September 2nd: Kit Kat Azuki Bean

Kcal 228 Fat 13.6g Carbs 25.6g

Even after last weeks Kit Kat extravaganza UniqJapan still managed to find yet another flavour of Kit Kat I hadn't sampled from their store. I must admit being rather oblivious to what an 'Azuki Bean' was prior to eating this bar. Some research via wiki has revealed it to be a red coloured bean that is grown in East Asia. It actually turns out that it's the second most popular legume in Japan behind the Soybean, and is very commonly used to add flavour to foods such as ice cream, pastries and biscuits...fascinating stuff huh!?

This 'Azuki Bean' flavoured Kit Kat came as a four-fingered white chocolate Kit Kat with added 'Azuki Bean' paste in both the wafer and coating. The product came in a nice glossy looking box, it certainly made the bar feel that little bit more special than a standard Kit Kat. Contained within the box were two packs of foil wrapped double finger servings; handy if unlike me you can resist tucking into both at the same sitting. The Kit Kat's themselves looked just as awesome as the exterior packaging ... the speckled look of the bars gave them an interesting look - not like any other Kit Kat I have seen before. I enjoyed the smell that came from the product; they had a extra sweet dairy scent - quite alike vanilla ice cream.

The fingers had a smooth textured coating; the added minuscule bean pieces did not disrupt the silky nature of the melt. The bean paste was quite apparent in its presence; tucked in the wafer, it added a smooth moistness, unfortunately though this partially negated the usual crispiness of the wafer. The initial flavour of the fingers had a dreamy creamy taste; the white chocolate quality was actually quite good for a mass confection bar, not overly sweet but a nice full rounded milky flavour with a lick of vanilla. The flavour of the wafer was largely dominated by the 'Azuki Bean' paste, which added a unique set of sweet nutty flavour depths. I ate all four fingers (41.0g) in one sitting which made for a great afternoon snack. The flavours were strong enough to make sure the bar felt substantial and satisfying. I must also note that I really enjoyed the aftertaste, it left a long pleasant creamy taste in the mouth.

Overall contrary to a lot of the other Japanese Kit Kats I tried last week, this flavour actually really worked and felt right at home in the Kit Kat format. The white chocolate provided a solid flavour base from which the 'Azuki Bean' paste added a particularly pleasant additional sweet, nutty flavour. The wafer didn't quite retain its usual crispness, though the paste did give it a heavier more substantial feel. This was a nicely presented, great tasting, fulfiling offering that im sure Kit Kat and white chocolate fans alike would very much enjoy - recommended.

8.3 out of 10

Visit UniqJapan for this Kit Kat Azuki Bean and many other Japanese products - delivered right here to the UK!