More and more KiKat flavors enter my world, but what is this I see? Is it… a new hope for KitKats? Maybe so! In my vain attempt to try as many of the 200+ flavors in Japan, I humbly submit a few more for your consideration.
Onsen Bun (Onsen Manju)
This one was a limited edition flavor sold only in specific onsens and onsen towns around Japan. These little treats, onsen buns, are a treat you can usually enjoy after a hot bath in the onsen. The flavor is very reminiscent of the Nagasaki Red Bean KitKats I had earlier. These are perhaps slightly sweeter, but still not very sweet at all. They have a lovely aroma but if you’re not into the red bean flavor, I would recommend passing. Purchased in March in Nikko City.
Throat Lozenge (Cough Drop)
This one threw me for a loop: Sometimes, at the local convenience store, they have a small rack of discount goods. One time, we saw these odd KitKats on discount. With the magic of translation, we discovered that these were cough drop flavored. Bewildered, we decided to give them a try. These have a very strong menthol flavor and it isn’t very nice. The KitKat has an unpleasant medicinal flavor that leaves a cool burst in your mouth. I didn’t find it particularly enjoyable, though. There are better mint KitKats (see below!) if you want your minty fix. Purchased in March in Saitama prefecture.
Strawberry Cheesecake
This is a regional special KitKat from Yokohama. To be frank, it tasted exactly like the Strawberry KitKat from my first KitKat adventure. The strawberry flavor isn’t all that appealing. I couldn’t really taste the cheesecake, which was the most disappointing thing about it. I was really looking forward to a mixture of flavors, but sadly, found none. Purchased in April in Saitama prefecture.
Dark Chocolate Mint
If you love mint chocolate anything, this is the one for you! I’m not usually a big fan of mint chocolate, usually because the balance of flavors isn’t there. With these KitKats, however, you get a nice light hint of mint that blends nicely with the rich chocolate flavor. I also love the little bit of texture you get from the wafers in the KitKat as well. Very reminiscent of Girl Scout’s Thin Mints. Purchased in May in Saitama prefecture with them disappearing with alarming speed shortly thereafter.
Chestnut
This was rolled out for the fall and I thought, why not? Something nice to make the heat seem like it’s on its way out. It has a very sweet flavor to it; it almost had a vanilla flavor to it. It reminded me a lot of the Ice Cream KitKats I had tried before. I couldn’t really taste the chestnut, and even now, I’m not entirely sure what a chestnut is supposed to taste like. Don’t let this be your benchmark for nut flavor. Purchased in September in Saitama prefecture.
Butter
We deep fry it in America, so why shouldn’t we coat a sweet wafer sandwich in it? The flavor was more creamy than butter: it had a thick texture slight sweetness that was very enjoyable. The weirdness comes with the aftertaste, which is where you realize “Oh, that was butter I just ate. Huh.” If you don’t like butter, this won’t please you one bit. Purchased in September in Ikebukuro, Tokyo.
If the text doesn’t do it for you, the Mrs. and I tried Chestnut, Butter, and Cough Drop on our YouTube show, Snack Attack!
Two Second Street 