Kinako Ohagi Kit Kat

Not too long ago, Costco-sized boxes of Hershey’s Kit Kats would find their way into my pantry. I ate far too many of the chocolate covered wafers but instead of getting sick and burning out, I just wanted more (FYI, I’m a bit of a pig). Japan is a great place to be a glutton for sweets, and I was really excited to try the legendary Japanese Nestlé Kit Kat. Japanese Kit Kats come in chocolate and a range of limited edition flavors, some of which are quite strange (matcha, maple, sakura, mango, yuzu, and grape, to name a few). This unique take on a classic candy is very appealing, and I think that explains their popularity outside of Japan. I’ve seen Japanese Kit Kats in the US at import groceries, but the interesting flavors were always sold out and I figured a Kit Kat was a Kit Kat. Now that I’m in Japan, and I don’t have to pay import prices, it seemed like a good time to go for it.

I picked up this きなこ おはぎ味 (Kinako Ohagi) Kit Kat from my local conbini for about 150 yen. The flavor was released for autumn in early September, and I’m not sure how long it will stay on shelves (I’d guess through winter, but maybe only through fall). Before I get into the candy, let me explain what it’s supposed to be imitating. An ohagi is a traditional Japanese sweet rice ball, usually made in fall from rice and sweet azuki beans or kinako. I remember my grandmother making ohagi from rice and kinako, but I don’t think she restricted them to autumn. Kinako is toasted soy flour. I would describe it as having a nutty smell similar to peanuts and a texture coarser then regular wheat flour. It’s also high in protein and b vitamins. I’ve used it a few different ways, including in pancakes, and sprinkled on toast with butter.

Opening the cardboard box doesn’t reaveal much about the contents, but as soon as I opened the yellow plastic wrapper I could smell the nutty flavor of kinako and sweet chocolate. Each yellow pack contains two “fingers” that can be snapped apart. My bar was a tad bit on the warm side, so my chocolate bent more then snapped, but the wafer was crisp and gave a good crack. I found the chocolate to be completely overpowering and I couldn’t taste the kinako or wafer, which is kind of weird because the chocolate is supposed to be kinako flavored. However, I’m sure if I ate this back-to-back with a normal chocolate Kit Kat, I would be able to pick out the kinako flavor. The proportion of smooth milk chocolate to crisp wafer is classic. The aftertaste was very nutty and pleasant. According to the box, there are puffs of mochi in the chocolate coating, but I couldn’t pick them out from the wafer.

I’m giving this one 3/5 because it was tasty, but not different enough to make me want to run out and buy another one.

Read Orchid64′s review of Kinako Ohagi Kit Kat.

Read some of  Candy Addict’s impressions of Japanese Kit Kats here, here and here.

A whole blog dedicated to Kit Kats? Kit Kat Addict and Jen Ken’s Kit Kat Blog.