The last of my recent Kit Kat finds is this Parmesan Cheese Kit Kat. Yeah, you heard me, Parmesan cheese. Why they decided this was a flavor to incorporate into a Kit Kat, I’m not sure. But, it’s new, it’s interesting, and it’s unique. So of course I’m going to try it. Otherwise my taste buds are going to forever regret not ever giving it a shot, no matter how bad it potentially may be.

These, unlike the other Kit Kats, came is a box with individual Kit Kat “fingers’ as opposed to the big “grab bag” the other were. They each come individually wrapped and have a pretty orange and yellow color scheme on the little wrappers. I get the feeling even the makers of this flavor realize it’s more unique, and packaged it to reflect that. Are they suggesting you’d only want to each one finger of these as opposed to the normal two? I think I am thinking too hard about this…

The naked Kit Kat is pristine white in color. It smells exactly like Parmesan cheese actually. It’s cheesy, tart and slightly odious with a sharp note to it. I was surprised by this, cause I was secretly hoping that this would be more like cheesecake. I guess I am mistaken.

The flavor is sweet and first. It’s creamy with a hint of coconut. The the flavor grows and you get those sharp cheesy notes that say “Parmesan cheese” to me. Think of it as Parmesan mixed with Ricotta cheese; creamy and cheesy. You just have to add the sugar in to complete the flavor. I take a few more bites and the flavor kinda grows on me, once you know what to expect. The tart/sweet works surprisingly well and makes for a very tasty Kit Kat.

Sometimes strange can also be tasty. This is a good example of such. If you’re a fan of Parmesan cheese, this is worth a try. It’s a fun curiosity to indulge in.

Rating: Might Eat Again

Links Japanese Kit Kat Website

I found this Strawberry Cake Kit Kat along with the Sweet Potato Kit Kat I reviewed earlier this week. I was surprised to find a strawberry Kit Kat flavor so late in the season (usually it’s January) but I realize things have to be imported and stocked so I guess it’s really not that unreasonable of a time frame. An exciting find for me since I am a big fan of all the strawberry Kit Kats I’ve had to date.

The main package is very pink with red accents. There’s an image of a small strawberry cake in the corner decorated with vast amounts of swirly whipped cream. It’s very pretty and inviting. Almost so much that I want the cake and not the Kit Kat! The wrapped bars inside the big package carry the same colors and tempting illustration.

Tearing open one of the bars, the Kit Kats are a pale pink color with a very inviting aroma. It smells of that “Japanese Strawberry” flavor that is part floral and part fruity. It’s an iconic smell to me, and even thought it doesn’t smell like real strawberries, it’s the aroma of what the super strawberry would taste, or smell like. It’s very hard to put my finger on, especially for a flavor that stands out so much to me.

The flavor is very fruity immediately, and the flavor grows more powerful and fruity as you chew. It starts off mildly like strawberry and grows fruitier with a tart edge to it. Then it the flavor backs off and has a perfumey taste to it, like flowers. It’s interesting. The strawberry flavor is a little more muted to those I’ve had in the past, which I suspect is due to them trying to get the cake and whipped cream flavors in there.

This is a yummy Kit Kat, just it’s somewhat less intense flavor makes me prefer the other strawberry Kit Kat flavors I’ve had in the past. I’m really splitting hairs here though. I appreciate how the Japanese find way to keep putting a twist on the traditional strawberry Kit Kat, while keeping the flavor familiar.

Rating: Will Eat Again

Links Japanese Kit Kat Website

Since I’ve moved I now have greater access to bigger and more extensive Asian shopping markets. This is interesting to me because before on the east coast, the Asian markets seemed to jumble all the products of one Asian culture into one store. Here in California they have the cultures separated, which makes things both easier, and harder for finding sweets. Finding candy of any type feels like uncovering treasure to me, so this just means I have to widen my search. I came across some Japanese Kit Kats in Little Tokyo recently, one of which is this Sweet Potato Kit Kat.

I decided to photograph the individually wrapped Kit Kats since they looked practically the same as the large bag that help them. Just…less bloated. The bag held maybe 15-20 of these double-finger bars, which is a good amount of Kit Kat regardless of flavor. The coloring of the wrapper is a nice creamy yellow with royal purple accents. It’s like the Japanese sweet potato which has a purple outside and yellowish inside. Attractive, fitting and clever!

Upon opening the wrapper, the Kit Kats are creamy yellow in color, and striking similar to the yellow on the package. The smell sweet and toasted.

The flavor is very unique, but delicious. It starts out sweet with a district flavor of starch to it. Then I get a hint of vanilla that’s balanced with the starch, and it comes across as very buttery. The wafers inside taste mild and bland compared to the roasted potato white chocolate, and provides a nice back drop crunchy texture to the bar.

A tasty and unique Kit Kat. Certainly worth a try if you like the stranger flavors that Japan offers.

Rating: Will Eat Again

Links Japanese Kit Kat Website

It’s literally been years since I’ve had a Japanese gum. I first and last had it back in 2004 when I was in Japan doing an architectural study for college. It was a big exploration to go into one of the many convenience stores to find fun candy to try.  I found this packet of Watering KissMint in a Famimia in Hollywood during one of my lunch breaks. It reminded me back of those fun days of traveling, so I picked up a few flavors and took them home to review.

The packaging is nice. A silver background with splashes of color that conveys the “watering” in the title so well. The case is slim, so it’d easily fit into a pocket or purse. Inside there’s gum sticks wrapped nicely in silver foil, eight pieces in total. The sticks are shorter than the ones we find in America. They are wide and thin like most of them, but they’re only 3/4 of the length. Still, they’re a nice size and look very attractive in the packaging.

The gum smells sweet and peachy with a hint of grape, which is the best way I can describe a lychee’s flavor and aroma. I don’t smell any lemon mixed in there, as the lychee is such a strong smell.

The flavor starts off very strong of lychee, with very sharp perfumey notes of peach and muscat grape. Then the flavor sours slightly and you get the tartness of lemon. The two flavors mix well together, a nice sweet/sour mix that is very refreshing and clean to chew. I notice that the flavor disappears pretty quickly, at least it doesn’t last nearly a long as American gum flavors. Still, I really enjoyed it.

This is a nice departure from more domestic flavor you find in gum here. I enjoyed the originality of the flavor and if it lasted longer (I like to chew my gum for a long time) I would be going back for this more regularly.

Rating: Will Eat Again

LinksGlico Website

Following up on last week’s review of the Crunky Purple Potato Chocolate, today’s another variation of the Crunky bar that I haven’t seen before: Strawberry cheese tart. The package is gorgeous with it’s pink background and bright, saturated red strawberries. Crunky is a jumbled engrish name which I think mixes “Chocolate” of “Chunky” or “Crunchy”. Or maybe they tried for “Crunchy” and screwed it up. It’s hard to say. But it sure is amusing.

This Crunky bar is a pretty light pink color. The crisps are easily visible and you also see little red flecks of strawberry pieces. It smells sweet of that “Japanese strawberry flavor” that’s this interesting mix of fruity/bubble gum/floral flavors. It comes across as playful and fruity.

The taste starts of sweet and…. tasting like cream cheese. There’s a very distinct cheesy note to it. Then you get the Japanese strawberry flavor that starts off very fruity and leave a hint of flowers in your mouth. It’s very nice. The texture of the crisps makes the bar’s texture much more interesting for sure. The bar doesn’t come across too sweet, but it’s not bizarre at all, especially if you’re have strawberry flavored Japanese candies before. I liked it, especially since the cheesiness of it added a new level of depth to the flavor.

So this candy was pretty accurate in regard to it’s flavor description! Yummy and unique, if you come across it it’s a nice change from a normal candy bar.

Rating: Will Buy Again

Links Lotte Website