We’ve remarked before about the incredible variety Nestlé brings to its Japanese Kit Kat brand, but nothing could really prepare me for their recent foray into omiyage, or souvenir, candy. Over the past couple months, Nestlé has released one or two special flavors of Kit Kat, only sold in their particular regions. Being residents of Sendai, in the Touhoku, or Northeast, area of Japan, we at Pocky Watch have only been able to get our hands on our local Kit Kats: ずんだ (zunda), which is edamame mochi, famous in the prefecture, and 山形さくらんぼ (yamagata sakurambo), a cherry flavor named after a nearby mountain valley town.
Both omiyage flavors come in special souvenir packing, which I absolutely love. They are brightly colored, and include a lot of information (in Japanese, of course), about the region and flavors. We found both boxes at a temple in Matsushima, but they’re easily found at the main train station in any city in the region. Of course, if you live in or visit a city outside of Touhoku, you’ll find a completely different kind of Kit Kat (and we’d love if you’d send us a box or five!). Each box has a generous allotment of twelve mini packs, which each have two sticks. Prices will vary, but these boxes went for around ¥700.
Yamagata is a beautiful little town west of Sendai. I spent Christmas there last year, and I hope to go back for cherry blossom viewing next year. It’s surrounded by mountains, and the perfect place to brag to your friends about being by giving them a box of these cherry-flavored Kit Kats. They’re bright pink, and have an admittedly off-putting smell. Our opinions are mixed, but I’m personally quite taken with them, aside from a rather bitter aftertaste. I’ll polish off the box, but probably won’t buy them again, except to give to family and friends in America, who I think would enjoy them for the novelty. 3/5
I absolutely love a snack of edamame. Whether while drinking beer, or watching TV, salty green soybeans are a delicious snack, however odd, given the hairy exterior. But I can’t say at all that I’m a fan of zunda-mochi, the soybean paste ‘dessert’ made from them and enjoyed by the Japanese people I live amongst. It tastes like green, and soy, and, well, ew. Miyagi tourism’s site tells me that I should be reminded primarily of ‘nostalgia,’ so I guess to the Japanese, zunda-mochi tastes like apple pie. With that in mind, people that love mochi, and zunda-mochi in particular, should be overjoyed to know that the Kit Kats that bear their name also boast an impressive approximation of the flavor. As for me, I’m barely able to stand a stick before washing my mouth out with water. Buyer beware. 1/5
As a happy coincidence, as I was preparing this review, I found in a convenience store a flavor that just came out on the ninth of November: Royal Milk Tea. The tea is a real authentic Japanese beverage, drunk hot in winter, and cold in summer. Although the box is decorated with adorable illustrations of those funny-hatted British guards, I’m not sure anyone in England has ever tried the stuff, although it certainly reminds me of mixing milk into my Earl Grey (for the record, this outs me as a Trekkie, not an Anglophile). As for the Kit Kats, they are pale white, and carry the flavor quite nicely. I think they’re best enjoyed a stick or two at a time, perhaps while eating biscuits or the like. I still prefer regular Kit Kats, and especially the caramel Kit Kats of a previous review, but these are a nice addition to Nestlé’s repertoire. 3/5
Buy Zunda Kit Kats from napaJapan.
Buy Royal Milk Tea Kit Kats from napaJapan.
Oh, now I really want to try the Royal Milk Tea KitKats. Milk tea is so tasty, and seems like it would go well with wafers. But I also kind of want to try Zunda Mochi KitKats now, just because they sound…interesting.
[...] bananas or not, our afternoon tea at the Royal Lancaster was an exceedingly pleasant affair. …Kit Kat Zunda Mochi, Yamagata Sakurambo, Royal Milk Tea …Kit Kat Zunda Mochi, Yamagata Sakurambo, Royal Milk Tea. Nov 11th, 2009. by Gregory. We've remarked [...]