2010.08.24

Backlog KitKat Report #2

Comments

20100824.01.jpg

I got all three of these flavors back in December of 2009, thanks to my friend Nic, who brought them back from Canada. From top to bottom:

Kinako Ohagi KitKats

Frankly, I ate these pretty much instantly — probably due to pleasant memories of the Kinako Big Kat from earlier in the year. Sadly, my memory is not so distinct on this one, other than:

  • The kinako flavor was still noticeable, though less prominent than in the big kat;
  • Definite red bean overtones, similar to the green tea - adzuki - shave ice flavor from way back, but more subtle than the oshiruko.
  • Like the oshiruko KitKats, there were apparently little mochi puffs inside, but I don’t think I ever even noticed.

I think I liked it. It certainly would help my romantic view of my relationship with kinako if I did. Wish I could remember!

Ume Soda KitKats

I admit that I totally forgot about these, to the point where looking in my pantry for backlog ideas I found the box, unopened. So you get a fresh impression! Ume is Japanese plum, very sour, and there is definite acid in this candy version. That hits the tongue first, followed by an expansive sweet mellowing as the rest of the bar spreads through the mouth, followed by a return of the tartness as a lingering aftertaste. The changing aspect is nice — previous flavors toying with sourness seemed fairly one-note and cloying. Lemon creme comes quickly to mind.

I’ve never actually had ume-flavored soda, but I can imagine it’s probably not too far off the mark. If anything, the KitKat doesn’t taste nearly as artificial as most Asian soft drinks I’ve had. Verdict? Surprisingly yummy, though probably not an instant classic.

Ito En Vegetable Drink KitKats

Okay, I found some of this too, but it was one remaining bar in an opened, foil inner package. Super-stale after nine months? Given that my from-memory review would probably be the phrase “kinda weird,” in the interests of painting an accurate picture, I took the bullet. So…

If I don’t post tomorrow, please send the cavalry ~ and tell them I did it for love.

Yes, of course I did a sniff test first. Only thing is, when your recollection ends at “kinda weird,” it’s hard to judge whether the (admittedly strange) fragrance was due to spoilage or not. So into my mouth it went. And?

Well, it’s… kinda weird, after all. And I refuse to make it a matter of its vegetable-juiciness. I’m pretty sure the drink it’s modeled on is nothing like V8 — the box shows carrots and apples, which I’ve definitely had in juice form, and which I think wouldn’t make such a bad base flavor for candy. In fact, the first taste was pretty pleasant. But! That artificial feeling I mentioned as a characteristic of Asian soft drinks? It’s here, in spades, as an unsettling, astringent aftertaste. Astringent’s probably not the right word. Is there an opposite of umami?

Of course, that might just be nine months in the pantry talking.

See how much I love you?

More Japanese KitKats.

tags: japan , kitkats

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Kinako Ohagi KitKats
\n\nFrankly, I ate these pretty much instantly -- probably due to pleasant memories of the Kinako Big Kat from earlier in the year. Sadly, my memory is not so distinct on this one, other than:\n\n
    \n\t
  • The kinako flavor was still noticeable, though less prominent than in the big kat;
  • \n\t
  • Definite red bean overtones, similar to the green tea - adzuki - shave ice flavor from way back, but more subtle than the oshiruko.
  • \n\t
  • Like the oshiruko KitKats, there were apparently little mochi puffs inside, but I don't think I ever even noticed.
  • \n
\n\nI think I liked it. It certainly would help my romantic view of my relationship with kinako if I did. Wish I could remember!\n\n
Ume Soda KitKats
\n\nI admit that I totally forgot about these, to the point where looking in my pantry for backlog ideas I found the box, unopened. So you get a fresh impression! Ume is Japanese plum, very sour, and there is definite acid in this candy version. That hits the tongue first, followed by an expansive sweet mellowing as the rest of the bar spreads through the mouth, followed by a return of the tartness as a lingering aftertaste. The changing aspect is nice -- previous flavors toying with sourness seemed fairly one-note and cloying. Lemon creme comes quickly to mind.\n\nI've never actually had ume-flavored soda, but I can imagine it's probably not too far off the mark. If anything, the KitKat doesn't taste nearly as artificial as most Asian soft drinks I've had. Verdict? Surprisingly yummy, though probably not an instant classic.\n\n
Ito En Vegetable Drink KitKats
\n\nOkay, I found some of this too, but it was one remaining bar in an opened, foil inner package. Super-stale after nine months? Given that my from-memory review would probably be the phrase \"kinda weird,\" in the interests of painting an accurate picture, I took the bullet. So...\n\nIf I don't post tomorrow, please send the cavalry ~ and tell them I did it for love.\n\nYes, of course I did a sniff test first. Only thing is, when your recollection ends at \"kinda weird,\" it's hard to judge whether the (admittedly strange) fragrance was due to spoilage or not. So into my mouth it went. And?\n\nWell, it's... kinda weird, after all. And I refuse to make it a matter of its vegetable-juiciness. I'm pretty sure the drink it's modeled on is nothing like V8 -- the box shows carrots and apples, which I've definitely had in juice form, and which I think wouldn't make such a bad base flavor for candy. In fact, the first taste was pretty pleasant. But! That artificial feeling I mentioned as a characteristic of Asian soft drinks? It's here, in spades, as an unsettling, astringent aftertaste. Astringent's probably not the right word. Is there an opposite of umami?\n\nOf course, that might just be nine months in the pantry talking.\n\nSee how much I love you?\n\nMore Japanese KitKats."; } function get_the_offset() { return -8; } function start_mt() { include('/home/ianthe/neonepiphany.com/mt/php/mt.php'); $mt = MT::get_instance(1, '/home/ianthe/neonepiphany.com/mt/mt-config.cgi'); return $mt; } function trackback_url() { return "http://www.neonepiphany.com/mt/mt-tb.cgi/1299"; } include('/home/ianthe/neonepiphany.com/mt/plugins/disqus/php/disqus.php'); include(dsq_comments_template(1)); ?>

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