Tirol Assorted

I thought I better finish off reveiwing the bag of assorted Tirol chocolates I have so here goes.

White & Cookie Crunch
Smells very creamy and looks like it's filled to the brim with cookie. The white chocolate is sweet but not overly so as the cookie is the main flavour that shines through. Lots of crunch on this chocolate, really nice

Milk (with rare cream)
I expected it to be white chocolate to be honest, so was surprised when I opened it and there was milk chocolate. Biting into it I realised the milk is in the centre, as a creamy filling. The chocolate is a little bit bitter, like dark chocolate, but is offset by the creamy rare milk centre, which is like a paste. Quite nice, and the two flavours match each other perfectly.


BIS Milk Choc
This comes in two wrapper colours, pink, and blue. They are both the same chocolates inside however. The "BIS" is short for biscuit. The chocolate coating is slightly darker than regular milk chocolate and has that cocoa flavour. The biscuit inside is just a plain biscuit. There is more chocolate here than biscuit and right at the end, the last bite there is a sweet and bitter flavour from the chocolate. I'm not really a fan, maybe because it's just too plain.


Tirol Chocolate aka Coffee Nougat
Yasu told me that this one, and milk, were the only flavours available when he was a kid. Back when they sold them for 5 Yen each. I thought this would be just a chocolate square because the wrapper says "Chocolate" but I was wrong. It has a coffee toffee-like substance which according to the back of the pack is coffee nougat in the centre! It's quite nice, the coffee is the main flavour in this one.


Out of all of these I would have to say that the White Cookie & Crunch, and Milk were my favourites. I was not really a fan of the BIS. The coffee is ok, but I don't like it in toffee form.

Cacao Time Blueberry & Yoghurt Chocolate

I picked this box up at a Japanese supermarket in the city for $2.69. It was on special, $1.30 off.

It looked interesting, and I like both flavours.

The brand is Careme which is a sub-brand of Kabaya. The box weighs 38 grams and has 7 pieces inside, individually wrapped. There is alot of space in there and not much content.

Each square is 2.3 x 2.3 cm. It doesn't really have straight lines either.

I expected the chocolate to look like the box, pink on top, white on the bottom, but I got a surprise when I opened the wrap to find it was light purple on top and yellow on the bottom. And yes, the box is well and truly before the due date in september.

It smells okay. There is a floral tang coming from the top and a milky scent from the bottom.

It's not easy to break in half either, even when I cut it with a sharp knife, it crumbled and didn't slice easily.

The insides are meant to be blueberry sauce and yoghurt cream. However there was no sauce, just a very very thin layer of blueberry jam, and white powdery yoghurt.

The taste is not that impressive either. The first bite does not reveal a whole lot of flavour. Then there is a slight blueberry tang, followed by the yoghurt powder, which tastes more like icecream, then a tang on the end, followed by a milky white chocolate flavour.

It's not really sweet, I think its tangy more than anything, but definitely a let down.

The chocolates may have melted on the way over from Japan to the store, but that would be no reason why the taste should change. And I don't see why the colour would either, not to that effect.

I wouldn't buy this again. And it seems as if Careme are not making this anymore as It's not to be found on their website. Maybe it bombed.

The Kabaya chocolate website can be found here.

Watering Kissmint Cassis Gum

I've been meaning to review some Japanese gum for a while, because they have such interesting flavours that we don't. In Australia we are stuck with apple, berry, strawberry, and mint. I really don't like any of those flavours, I'm after something more interesting, especially as gum is something we tend to chew for a while.

I picked up this pack of Watering Kissmint at a Japanese Supermarket in the city. It was a choice between Cassis or Mascat. I really love Mascat flavours but I thought I would go out of my comfort zone and choose Cassis.

Australians I have to admit, are not very familiar with Cassis. I did some research on Wikipedia and it turns out Cassis is a species of Blackcurrant native to Europe and Asia. Well I've learnt something new!

The pack of gum has 8 flat sticks about 1.8 x 4.8cm, wrapped in silver foil with the logo on it. There is just enough wrapping to cover the stick, so it's not overly wrapped which is good.

As soon as I opened the box I could smell the Cassis. And yes, it does smell like blackcurrant. The pack says there is 3% Cassis juice.

At first bite the stick is like a piece of cardboard, kind of flat and hard, but it softens up on the fourth or fifth chew and releases a light tangy blackcurrant flavour. The flavour is a bit weak, sort of like a watered down cordial. The flavour doesn't really last long and gives over to a minty tang, which also doesn't last very long. After that the flavour is reminiscent of blackcurrant and mint but not much of either. It's like chewing a second-hand piece of gum really.

I can't say I really liked this. The flavour doesn't last very long at all, maybe 10 seconds if that. And the flavour did not impress me because it was too weak.

I wouldn't buy this again. I'm pretty disappointed. Maybe next time I'll pick up the Muscat and see if that is any different, though for $3.39 per pack of gum, It's a little bit steep.

Oshiruko Kit Kat

I've read quite a few reviews on the internet about this Kit Kat and most of them said they hated the taste and smell.

I mainly bought this Kit Kat for Yasu as he is such a big fan of Azuki, and Oshiruko in general.

I am also a bit of a fan of Azuki flavoured snacks.

Oshiruko is a traditional Japanese red bean soup served in a bowl with rice cakes. It is truly yum.

The Oshiruko Kit Kat is milk chocolate on the outside, which is a nice change. I had expected it to be azuki colour.

From the milk chocolate you can smell the earthy scent of the beans. I have been to Azuki farms in Hokkaido, so I am familiar with that earthy scent, that some people mistake for an almost rotten smell. Some people just can't stand the smell, but I love it!

The chocolate is quite soft and melts easily. Underneath the earthy smell is a kind of roasted smell of the beans. The scent itself has depth, which is great.

The milk chocolate has a texture, just like the red bean soup. It's like red bean has been ground and added to the milk chocolate, then poured on the wafers. This is truly delicious.

There is red bean paste in between the wafers, just a small amount, but just enough to alight a deeper flavour of Oshiruko in my mouth.

The end note is a roasted bean flavour, followed by the sweetness of Azuki. Oh, this is heaven. I have really enjoyed this. The depth of the flavour reminds me of being in Tokachi, at the Azuki farm.

I am in love with this Kit Kat. It's probably my favourite of all time. Yasu also really enjoyed this one and said it was true to taste, and that it's also his favourite.

Maybe it takes diehard Azuki fans to appreciate this chocolate, and also I think If you have never been to an Azuki farm, you might not know what that smell is, and associate it with something awful, so that's why I think alot of tasters on the net, had trouble with this Kit Kat.

As of now I'm searching on eBay for more of these....

Valentine's Day Kit Kat

Yes, I know I'm 4 months late in posting this. But I thought better later than never!

I love the way the Nestle crew made the box. You can fold it back into a neat little parcel and give one pack of two fingers away to your love. Keep one for yourself, and give one away. It just encourages sharing doesn't it?

I'm glad that this Kit Kat has a simple flavour. In the past I have tried the Lemon Cheesecake Kit Kat - actually that was the first ever Japanese Kit Kat I had - and I like the simple, elegant taste.

I was thinking this Kit Kat would be along the same lines as that one.

The wrapper is simple but attractive. A light yellow background with the red Kit Kat logo and red ends. Nice.

When I opened the wrapper I got a good whiff of a lemony cheese scent. The first bite had a real lemon tang that intensified as I kept chewing. The outside chocolate reminds me of shortcrust pastry with it's soft smooth texture the crumbles in my mouth.

This lemon is not really the same as the lemon cheesecake that I had expected. Instead it's more like a lemon tart. I really love the lemon flavour in this Kit Kat, it's divine!

I really found it hard to stop eating this, and I had to, because I promised Yasu he could have the other pack. It's a pity I didn't buy more of these!

Peach Kit Kat Mini's

This bag of Kit Kat mini's I just had to buy! I love peach, especially Japanese flavoured peach snacks and candy.

I thought it was a great idea to put two flavours in the bag, it breaks it up abit more.

White Peach
Wrapped in a pink wrapper, not sure why, it should have been a white wrapper.
The chocolate is white and there is a very faint smell of peach. The first bite reveals a very peachy flavour in the chocolate, and then the flavour of the plain wafers inside wash over the chocolate, but they taste like vanilla, so it's like peach, vanilla, peach. This is quite nice, I really like it. When eating it just out of the fridge it feels like a nice dessert.

Yellow Peach
The chocolate is a bright orange colour, like the fake cheese on a McDonald's cheeseburger. It smells more like a floral perfume than peach. I can't say this really tastes like peach, for some reason it tastes more like melon! It has a similar flavour to the Yubari melon Kit Kat that had the same colour chocolate. I can't think they would have made a mistake though...
This kit kat also reminds of the sweetness of icecream. Rather cheap icecream I think. There is not really much peach flavour in here. It's more sweetness, floral notes, and the vanilla flavoured wafers. No I'm not a fan.

The white peach was the winner in this pack. They should have left it at that and quit trying, instead of making a less than decent yellow peach.

I guess I just have to find someone who likes the yellow peach and get rid of them, and keep the white ones for myself!

Chocoball Yoghurt

Image used from J-List
buy Chocoball here

This box of Yoghurt Chocoball was in Yasu's Easter gift bag and the last chocolate left. He told me he was waiting for me to review it so he could eat it! I had no idea until he told me tonight.

I have to say, I usually like Japanese yoghurt flavoured items but these chocoballs were way off the mark.

The outside is coated in a very thin layer of white chocolate, which is nice and creamy, but way too thin. The inside is a round ball of sherbet. It is quite sharp and sour, and after sucking the chocolate off the outside, is quite a nasty surprise.

Exactly where in this chocoball the "yoghurt" is I have no idea. There is no yoghurt flavour in the sherbet, it's just plain sherbet.

I have to give a big thumbs down to the crew at Morinaga, what were they thinking? Were they drunk when they came up with this? How can you put white chocolate + sherbet together and come up with yoghurt?

Chelsea Asian Dessert Mix

This bag of Chelsea by Meiji has been sitting on my desk for a couple of weeks waiting to be reviewed.

I've really wanted a lolly today so I thought I would get the review over so I can eat some!

This bag weighs a mere 77 grams and cost $3.99. The bags usually state how many items inside on the back of the bag, but this one only says the weight.

There are three flavours covered in this bag, Banana Coconut Milk, Mango Pudding, and An-nin-dofu (an almond curd dessert).

There are 6 pieces of both the mango and the an-nin, but only 5 of the banana.

The good thing about Japanese candy is they are individually wrapped, and the wrappers are different colours, so it's not a surprise candy when you open it.

Mango Pudding - As soon as I put this one in my mouth I got the flavour of real mango. I'm a mango fan and I absolutely love this! It has all the aspects of mango, and as you suck the lolly there is alot of depth in flavour that comes out. There is real fruit juice in the mango and banana lollies, so that may have something to do with it. I've never actually had mango pudding but I will definitely have to try it now!

Banana Coconut Milk - Wow. I'm a big fan of banana and coconut and when I popped this into my mouth I got a really big banana hit, like a real banana, not that fake stuff. After having the lolly in my mouth for a while the coconut flavour started coming out. At first a coconut cream flavour which graduated into roasted coconut. For me, the banana comes second in this lolly and is really overpowered by the coconut. Sucking on this a while kind of makes me feel ill. I'm not sure if it's because of the overwhelming coconut taste or the sweetness building up.

An-nin-dofu - I've tried the Kit Kat of the same flavour, but never had the real thing. I like those almond cakes that you can get from European countries, but I'm not much into tofu, the texture puts me off. I don't like slippery food. This lolly gives off the same flavour as those cakes from Europe but there is a little bit more of a milk flavour there too. The almond is the star, but the creaminess of the milk is a welcome addition in this lolly.

The mango is really the only one I like in this bag. The banana was too sickly and the an-nin was not really my thing. I haven't had any of the original desserts these lollies are based on either.

It was an interesting foray into Asian desserts, but now I've realised Asian desserts are probably not for me. I think I'll stick to icecream!

Tirol Strawberry Shortcake

This little chocolat permeated the whole bag of Tirol chocolates in the variety pack. There were more of these (x6) than any other flavour.

Even while I was typing this post, the chocolate that is sitting on the dining table can be smelled from 2 metres away. Now that's strong!

The packaging is cute and has a little clip art like image of a shortcake on the front. The chocolate itself is 2-toned. White chocolate on the top and strawberry chocolate below.

Biting into this chocolate reveals a biscuit centre. I'm a big fan of strawberry chocolate and I really like this. There is the creamy milky flavour of the white chocolate and the tart strawberry underneath. When eaten together they mix and create a really nice taste in my mouth, topped off with a crunch. The ending is a slightly sour strawberry flavour but it's not too sour and delivers a very nice finish.

I'm really glad there are 6 of these in the pack!!

Tirol Chocolate Almond

I ordered a Variety Pack of assorted Tirol chocolates from J-list and the package arrived today. There are meant to be 27 chocolates in the pack, but I got 28. The spread of chocolates is not even either.

There are:
Chocolate Almond x 4
Strawberry Shortcake x 6
Nama Milk x 4
Chocolate x 5
Bis Milk Choco x 5
White & Cookie Crunch x 4

All of which I will review over the next few days.

The Chocolate Almond packaging is cute, and looks like an American flag and has a little almond guy poking his head over the side.

The smell that hit me when I opened the wrapper was of sweet sweet milk chocolate. I can smell the almond though, and when I bit into the chocolate I discovered a whole almond inside.

The chocolate has a good nutty flavour but is very very sweet with a dark chocolate flavour underneath. It ends on a slightly bitter note. This is quite a nice chocolate if you can get past the inital sweetness.

Cisco Apple Pie Biscuits

Image from Cisco website

The image of the apple pie on this packet caught my eye, it looks yummy. On a whim I bought it. $3.95 for 110grams.

The inside of the packet smells like there is an applie pie in there! It smells like freshly baked apples.

Each biscuit is about 2cm round and has a light glaze with a few specs of sugar. It doesn't smell like anything but when you bite into it, you immediately get the flavour of apples and cinnamon, and combined with the texture of the biscuit it tastes like I'm eating apple pie!

I thought these would be another failure but they are indeed yummy!

Yasu and I thought these would even be good with icecream or with some cream poured over the top, and we both couldn't stop eating them.

These would be really good if you couldn't get the real thing for whatever reason. They make a great after-dinner dessert just by themselves.

The maker, Cisco, is actually a subsidiary of Nissin and they make a lot of cookie products, plus chocolate, cereals and snacks. I also found another kind of biscuit that they make, hotcake cookies, which I have seen in the same store that I bought these but passed up because I didn't think they would be any good. I guess I will have to go back and get those and find out, now that these have been such a success.

Morinaga Milk Cocoa

I came across this small 150 gram box of Morinaga Milk Cocoa in my local Japanese supermarket. For $3.35 I thought it wasn't too much of a risk if I didn't like it, it's a small box and so not much wastage.

The front of the package has an announcement that says "30th Anniversary" and "Oishisa up" or in other words they've upped up the level of flavour. It also has the slogan "Cocoa is Morinaga" in small print above the cup of cocoa.

The cocoa is sealed in a foil bag that is folded over underneath to fit in the box. Upon cutting the top I got a whiff of chocolate cocoa, and it smelled quite nice.

To make hot cocoa you need three small teaspoons heaped of cocoa and 120 mls of hot milk. As Yasu was also having some I heated up 240mls of milk. It didn't take very long on our gas stove. I poured the milk into the cups and whisked it all together with a small whisker.

The effect was a cocoa with a nice creamy froth on top.

I did not add any sugar, nor did I need to. It was chocolatey, sweet, and creamy but not overpowering. I suppose that if you wanted to make it stronger you could add more cocoa in the cup.

I didn't expect to like this cocoa but I became a big fan very quickly. Yasu also loved it and asked for another cup! This can also be made as an iced drink.

I guess the slogan is true, Cocoa IS Morinaga!

Nanae Sweet Apple Wine Caramel 七重スイートリンゴワイン キャラメル

In the past I have tried some unusual Japanese caramels like Genghis Khan and Vermont Curry. I actually liked them, but most people didn't, especially Yasu.

When I saw this product of Hakodate - Nanae Sweet Apple Wine - in caramel form, I just had to try it.

Nanae Town (七重) is a popular tourist destination on the Oshima Peninsula, just near Hakodate.

Some interesting facts about Nanae:

- Nanae was the first place in Hokkaido to start foreign exchange
- There are many Haiku written about Lake Onuma, one of the two lakes in the area.
- There are 9 festivals in the area throughout the year
- Recommended foods to eat in the area are Fried Pond Smelt (?), Pond Smelt boiled in soy sauce, Apple wine, the local Sake, and Apple pie.

But enough about the history and tourism, onto the tasting.

Each box of caramel has 18 individually wrapped pieces.

The box really smells like apple, and I'm glad to say, it is small and does not create alot of waste with packaging. So that's a good start.

The caramel is slightly harder than a hi-chew candy, but has give when you bite into it.

The first notes are sweetness and a flavour of apple juice. As I chew more I get a slightly caramel flavour, then some salt, followed by sweetness. For some reason, I get a slight aroma of fried onions at the back of my throat, though it's not unpleasant, more savoury than anything. At the end I get a slight tart taste, I guess, that is from real apple wine (1%), contained in this caramel, though it is fleeting and gives way to sweetness once again.

This caramel is not overly apple, nor wine, but it does give hints of both. I thoroughly enjoyed this caramel because it is not overdone.

It gives you a feeling as to what the real apple wine might be like. I'd really like to try the real thing, but since I can't, I'll stick to my apple wine caramels.

The wine on the front of the box is an actual product made by the Hakodate Winery (site is in Japanese only). Looking at the website they also sell Sweet Melon Wine and Sweet Peach wine.

If you visit this site, you can see the other caramels made by the company who made these. Some of them looking pretty interesting too! I can see a few for future posts, maybe.

Jasmine Tea Kit Kat

I'll admit, I'm not a fan of Jasmine Tea. I did love the Houjicha Kit Kat, but somehow I didn't expect to like this one.

This Kit Kat is milk chocolate, like the Houjicha, but it has a very strong smell of Jasmine, almost as if it were a hand cream or moisturiser. I really didn't expect that.

The milk chocolate is creamy and has a mild taste of Jasmine, which builds up, but it is not overly sweet. I think it's more the fragrance building up at the back of my throat which gives me the idea of 'sweetness'.

I must admit, before I reviewed this, I ate it when it was cold from the fridge, and I hated it.

But now, I'm trying it at room temperature and the flavour is so much different! Before it tasted like a bad perfume mixed with chocolate but now it tastes like a master chef has mixed Jasmine flowers and chocolate into a wonderfully creamy potion. It's like a garden party in my mouth. I can smell the vibrant spring day, lively chatter, and endless cups of tea being poured under the Jasmine trees.

I keep going back for more, I can't resist! This has to be one of my favourite flavours yet! Sorry I doubted you Nestle...

Maccha Tiramisu Kit Kat

The much talked about Maccha Tiramisu Kit Kat. Well, it had some high expectations to meet.

It consists of a single finger wrapped and sold individually, and I bought mine from eBay for $2 each (rip off!), I later saw them being sold at J-list for $0.75 each. Oh well.

The stick smells largely of sweet white chocolate. It's a light green colour, but mostly all you can smell is the white chocolate.

The outer chocolate tastes of maccha, and while I expected there to be some coffee flavour inside the wafers there was none. I'm not sure what's going on here. I was of the view Tiramisu was coffee flavoured? So why is this Kit Kat Maccha Tiramisu? It should be named Maccha.

I tried eating all the outside chocolate off first, and then eating the wafers. The problem is that the colour of the cream inside the wafers is green too, and nary a taste of coffee.

How disappointing! False advertising Nestle. This is NOT Tiramisu.

A nice Maccha flavour Kit Kat but sadly, that's all it is.

Meiji White Chocolate

This bar was part of Yasu's Easter gift and he generously shared it with me for a review.

At the regular price of $3.99 this is not very good value. I'm guessing its double the price it would retail for in Japan (about 198 yen).

The bar is very flat, .5 cm high. The bar is portioned into small rectangles that are easy to break off and have the word Meiji stamped onto them.


This chocolate smells like Vanilla with a hint of creaminess. It melts very easily, that could be though because it's so thin.

The first taste is vanilla, and then an almost buttery flavour, followed by a bit of saltiness. After that it gets sweet, but ends on a salty note.

This chocolate is good in that it doesn't have that throat-burning sweetness that alot of white chocolate has. I also like the vanilla and salt notes, they are evenly balanced and don't take over.

I would buy this again for a treat. I definitely recommend it to those who stay away from white chocolate because of its sweetness.

Chocoball Salt Vanilla チョコボール 塩バニラ

This small box of Chocoball was a part of a giftbag of Easter chocolate I gave to Yasu this year. As Yasu loves white chocolate and Chocoball in general, I didn't hesitate in buying this at the Japanese supermarket for $2.00. It is a little bit more expensive than normal but I figured it may turn out to be a very interesting flavour.

First Nestle Japan ran the salty chocolate theme with their French Rock Salt & White Chocolate Kit Kat around the middle of last year, now many other Japanese sweets are jumping on the bandwagon, the latest to be Chocoball.

Unfortunately, my high expectations were not met. The balls themselves are small, round, and quite glossy, like they have been given a polishing before being inserted into the box. The box smells creamy and sweet but the outside of the ball tastes like nothing. I could have been sucking on a marble, the texture and taste was probably the same. (I say that because I can't remember sucking on a marble, but if I were to suck on one I would expect it to be the same as this).

When the gloss melted away the chocolate emerged mildly creamy and vaguely sweet. It didn't have that super sweet white chocolate taste that I expected. The ball inside was very malty and did not really have a lot of salt. You get more salt flavour if you crunch down on the ball rather than sucking off the coating.

All in all this was a big disappointment for me. Neither of the two flavours shone through, and it was like an effort in mildness. If you want to enjoy white chocolate without the screaming sweetness and you love a bit of malt then this Chocoball would be for you.

Yasu was happy with it, but I suspect if it had white chocolate on the outside and worms on the inside he would still be happy with it. No matter how lame it is, if it's white chocolate, he's there.

I do love my white chocolate and I would rather have throat-burning sweet than no taste at all.

あじわい苺 Strawberry Flavour Kit Kat

Ajiwai Ichigo simply means "the flavour of strawberry", ajiwai being flavour, and ichigo being strawberry.

I have seen a few incarnations of this bar, I think Nestle Japan release one every year. Most probably for those pink chocolate lovers out there.

The box is very pretty and so are the two little packets inside that contain the fingers. They have strawberries on a white background, very cute and sweet. It could have almost been a late Valentine's present.

The chocolate is very fake pink white chocolate, and there is a lovely smell of strawberry milk. I love the smell. However when I bit into the bar I got a very fake strawberry taste followed by a very sour ending. Yasu can't taste or smell anything, but he had a bit of this and said "something tastes sour!" so even with no taste he could taste that sourness. That's how strong it is!

I don't like this Kit Kat at all. It lacks depth of flavour and originality. I would have preferred it without the sourness. Strawberries don't really have that amount of sourness unless they're unripe. I don't think the Nestle team have put much thought into this Kit Kat, and I am disappointed. They did a lovely job with the presentation and packaging, how could they let us down with the flavour? I wouldn't buy it again. I like my Strawberries sweet and juicy.

大学いも Caramelized Sweet Potato Kit Kat

Daigaku Imo is a kind of caramelized sweet potato that is made by coating deep fried potatoes with syrup and soy sauce. The direct translation of the name "university potato" came about because it was popular in college towns during the Taisho (1912-1926) and Showa (1926-1989) period.



Right away I could smell the sweetness in this Kit Kat. The colour of the chocolate is a mix of yellow and orange, kind of halfway between (although it looks different in the photo). I really liked the smell of this bar. The first bite tasted like sweet caramel with a very faint undertaste of sweet potato. This sweet potato did not strike me as very full flavoured. It could have almost been a pumpkin, as it had that same kind of orange flesh taste. I found it sweet but not too sweet, and almost a musky taste of potato. I couldn't detect any soy sauce flavour, although it was a pleasant taste.

This Kit Kat is not a favourite of mine, the flavour lacks depth, and mostly the caramel shines through. I would like to see a sweet potato Kit Kat where the potato is the star. All in all, nice to try, but as I said not a favourite. I'm sure Yasu will beg to differ when he tries it (he's sick with a cold at the moment and can't taste or smell anything so I had to taste test on my own). I have seen quite a few reviews around the internet that say this is one of the best flavours, so I know this bar has its fans.

焼きもろこしと北海道じゃがいも Roasted Corn & Hokkaido Potato Kit Kat Mini's

I bought these two Kit Kat mini bars on ebay (with a few others like Yuzu and Daigaku Imo). These mini bars are regional releases, so they are not available everywhere, and they come in a box of 12 mini's for US $19.99 on ebay, I'm not sure what the regular price of these are in yen, only that they would be less as the seller makes a profit on these. Each mini with 2 small fingers amounts to one regular size finger, so if you buy a box of these you are getting the equivalent of 4 regular boxes of Kit Kat. I would say these are more premium than the average Kit Kat, especially at that price! But for taste? Let's see...

Roasted Corn 焼きもろこし

Upon opening the wrapper I got a very strong cream stew smell. Sort of like sniffing the blocks of cream stew before putting them into the pot. The chocolate was a light yellow coloured white chocolate. First bite revealed a very sweet flavour followed by more of the cream stew flavour. There was a very faint taste of canned corn kernels but overall it was like cream stew with lots of sugar, not really a great combination.






Hokkaido Potato 北海道じゃがいも

When I opened the wrapper I was struck by how artificially white the chocolate was. I guess it was made to look like a potato without skin. The smell was like that of a raw potato just after peeling one. There was a vague smell of potato chips from a packet. As I bit into it there was a huge rush of sweetness, and aftertaste of salt. A bit more into the bar and I could detect a very faint taste of potato, but mostly it was covered by the sweetness and salt. This was very weird! I expected a full-on potato flavour but this was like a flavourless potato covered in sugar and salt.


Neither of these bars met my expectations. What is with that sweetness in both of them? I can understand that corn can be sweet but not like it has been rolled in sugar. Both of these mini bars had very little of the flavour in them that they were represented by. A great let down, and I'm really glad that I didn't buy the boxes of them, that would be a total waste of money. It just goes to show that premium is not always better in this case.

Japanese Kit Kat Mini's

I waited a long time before I finally bought these kit kat mini's online from a seller in Japan. I tried to convince myself I didn't need to taste them but alas...my heart won over my head and I bought them and a few others (which I will review later).

All these Mini bars are the equivalent of one finger of Kit Kat and are only available in a bag of 14 or more. Luckily the fellow I bought them from sells them individually so I don't have to get stuck with a whole bag full!

Houjicha - This is a tea that is usually roasted in a porcelain pot over charcoal. The high temperature changes the leaf colour from green to reddish brown, it also lowers the amount of caffeine present. Yasu was really excited about trying this Kit Kat. I'd never known him to drink Houjicha, or if he does, not in my prescence.

The first smell was of a basic tea leafy smell. Then the almost caramel flavour of roasted tea came through with a slight bitterness on the end. There was an almost roasted almond flavour present in this too. This was a very nice experience, the tea was blended well with the chocolate, and they complemented each other nicely. The aftertaste was a slight roasted tea flavour that lingered for about 10 minutes, it wasn't bitter, just mellow.

Yuzu - This is a citrus fruit that originated in East Asia. It's believed to be a hybrid of mandarin and lemon. It's widely used in Japanese confectionery. I had never tried Yuzu before and Yasu was unsure if he had ever tried it.

The first scent of this did indeed smell very lemony but also had notes of a mandarin. To me this tasted very much like a mandarin but when biting through the wafer it melded into a lemon flavour. This chocolate is like a lesson in duality. It starts out with one flavour and ends on another. I found this also went well with the milk chocolate, and while the milk chocolate stayed on the sidelines, it wasn't taken over by the yuzu, merely there in a supportive role. Yasu realised that he had indeed had a Yuzu before, though a very long time ago, and we both agreed this was a very nice Kit Kat.

Suika - Suika is the Japanese word for watermelon. If you didn't know that you could easily guess by the packaging which is red with black pips and green edges. It's a very cute wrapper.

When I opened the wrapper, all I could smell was a chemical-like perfume with a faint aroma of watermelon. I thought "uh-oh" this is not going to be good. There is definitely a melon taste when you bite into the wafers but it tastes like rockmelon (cantaloupe) to me more than a watermelon. I couldn't taste watermelon at all, whereas Yasu said it was definitely watermelon flavour. I tried it again but all i could get was the rockmelon flavour with a saltiness at the end. It did not have the sweetness that watermelon has. I take issue with a chocolate that is meant to be one fruit but tastes like another, and Yasu was not really fussed on this flavour prefering the yuzu and houjicha. As I ate more of the watermelon a definite salt flavour did build up but I still couldn't taste the watermelon. If anyone else has tried this please let me know what you thought.

In all the Houjicha and Yuzu were the winners.

Black Sugar Kit Kat 黒糖キットカット

I picked up this bag of 14 mini's at the same time as the double berry. We have eaten down to the last 3 and so I thought this was also relevant to my blog as an interesting flavour.

The flavour, 黒糖 (kokutou), or black sugar is a common ingredient in sweets that hail from Okinawa. It's also started to become widely used in products throughout Japan probably to give it that 'exotic' feeling. It's like a souvenir from some distant land without going anywhere.

This is simply a milk chocolate bar thankfully, I couldn't imagine what it would be like with white chocolate, but never fear, that may be just around the corner knowing how Nestle Japan's mind works!

The packet states that these are better eaten when refridgerated. I found that the smell was stronger when it was left out of the fridge for a while. Overall, it didn't make much difference to the flavour.

The smell when opened is a very strong smell of molasses. The first bite is not as strong as the smell but it does build up quite rapidly. You can definitely taste the black sugar component between the wafers of this kit kat. Thankfully the milk chocolate is just plain without flavouring, otherwise it would be too strong.

The aftertaste to me is like a black licorice flavour. If it wasn't for the crunchiness of the wafers inside, I would think I had just eaten a strap of black licorice.

This flavour is really nice for black sugar lovers like my husband, but for me it's an aquired taste. I like the black sugar caramels, but i'm not sure if I like the mixture of black sugar and chocolate together. Although I love licorice, I would rather eat licorice because after eating this chocolate I don't feel satisfied. I feel like I want to go eat some licorice! Make sense? Probably not.

Kit Kat Double Berry 星に願いをダブルベリー

I bought this sometime last year and my husband and I have been slowly snacking through them. We are just about at the end of the pack of 14 mini's so I thought I should immortalize them on my blog.

I'm not sure why this is called 星に願いを (wishing on a star), but the wrapper in a royal blue colour with a kind of fruity instead of milky way running through the middle is quite pretty.

The two flavours that make up the double berry are Strawberry and Cranberry.

Unlike alot of strawberry Kit Kats made in Japan this is made with milk chocolate instead of strawberry flavoured white chocolate. I think this is because it is paired with cranberry.

When I opened the wrapper of this chocolate there was a nice smell, it reminded me of a chocolate coated turkish delight. I couldn't smell either berry individually, and as i've never had both berries together i can only assume this is what it smells like combined.

The milk chocolate is plain and the flavour stems from the filling in between the wafers. The flavouring is very light on the first bite, but builds up as you eat more. The scent then, is much stronger than the initial taste of the chocolate. I bet these would be nice to put in a bowl on the kitchen counter or living room to freshen the air, pity I didn't think of that sooner as I only have about 3 left!

I'm not usually a fan of berries but i really enjoyed this Kit Kat flavour. I'm not sure how often cranberry is used in Japanese products but here in Australia it is next to nil unless it's a cereal bar. This was a very nice summery chocolate and if it was released again I would definitely buy it.

Collon Cheesecake

I bought these at an oriental/Japanese grocer in the city for $3.99. As the box states that there are 6 servings inside, i thought it was a good buy.

When i opened up the packet though, i realised the packets were really small, so there was alot of air in the box, as opposed to collon.



My disbelief was even greater when i opened up one of the packets to find only 6 collon pieces! That means the total pieces of collon in one box is 36. Considering the box is quite big, probably 2 hand-spans long, that is such a great waste of packaging! Plus, i thought i was getting more than what i actually got, which is probably Glico's intention.



The collon themselves taste very much like the regular cream collon but with the slightest hint of lemon. If you weren't looking for it, these could pass for regular collon. A look on the back of the packet reveals that lemon juice powder is the 4th ingredient from the end, in a long list of ingredients. So that's why the flavour is not really noticeable i guess. After you eat all 6 pieces you only just start to build up the flavour a little.

I guess these would be good as lunch box treats or a little snack now and then, but holy moly, only 6 pieces in all that packaging? That is more deceptive than weight concious!!

My husband Yasu thinks these taste like "Japanese rare cheesecake". He said it was "lemony" so obviously it suits Japanese tastes, or expectations of what cheesecake tastes like. For westerners who are used to cheesecake being very rich and full flavouring, then this is definitely a let-down.

Black Sugar Milk Chocoball 黒糖ミルクチョコボール

I picked this box up in the city for $2.00, just above the usual price ($1.69) for Chocoball. Chocoball by Morinaga is a great little treat which my husband also loves, and seeing as it was a flavour we had not tried, i decided to take it home.

Kokutou or "black sugar" is from Okinawa and is popular in sweets made in Japan. I guess it gives regular sweets that exotic feel without having come from outside of Japan.

The black sugar flavour is in the milk chocolate which coats a cocoa biscuit. The chocolate layer is not very thick and the ball is made up mainly of biscuit. I actually couldn't taste the black sugar at all, it was more of a malt flavour. My husband said he could taste the black sugar flavour but it was very light. Usually black sugar candies are strong and have that definite black sugar taste, so this was a little unusual in that respect.

The box was also different, more like a tin of sardines where you peel the lid back, than the usual corner opening.

This is ok for a one-time tasting but i wouldn't buy it again as the flavour is more malt-cocoa than anything else. I think if you are going to make something that is inspired by such a popular flavour, then do it right and make it strong, than the way Morinaga have done this Chocoball.