August 14th: Kit Kat Kinako Soy

Kcal ??? Fat ??? Fat(sats) ??? Carbs ???

My first dip into the Japanese Kit Kat world saw me reviewing the 'Custard Pudding' variant ... admittedly not the most typical of Japense flavours. Today though I sampled the milk chocolate with 'Kinako Soy' flavour. Kinako Soy is a product very commonly used in Japanese cuisine and also known as soybean flour. It is created through the roasting and grounding of soybeans and is lauded for its Vitamin B and protein content...thank god for Wiki is all I can say. Todays sample came courtesy of the guys at UniqJapan - they stock all sorts of different Japanese goods including Kit Kats and are well worth checking out if you have an interest.

In proposition this was the same as a standard Kit Kat - milk chocolate (with added Kinako Soy) coated wafer fingers. Unfortunately this product came in the same small serving size as its 'Custard Pudding' equivalent...it would struggle to satisfy the smallest of stomach rumblings and really was just a very absurdly sized product. The packaging itself was nicely presented; the foil packaging ensured a fresh protected product, and the fingers themselves looked well crafted with the Kit Kat logo imprinted on the ever so small fingers. The overriding aroma that emanated from the packet was a sweet one that had a nice biscuity tinge...pleasant but not the most forthcoming.

The initial flavour that I detected from my first bite was a creamy chocolaty one that was not all too disimilar to the standard milk chocolate Kit Kat, just slightly more mellow and softer. This made the taste of the wafer more impactful, which in turn added a nice sweet dry cakey element to the creamyness of the coating. The aftertaste had a slight woody nutty note which could be tasted in the mouth for a while after eating - im no connesieur but I am guessing this was the Kinako soy element. The wafer element retained its usual crispness though the melt of the coating was slightly slower and seemed to clump together more than other Kit Kats I have reviewed....the coating melt was simply not as nice as with other variants.

Overall this is a fair enough variation of Kit Kat, though will hardly be setting any fires alight anytime soon. The milk chocolate had a more mellow taste than normal and didn't quite have the pleasant melty texture as is normally typical with the brand. The nuttyness in the aftertaste was pleasant though quite subtle and not did not provide the biggets of flavour hits. Though the more laidback nature of the milk chocolate allowed the flavour of the wafer to have more of a presence, this seemed a tad unexciting when the reason I purchased the product was to really get a diverse flavour from the Kinako Soy. I wouldn't overly recommend this product based on the impact of its enhanced flavour credentials, though its still a decent enough Kit Kat and probably worth trying if your curious and happen to come across it,

6.2 out of 10

Visit UniqJapan for many Japanese Chocolates including Kit Kats, Pocky and many more!