Chocolatory: Sakura Green Tea

I happened to end up with a free Saturday afternoon and a friend that wanted to hang out. I suggested Ikebukuro because it's pretty convenient for us. And I wanted to stop by the KitKat Chocolatory again. I was hoping to be able to get one of the other flavors but I wasn't actually expecting to have much luck. And my friend and I got there only to find all but one flavor was sold out and there was a line going out of the entire department store! Luckily the one flavor in stock was Sakura Matcha! And they hadn't sold out by the time it was our turn. The KitKat gods were shining down on us!

Sakura Green Tea 2014/01

If I had enough foresight to know how delicious this was going to be, I would have bought more than the two boxes that I bought. I bought two so that I could share with people, but I quickly realized I wanted a box to myself. Darn. The regular sakura matcha is delicious but it's more matcha than sakura. This one has a very clear sakura taste. And I love sakura. If you don't like that flavor, this is not for you. If you do like it, we might end up fighting over a box.

Chocolatory: Chilli

Special: Chilli (January 2014)

My first experience with the new special flavors being sold at the new KitKat Chocolatory is Chilli. First off, the box is lovely. I quite like the shape and the specialness of it. It feels like you're eating high-class chocolate and not just (!?) a KitKat. As I mentioned in the previous post, this flavor is the product of a collaboration between KitKat and Yasumasa Takagi.

The chilli flavor is quite subtle and comes only as an aftertaste. I like that about spicy chocolate. Going down it's basically just chocolate, but then something lingers and gives a bit of a kick to the experience. Alright KitKat, I approve.

A KitKat Store!?

I've fully forgiven KitKats for their lack of action in the recent year(s). Who knew they were working on opening a KitKat specialty store!? It's in Ikebukuro and it's like a fancy boutique. In English, they're calling it a KitKat Chocolatory. And they've teamed up with chocolatier Yasumasa Takagi to create special flavors not sold (I'm guessing) anywhere else. It opened on January 17, and my friend and I went there on the 20th. They're currently selling three flavors, but by the time we got there, they were sold out of all of them but chilli. A little disappointing, but still pretty darn exciting! They're supposed to be changing the flavors periodically too. I might need to move to Ikebukuro.

Omiyage: Nagoya's Souvenir

"Azuki Sando" Jan 2014

So, one of my KitKat scouts went back to his hometown over the New Year Holiday and came back with a fantastic souvenir - Nagoya's Regional KitKat! The flavor is あずきサンド味 ("azuki sando"), which is a local "specialty" of toast with margarine and azuki beans. Apparently it's something only people from Nagoya eat and is a source of a bit of mocking. I'm sure it tastes quite good. BUT the KitKat is pretty awful. I like azuki and azuki paste, but the artificial flavoring leaves a bad taste in one's mouth. This is probably the second worst KitKat I've ever tried. The worst one being cheese. But it's another KitKat on the list, so I'm still super happy!