Ume Sake Kit Kat

After the success of Sake Kit Kat back in 2016, Nestlé Japan has announced the release of an all-new Japan-exclusive Kit Kat for Fall 2018! Ume Sake Kit Kat - Plum Wine Kit Kat is made with Nanko plums from Wakayama Prefecture.

The new Kit Kat has been developed with the help of former Japanese soccer star Hidetoshi Nakata, now an accomplished sake connoisseur and acclaimed sake brewery Heiwa Shuzou in Wakayama.

Heiwa Shuzou was founded in 1928 in a valley in Wakayama where the temperate climate and high-quality soft spring water produces top-notch sake. The brewery not only produces sake, but a range of special fruit-flavoured sake made with locally grown fruit from Wakayama Prefecture.

Wakayama Prefecture located south of Osaka on Japan’s main island of Honshu produces about 40% of Japan’s plums (ume) and is known for its delicious tasting fruit. Only Wakayama’s best local Nanko plums, considered the best in Japan have been used for this new Kit Kat giving it a superior flavor. The plums are known for their soft pulp and extremely rich flavor.

Heiwa Shuzou uses these Nanko plums to produce their “Tsuru-ume Suppai Umeshu”, a delicious plum wine made with a sake base rather than the traditional shochu base.

Plum wine, called Umeshu (梅酒) in Japanese, is a popular summer/fall drink made with plums (ume) and shochu, a white distilled spirit usually made from rice, barley or sweet potatoes.

The new Ume Sake Kit Kat highlights this special combination with (梅酒) ume-shu on the packaging, which perfectly describes the unique blend of ume (梅) plums and sake (酒).

Ume Sake Kit Kat

According to Nestlé, the new Kit Kats delicately balance the sweet, deep flavor of ripe Japanese plums with white chocolate, giving them a strong aroma and a refreshing aftertaste. The description on the Kit Kat box reads, “The fragrant taste of sake, wrapped in the gentle sweetness of white chocolate. Enjoy the rich satisfying flavor of sake”.

Ume Sake Kit Kat will go on sale at souvenir stores around Japan from mid-September with each nine-piece pack selling for 700 yen (USD$6.40).

Nestlé Japan https://www.nestle.co.jp/ 

Credit: Nestlé Japan

Personalised Kit Kats in Japan

Kit Kat is huge in Japan and a popular souvenir among the many visitors to Japan every year with a wide variety of exclusive seasonal and regional flavours on offer. A new vending machine in Kyoto now gives you the chance to personalise your own Japanese Kit Kat.

The fancy vending machine is located in the “Omiyage Kaido” (Souvenir Highway) inside JR Kyoto Station near the west entrance. The unique and one of a kind Kit Kats are called “Travel Memories Kit Kat” and will only be available for a limited time.

The vending machine allows you to print one of your own images via your mobile phone onto a pack of Uji Matcha Green Tea Kit Kats, creating a personalised memento of your travels in Japan. The pack even comes with a special stand inside the box allowing you to beautifully display your personalised Kit Kats. The whole process is quick and easy, taking just five minutes to create your own box of Kit Kats.

A box of personalised Japanese Kit Kats

 How much does this amazing personalised Kit Kat cost, I hear you ask. It costs just 400 yen (USD$3.50) to use the service, which include the box of Matcha Kit Kats. This unique service is only available for a limited time until mid-April 2018. Remember to give it a try if you are in Kyoto and hopefully it can spread to other locations around Japan.

Nestle Japan 

Sake Kit Kat in Japan

Hot on the heels of the news about a new Nestle factory opening up in Japan for flavoured Kit Kats comes news of a new premium sake Kit Kat in Japan.

Nestle is releasing a new type of high-class Kit Kat with the help of esteemed Toyama-based sake brewery, Masuizumi and former Japanese soccer star Hidetoshi Nakata, a passionate sake fan. The new premium sake Kit Kat will be made for refined tastes and has been a year in the making.

Masuizumi sake brewery based in Toyama Prefecture was chosen from over 100 sake breweries in Japan to provide the premium sake used in these new Kit Kat. Masuizumi has a history dating back to 1893, making a great choice for these premium Kit Kat. The white chocolate wafers of the Kit Kat combine perfectly with the crisp dry finish of Masuizumi’s sake, creating depth of flavour and a distinct sake aroma.

The new premium Kit Kat containing 0.4% alcohol is called Masuizumi Japan Sake Kit Kat and will be sold in distinctive red boxes containing nine individually packaged bars. The tagline for the product is “The elegant taste of sake, wrapped in the gentle sweetness of white chocolate. Enjoy the rich, satisfying flavour of sake”.

Masuizumi Japan Sake Kit Kat will go on sale at souvenir stores around Japan from mid-September and will retail for 700 yen ($USD6.50). Kanpai!

Kit Kat Japan Website  

Nestle Factory for Flavoured KitKats

Snacks and chocolate are big business in Japan with KitKat, the country’s top selling chocolate brand. The Japanese love the different seasonal and regional flavours of KitKat that can be found around the country, and with 300 different limited-edition varieties released so far, the choice seems endless.

Some of the more popular flavours of KitKat in Japan include Green Tea, Cherry Blossom and Yokohama Cheese Cake. On the other hand we have also been inflicted with weird and quirky flavours such as Wasabi, Soy Sauce and Okinawan Sweet Potato.

A selection of KitKat from Japan

KitKat was first introduced to Japan in 1973, and instantly become a hit with the name “KitKat” sounding like the Japanese “Kitto Katsu”, which means “You will surely win”, making the chocolate a popular choice for students hoping to pass exams. The different flavoured varieties have been a success due to the omiyage (souvenir) culture in Japan with travelers bringing back the regional specialties to their family and co-workers.

Japan has already seen the opening of fancy KitKat Chocolatory Boutiques around the country selling a “premium artisan” variety of KitKat created by renowned Japanese pastry chef Yasumasa Takagi. The limited edition flavours have been a big hit with KitKat aficionados with high-end flavours such as raspberry-infused dark chocolate and orange chocolate rum.

KitKat Chocolatory Boutique Store in Tokyo's Ikebukuro District

Now, we have news that Nestle, who make the popular wafer chocolate snack will build a factory in Japan dedicated to producing weird and wonderful flavours of KitKat. The new factory in Himeji City, famous for Himeji Castle will help satisfy the ever increasing demand for exotic local KitKat flavours both in Japan and overseas.

KitKat Japan Website

KitKat Purple Potato

McDonald’s Japan Chocolate Fries

McDonald’s Japan has done it again! They have created a huge marketing buzz surrounding their latest offering, French fries covered in chocolate sauce. The launch last week saw the Internet go crazy over this new menu item, and it has even reached the furthest corners of the globe.

Recent years has seen McDonald’s Japan witness sagging sales, various food scandals and supply issues. In an attempt to turn around its fortunes in Japan, it has been creative with its menu items in order to bring back the masses to the once vastly popular fast-food chain in Japan.

McDonald’s Japan Chocolate Fries or McChoco Potato as it is known here in Japan forms part of its special winter menu, and went on sale from January 26. The sweet and salty French fries come with two different kinds of chocolate sauce, milk chocolate and white chocolate, and cost 330 yen (USD$2.80).

I’ve been quite surprised by how many people have been shocked by this latest creation. After all, when you think about it French fries and chocolate is a pretty good flavour combination that works surprisingly well. You have the saltiness of the fries and the sweetness of the chocolate sauce, creating a nice harmony and balance of flavours. Salty and sweet is a combination that goes together well and has been used many times before in Japan.

There is a company in Hokkaido, called ROYCE, who has made a great success with potato chips dipped in chocolate. This unique item is hugely popular in Japan and makes a great souvenir from the region.

The chocolate-covered French fries will only be available for a limited time, with McDonald’s Japan scheduled to stop selling them in mid-February, soon after Valentine’s Day.

We were intrigued by this latest offering, so headed to our local McDonald’s to check them out.

The Taste Test 

Japan Australia was very keen to try these new chocolate-covered French fries out and we weren’t disappointed. The hot fries were receptive to the chocolate sauce, which melts all over when squirted over the top. They were very moreish and as expected the saltiness of the fries was a perfect mix with the sweetness of the double chocolate sauce. This could make for the perfect McDonald's snack! I highly recommend the chocolate fries for anyone out there who has ever dipped their fries in a chocolate milkshake. Bon Appetit!

The McChoco Potato comes in a good looking box. I'm lovin it!

The Golden French Fries of McDonald's Japan before being covered in chocolate sauce

The easy to squeeze double chocolate sauce

The sauce comes with milk chocolate and white chocolate

The McDonald's Japan Chocolate Fries ready to demolished

If you are interested in McDonald’s Japan unique and interesting menu items, check out the following gems:

McDonald’s Japan Halloween Burger 

McDonald’s Japan World Cup Menu 

McDonald’s Japan Sakura Teritama Burger 

McDonald’s Japan Website 

Valentine’s Day in Japan

Valentine’s Day in Japan is very different from anywhere else in the world. Valentine’s Day is on February 14th but it is all about the chocolates in Japan. The tradition in Japan is for the girls to give chocolates to the boys. It is totally up to the girls to show who they like by presenting them with chocolate. The favour is returned to the girls on a special day called White Day, which is celebrated on March 14th.

Types of chocolate giving on Valentine’s Day