I did not get any wrappers that said Cheer in my box. The variety of chocolate is also not even. There are 4 strawberry, 2 banana, and 2 vanilla. In terms of messages I got 4 good luck, 3 happy, and one thanks.

Each chocolate is 2 cm wide x 2 cm high. Each has a very strong scent.



Strawberry

Looks like the original Apollo but bigger. It also has flecks of strawberry in the chocolate. It tastes like strawberry mousse with tart strawberry sherbert. The milk chocolate is creamy, but has some bitterness, reminscent of dark chocolate.

Banana

Out of all the chocolates this one smells the strongest. I found that the banana chocolate broke off the top of the milk chocolate at the bottom join, making me realise that they were made in two separate molds and stuck together. The banana flavour tastes like overripe bananas with a hint of vanilla, and a vague tartness not unlike the strawberry Apollo. The milk chocolate is a bit waxy, but seems more buttery.

Vanilla

This smells like a vanilla candle. The chocolate has flecks of vanilla bean. A very light flavour of vanilla icecream here, but the chocolate is waxy, so I felt like I actually was eating a vanilla candle. The milk chocolate is waxy but tastes alot more like cocoa.

It's interesting to note how the top flavour affects the milk chocolate below. I like the strawberry the best, only because it's very close to the original and has no funky waxy chocolate. I like the taste of the banana, but I'm not keen on the vanilla.

It was an interesting idea from Meiji, but probably best to keep it to limited edition sales.
I would like to know if anyone else out there tried this and what they thought about it.

For anyone who is interested, you can get free downloads for Apollo at http://www.meiji.co.jp/sweets/okashi-land/download/index.html and a Meiji character directory is here. They seem to have a lot of fun online activities for children.

Melon 'n Cream Mentos

Interesting to note that Mentos are made by Cadbury Japan in Holland.

This type of Mentos is called n' cream and the flavour is Melon. The latest version seems to be Caramel n' Cream.

I was expecting the colour of the dragees to be green and white, but all of them are a creamy off-white colour.

They have no particular smell. The moment I put it in my mouth I tasted a very matcha-like flavour which was odd, which then became a fake cream flavour like in hard boiled lollies. I don't like it very much. As I sucked the dragee, the melon flavour became apparent, somewhere near the chewy centre. It tastes like a rockmelon. The inside is quite hard at first and hard to chew. Unfortunately, near the end is a very sour chemical taste on the end of the melon flavour which was really horrible.

I couldn't stand to eat any more of these and I'm hoping I can dump them on Yasu, or he can take them to work and dump them on his workers.

I don't recommend these unless you like eating hard chewy chemical flavour dragees.

Sangaria Muscat Soda

Muscat is a type of grape that is widely grown for wine, raisins and for the table. The colour ranges from white, to light green, and black. Despite not being grown in Japan they are a popular ingredient in beverages and candy.

This bottle of Muscat Soda by Sangaria has been in my fridge for the better part of a month. The weather has been quite cold here in Perth and I really didn't feel like having a cold soda, so I left it sitting there. Today I thought I would brave the cold for a taste of something a little different.

I myself, am quite a fan of Muscat, and discovered it only the first time I went to Japan in 2004. Before that I had no idea about Muscat existing, and only now in Australia, is it starting to become popular.

The colour of the soda is a light green colour and the scent is truly Muscat. When poured it was quite fizzy, and still maintained that fizz up to 20 minutes later. The first taste is a slight Muscat flavour, followed by a crisp almost bitter taste of alcohol. Though there is no alcohol present, Yasu and I both thought this tasted like a light, sparkling wine. The colour and fizz could also pass for one.



The soda is not overly sweet, and the Muscat is not overpowing, but mixed in with the crispness of the grape taste. I don't drink alot of alcohol, so I would definitely think of taking this to my next outing with adults, since my friends can't read Japanese, they wouldn't know it was only soda!

If you happen to see this around, I recommend you try it out. It truly is a nice foray into Japanese beverages, and something a little bit different from the average soda.

Apple Vinegar Kit Kat

I got this at the same time as the Lemon Vinegar Kit Kat, in a box of goodies from Japan.

Apple Vinegar has well known healing properties, probably mostly from Chinese medicine. It can shrink gall stones, it is a digestive enzyme (aids digestion), it can be put on burns - when applied reduces the burn and scarring, helps reduce cellulite appearance, helps allergies, and stomach flu, and probably many more!

Is it any wonder then why the Japanese followed China's lead and now regularly consume this on a daily basis? Yasu has this every day as a general health tonic, and as a consequence, he is always healthy, and hasn't had a cold for 6 months, ever since he started taking it.

Some people find the taste of Apple Vinegar to be too sour, but I love it. I think the Apple flavour is much more pronounced when mixed with vinegar.

So imagine my delight when I found that Nestle Japan had released Apple Vinegar Kit Kat!

It comes in a box of 2 packets containing 2 fingers. The chocolate is white but with a yellow tint. The yummy smell of red apple wafted up to my nose as I opened the packet.

The chocolate itself is a bit salty, then sweet, followed by the apple cream in the wafers. The outside of the wafers is where the vinegar is. It is not overly sour, it's more like a Granny Smith Apple, than vinegar. The vinegar is present only at the very end, followed by a creamy milky taste, which is really refreshing.

I wish I had got more of these. Yasu really loved it too. I love the white chocolate with the apple and vinegar, the sweet and sour are really great flavours combined.

I've heard alot of reviewers on the net giving this the thumbs down, but I am giving it a huge thumbs up. The problem is that they are not familiar with the original taste of apple vinegar, so they are reviewing something that is totally alien to their tastebuds. If you can't imagine the real thing, it's going to be hard to compare.

Lemon Vinegar Kit Kat

This is the second vinegar flavoured Kit Kat I've seen in the last couple of weeks. The first is the Apple Vinegar Kit Kat.

Lemon and Vinegar are not necessarily two things I have thought of putting together, though they can both be quite sour.

This flavour comes in a bag of mini's. The chocolate is the regular milk chocolate. It smells like Lemon Butter, or similar in smell to the Valentine's Day Kit Kat.

Biting in I get the sweetness of the milk chocolate, then a slight lemon rind sourness, followed by a few dashes of vinegar. What I mean is, that the vinegar flavour is more like an afterthought. There are very small bursts of vinegar at the end, but it is not really as sour as vinegar usually is, but I can tell it's meant to be that.

When eating the Kit Kat separately, I found the vinegar flavour was more concentrated on the wafer, as if it had been coated in the flavour, and the lemon flavour was in the cream.

We both enjoyed this Kit Kat, and look forward to trying the Apple Vinegar.

Yasu is chowing down on my last Kit Kat

Choco & Rose Kit Kat [チョコ & ローズ キットカット]

Rose and Chocolate is a flavour that Nestle Japan released that did not make many ripples in the Kit Kat world. I don't know why. It could have been the wrong time of the year, I think Mother's Day would be far more appropriate. But hey, who knows what those flavour guys are thinking at Nestle.

I managed to get 2 mini bars of Rose & Choco from a friend, I couldn't find anyone selling them on ebay, it seems that it wasn't that easy to come by. The packets are pink with light pink roses all over, very sweet.

When I opened the small 2 finger pack, I could only smell the normal chocolate sweetness and a smell of "something else", but it was very vague, and faint. I couldn't smell anything florally, or rosey.

Alot of other reviewers on the net said this tasted like soap to them. To me, not at all. The chocolate itself carries more of a rose scent that starts off in the nose when eating the Kit Kat. It is a very unusual way to experience a chocolate.

However, I really liked the way this Kit Kat smells. The taste is of a regular chocolate Kit Kat, but as I chew it, the smell wafts into my nostrils. It is a very light rose scent, almost as if it were in the air I was breathing.

I thought this Kit Kat is so ingenious! It's almost as if it's a treat for the nose, rather than the mouth.

If you pass this Kit Kat in your travels, don't hesitate in buying it, it's an amazing experience.

Hokkaido Lemon Cheesecake Hi-Chew

The fact that a product or ingredients in a product are derived from Hokkaido always has some kind of extra sales force in Japan. Hokkaido- land of nature and all things natural. Premium dairy products, fresh fish from the ocean, that sort of thing. It has serious selling capacity.

I picked up this Hi-Chew not because it says "Hokkaido" right across the front over an image of Hokkaido, but because of the flavour - Lemon Cheesecake.

I'm having a bit of a cheesecake craving lately and this just seemed to call me. 'Hmm lemon cheesecake hi-chew, that should be interesting' I thought.

The pack has 12 individually wrapped pieces of chewing candy about 2 x 1 centimetres.

The candy itself is a yellow colour, like a pat of butter. It smells like lemon cheesecake.

The flavour at first is like a lemon tart flavour and then half-way through chewing a dairy like flavour, cheese, then milk, emerges. The lemon tang stays present all the way through with the dairy flavours mixed in. It really is a nice chew. The flavours are strong but not overly sweet. The lemon taste is really nice, and not at all fake. Because it's really chewy, it's hard to imagine you are eating cheesecake. Nevertheless, I think it is a great flavour for Hi-Chew, interesting and different from the usual fruit flavours on offer.

If you see these around and you are a fan of cheesecake, I recommend you pick up a pack!