Kit Kat: Wasabi (Limited Edition)

As soon as J-List started tweeting that they had wasabi flavored Kit Kats, I had to buy some.



Wasabi is that lump of green stuff that is served next to sushi. It's a type of horseradish that is finely ground and mixed into a paste. It is also extremely hot...to most people, anyway. Personally, I can eat wads of it plain.

While most Americans tend to think of it only as a garnish for sushi, I am one of those odd people who think it's good on everything. Seriously. I have used it on sandwiches of all types, I've smeared it on pepperoni pizza. I have made compound butter with it. One of my signature dishes is a grilled (or broiled) wasabi-crusted salmon.

So a wasabi candy? Hell, yeah!

Here in the U.S., Kit Kat (made in this country by Hershey) doesn't give us many flavor options. However, our East Asian friends get their Kit Kats (made by Nestlé, as are the rest of the world's) in a rather amazing array of flavors. Yes, the Kit Kat universe in Asia is indeed vast compared to ours. In the case of Japanese Kit Kats, some of the flavors are so specialized that they are only available in certain areas of the country. (For example, this flavor was from Shizuoka.) I wish the U.S. would do more limited edition flavors on products in general. I think it would be really interesting to have regional editions of things here...but, onward...



The box that I got contained twelve individually wrapped packets, each containing two mini Kit Kat fingers. The chocolate is a white chocolate that has been flavored with wasabi. The color of the finger is a light boogerish green. When you sniff the bars, all you really get is the sweet sugary smell of the white chocolate. If there is something hot and spicy hiding in there, it is kind of an olfactory ninja.



Biting into the bar does toss a little throwing star of flavor at you. There is no mistaking that there is wasabi in the bar. Not only is it in the white chocolate, but wasabi also flavors the thin layers of creme sandwiched between the wafers. But rather than being strong and potent, or even a little hot, it tastes like you took the teeny-tiniest little bit of wasabi possible and immediately chugged a glass of milk with it to cover the flavor. The essence of the wasabi is present -- there's no mistaking the flavor -- but what you really taste is the strong milky, sweetness of the chocolate. I didn't get the slightest hint of the heat that I love.



Still, even without the heat, I loved the flavor. It was a different way to have something I am already crazy about. I am glad that Nestlé went with white chocolate (even though I am not a fan as a rule) rather than a dark or a milk. The white chocolate kept its sweetness but allowed the wasabi flavor to come through. I think a darker chocolate might have overwhelmed it. I blew through several of these little packs in a really short time.

Check out Jen's review here from her site Jen Ken's Kit Kat Blog. Jen found the bars to be much hotter then I did. Jen's review is also mentioned on The Impulsive Buy Podcast #10.



PURCHASED FROM:
J-List

Pocky: Kiwi Fruit

I love the seemingly endless flavors Glico pumps Pocky out in. No matter how many of them I try, there is always something new and different. I came across these kiwi Pockys on my last trip to New York City. I had seen them on J-List that same day, and was lucky enough that they pretty much fell into my lap while walking through Kam Man Foods on Canal Street.



These Pocky have the classic biscuit coated in what I am assuming is white chocolate (the label is in Japanese, so I can't be sure). The chocolate coating is a greenish shade that is indeed the perfect color match to an actual kiwi. The chocolate is also studded with little darker green bits -- bits of kiwi, I would assume.

The smell was a little off-putting. It smells like sour melon -- or maybe kiwi left out in the sun too long. It's the kind of smell that makes you wonder if it's something you shouldn't eat. But then a weird thing happens...that same smell starts to smell good. Not sure how that happens, but it does.



The Pocky in the box are divided into four individual pouches of five sticks each. Nice lunch box or Bento sized portion! I like when Pocky is packaged like this because it not only helps control portion size (OK, my self control is often not that strong, but it sounded good, right?) but it keeps the Pocky that you don't eat right away nice and fresh.



We now know what it smells like and that it's fresh...so what does it taste like?

Believe it or not, it tastes like real kiwi! I have never dipped pieces of actual kiwi in chocolate, but I have a feeling that if I did, it would taste pretty darn close to this. The fruit has that nice sweet, yet tart edge that kiwi has. (Yes, it does sort of taste like a cross between a strawberry and a banana -- just as kiwi does.). The white chocolate adds a nice milky contrast. The biscuit balances everything by keeping the sweetness of the fruit from being too much, and keeps the chocolate from overpowering the kiwi. It also adds a nice crunch.

This may just be my favorite fruit flavored Pocky yet!

Be sure to check out Jim's review of them here.



PURCHASED FROM:
I purchased mine from Kam Man Foods in New York City, but my friends at J-List also carry it... so be sure to check them out!

Pretz: Pumpkin

Halloween may be over, but here in the U.S. at least we have a few more weeks of pumpkin themed fun. So I thought now would be a good time to pull out the Pumpkin Pretz my good friends at J-List were nice enough to send my way.

Pretz, for those unfamiliar, are the savory sibling of Pocky. If you don't know what Pocky is, your life up to this point has been but a mere shadow of what it could be. Which means you need to get to J-List RIGHT NOW and order some...yes, you WILL thank me.



What had me a little confused at first was the fact that the flavor is called "pumpkin," but the photos on the package looked like acorn squash to me. A little Googling revealed that the photos are of kabocha -- which is a type of winter squash, commonly known as Japanese pumpkin. (Click here to learn more about kabocha than you ever probably wanted to know). So...



These Pretz smell interesting. The best description I can give is sort of like cereal left next to strong coffee. Yes I know that sounds bad, but it's actually pretty good.

The taste is as interesting and unusual as the smell. The first thing that came to mind was Cap'n Crunch cereal...kind of sweet, a bit of corn, but then as the sweetness dies down there is a very mild squash taste. A really good buttery, roasted acorn squash. Trust me when I say I am not doing justice to how good it tastes.

There's a little bit of everything. It's sweet, it's salty, it's crunchy. I just loved everything about these Pretz. My only complaint is that now I need more!




PURCHASED FROM:
Provided by J-List

Kit Kat: Muscat Of Alexandria

Why do the U.S. Kit Kat bars never get the treatment their Japanese cousins do?

Japan, in addition to being the land of the rising sun, is also the land of a million special editions. Between the ever-rotating flavor roster of popular products like Pepsi, Pocky -- and yes, even Kit Kats -- I think I could easily review nothing but local Japanese products and never be bored. And sadly, while the American Kit Kats are good, they tend to be boring. Luckily, we can easily get cool things imported.

On my last trip to New York City I picked up this muscat (fancy name for grape) Kit Kat bar at one of my must-visit Asian shops: Kam Man Foods on Canal Street. I put the Kit Kats on my candy shelf and sort of forgot about them...hey, I review a lot of candy and it happens sometimes. Anyway, today I thought it was time for the Muscat Kit Kats to have their day.



When you open the box, the first thing that hits you is a very strong artificial fruit/flower smell. It doesn't exactly smell like grapes, or even raisins. It smells more like the lingering post-love aroma from the afternoon tryst of a dozen roses and a box of Fruity Pebbles -- only less appealing. And unlike its U.S. cousin, whose bar is one solid four-fingered piece, the Japanese version is broken up into two individually wrapped two-finger bars.



The fingers are a very, very faint sea foam green (quasi-albino grapes?) and are made with white chocolate. It's a pretty bar, I have to give it that much. And that's a good thing, because I really can't give it much else. You know those hot but not-so-bright girls that every workplace seems to have one of -- the ones who not only have no personality at all, but absolutely no clue what they're doing -- yet manage to keep their jobs simply because they look good? This is a candy version of that girl.



The wafers were perfectly crispy. The chocolate was smooth. It's the flavor that will knock you on your butt. I don't even have to stretch for a way to describe the flavor. I can tell you EXACTLY what it tastes like: Super-concentrated grape juice and really strong roses.

At first it's the grape that you taste. There is almost even the slight acidic tang that you would get with a cheap Chardonnay. Then the rose kicks in -- and it is not subtle. The actual chewing experience was just a bit much for me...but I have to say that once the grape and rose flavors mellow, the aftertaste is actually quite pleasant. Like a less powerful version of Fuwarinka Rose Gum. But honestly, I would just as soon get the gum. At least with the gum, you don't have to wait for the aftertaste to kick in before you taste something good.

Interesting, but...



PURCHASED FROM:
I purchased mine from Kam Man Foods in New York City, but my friends at J-List also carry an ever-changing selection of the various Kit Kat flavors...so be sure to check them out!

Lotte Black Black Gum

A big shoutout of thanks to my friends at J-List for sending me today's Gum Week selection: Lotte Black Black Gum.

The cute little blurb on the package says that Black Black has "Hi-Technical Excellent Taste and Flavor." If that doesn't scream nerdy happiness, nothing ever will. I'm not sure exactly what "Hi-Technical Excellent Taste and Flavor" is supposed to mean -- but I can tell you that what makes Black Black so great is that it contains sweet, sweet caffeine. 5 mg of caffeine to be exact. If you consider that your standard can of Coke Classic has 40 mg, that is really not all that much -- but, good nerd that I am, I will take what caffeine I can get.



The taste of Black Black is interesting. It starts off with a really intense menthol kick. Notice I said menthol and not simply mint: the first few times you have the gum, I warn you that it's almost like chewing a stick of edible Vicks VapoRub. But once you get past the initial shock, you actually start craving the burn -- sort of like with a good hot sauce.

I think it also has a tea tree oil flavor, or something similar. Strong and woodsy. The gum also features chrysanthemum flower, ginkgo, and oolong tea extracts.



I find the look of the gum cool. It's a soft charcoal gray-black, so it complements my wardrobe! (OK, that was a really stupid reason to like anything for.)

Not for the faint of heart, but if you like strong flavors and and/or caffeine it's a must try!


PURCHASED FROM:

Provided by J-List.

Azuki Bean Kit Kat

I admit it. Prior to this Kit Kat (minus the odd red bean paste filled Moon cake) I had never really eaten azuki bean.



And beyond that, the only reason they ever stuck in my mind was because Gillian McKeith is always going on about them on the BBC show "You Are What You Eat." Of course, she also goes on and on and on about poo, so maybe she's not the best person to listen to...

Anyway, as some of you may not know (and as a reminder for those who do), in Japan Kit Kat produces tons of different flavors. Much like Pocky, some of them are seasonal or regional, and the sheer number of flavors seems endless.

The Azuki come in a cute little box protecting its payload of 4 fingers, separated into two packets each containing two fingers. The fingers themselves are the same size as their U.S. cousins.

The first clue that these are not like our Kit Kats is the smell. There's sort of an earthy, grassy smell that wafts out of the packet. It's clean and pleasant in a Demeter Fragrance Dirt sort of way-- but it's definitely not something you'd expect from a Kit Kat.



The flavor is unique. It didn't really remind me of the red bean paste I've had before. If you have ever had boiled peanuts, there is a touch of that taste--which is to say, nuts that have more of a soy bean/raw green bean essence. There is also a grasslike taste.



The chocolate is milk, and it seems a little thinner then our version. It's very milky and while it's sweet, it reminds me more of the imported Nestle chocolate than the U.S. version.

Once I got used to the flavor, I really loved this Kit Kat. It's just such a different flavor than what I am used to that I found it addicting. Once J-List starts shipping chocolate again--or I make it back to New York City--I am doing some serious stocking up on this flavor!



PURCHASED FROM:
Kam Man Market NYC

I purchased mine from Kam Man in New York City...but my friends at J-List also carry it, so be sure to check them out!

Toppo 60th Anniversary Ghana Milk Chocolate

Toppo is yet another candy stick confection from Japan, along with Pocky and Fran. And if Pocky and Fran are cousins, then Toppo is like the prom night dumpster baby of the two. (But I mean that in a respectful way!)




On Pocky/Fran sticks the candy coating is dipped on the outside of the biscuit. In the case of Toppo, the outside is a hollow biscuit, and the center is filled with the candy.



This Toppo is -- not surprisingly -- filled with milk chocolate made from Ghanaian cacao beans. The outer biscuit is crispy, but flaky. Tastewise, it reminded me more of a pretzel than it did the neutral biscuit of Pocky/Fran. If only it had really been a salted pretzel! That would have been amazingly good!

The Ghana chocolate is very cool on the tongue. The texture is smooth and almost fluid. It's a sweet chocolate, but not too sweet, as some cheaper, lesser quality milk chocolate can be. Actually, this was just as impressive as Pocky and Fran. I really have got to go looking for more of the Toppo flavors now!



PURCHASED FROM:
Kam Man Market, New York City.

I got mine at Kam Man in NYC, but my friends at J-List carry several of the different Toppo flavors!

Lotte Plus X Cube Gum- Pinneapple Mint

Once again, I have to repeat that Japanese products have the best packaging/product design.



I mean, look at those little cubes and the little 8 bit design on the box, and tell me that isn't the coolest thing!



Each little piece of gum is about half the size of a sugar cube. They are meant to be chewed by the handful. The outer layer of the cube is sweet and slightly crunchy (think of the old-school Cinnaburst gum).



The initial flavor is sweet pineapple. It actually tastes pretty natural; though more like dried pineapple slices than fresh. The flavor is strongest for the first three minutes.

There is also a mint flavor to the gum. I was worried that this was going to be a nasty combination, but it is surprisingly mild and pleasant and it worked quite nicely with the pineapple. Maybe because it's a subtle mint -- more of a menthol warmth that stays long after the actual flavor is gone, rather then a pungent, breath-freshening type mint.

The gum has a soft and non-sticky chew. I preferred just one cube at a time -- but then, I am not a fan of huge wads of gum.



Finally, there was one little extra that came with the gum that left me scratching my head...until I read J-List's product blurb. And that is a little tiny Post-It style pad included in the pack. Since I spend a rather embarrassing amount per year on Posties (as I like to call them) I thought this was pretty neat, but I had no idea why they were there. (Is it customary in Japan to scribble little notes to oneself while chewing gum? No? I didn't think so!) Actually, what the pad is really supposed to be is something to wrap your piece of gum in when you are done chewing it. That's a pretty nice add-on, since the gum itself is unwrapped in the box. Failing that, you could just use them to write notes on.

I loved this gum and will definitely be getting more. Because the label is entirely in Japanese, I have no idea if it is sugar free or how it is sweetened -- if you know, please comment! (I tried to Google, with no luck.)

I bought mine from Kam Man in New York City, but J-List does carry this gum -- along with lots of other Cube flavors and Lotte products, so check them out!

PURCHASED FROM:
Kam Man Market NYC

Okami Sushi Rolls

Sometimes you just want sushi.

And sometimes, you want sushi on the night that you have just accidentally dyed your hair a rather Princely shade of purple, and you have to spend the time you were planning on spending at a leisurely sushi dinner re-dying your hair back to a shade that is reasonably close to "normal"... not that I am bitter. C'mon, tell me this wasn't a cool color, though! (And it GLOWED in sunlight.)



In any event, thankfully, Trader Joe's had my back. I was able re-dye my hair AND have sushi! (Yes, I probably just could have gotten take-out from where I was planning to go to dinner...but then we wouldn't have a review, would we?)

Because I very, very seldom do ready-made sushi, you are also getting a bonus 3-in-1 review!

CALIFORNIA ROLL:





So far...eh. The outer rice is studded with toasted sesame seeds in contrasting colors -- nice touch. The inner nori (seaweed) wrapper is visible but not huge or thick (also good). The surimi (aka fake crab, which is often normal for a California roll) is of the "salad" type rather than a stick of "crab" meat (I like it either way). What I have noticed is glaringly missing is cucumber and avocado, both of which are a big part of what makes a California roll. Minus the lack of avocado and cucumber, for ready-made it was pretty good. The crab flavor was mild. The rice was sticky but not too gummy (well, it was a little, but for ready-made sushi I am cutting some slack). The nori was just right -- I hate when it won't rip easily in the teeth.

For a fast meal or quick snack I would get it again.




SPICY CALIFORNIA ROLL:





As with the "regular" California Roll, the outer edge is lined with sesame. The crab filling is the salad type and there is no avocado or cucumber. Oh, and the center is a happy shade of orange. The filling appears to be studded with little red specks. To me the difference seems to be that the filling tastes as if Sriracha sauce (you know, the squeeze bottle with the rooster on it) was mixed generously into the filling. And just like the other California Roll, for something ready-made I really liked it.




WASABI SHRIMP & AVOCADO ROLLS:





This roll simply has nori on the outside, and a thick layer of rice. The inner filling is a sort of shrimp salad with a nice little chunk of avocado...and it comes from the seventh level of hell. Have you ever had ready-made tuna salad that makes you think of cat food? Well, that would still taste better than this roll. I know it says "wasabi," but I sure didn't taste any. I gotta be honest: I couldn't make it past a slice and a half. I'm sorry. I love you guys, really I do, but I don't love you that much.



Even with the failure of the last roll, I again have to say that for ready-made sushi these rolls made a nice little snack. No doubt it's not in the same ball park as made-to-order, but for a fast option it really hit the spot.


PURCHASED FROM:
Trader Joe's