July 11th: Kit Kat Caramel

Kcal 107 Fat 5.4g Fat(sats) 3.0g Carbs 13.2g (per bar)

At the start of the week ChocolateMission reader Phil shared an article from 'The Grocer' magazine that stated Nestle were bringing out a new 'Caramel' Kit Kat. Having just reviewed the simply fantastic Kit Kat Chunky Caramel all sorts of possibilities crossed our minds. Would it have a caramel layer? caramel chocolate ala Carramac? or would it be caramel flavoured chocolate. Well having tracked them down thanks to a tip-off from reader Susanne (Sainsburys!!!) I can confirm that to most peoples disappointment that they were described as 'caramel flavoured milk chocolate coated wafers'.

As you have probably worked out from the photo above these new Kit Kat Caramel came in a multi-pack that can be found in most supermarkets. Indeed I bought these in a 9x2 finger pack with each two finger serving weighing in at 20.8g. First impressions of the packaging were a little underwhelming. Aside from the yellow colour implemented on the wrappers the new flavour variant hardly had any whooplah attached to it and ultimately failed to raise any sort of excitement. Again if you look at the photos above you can see that the actual Kit Kats themselves looked no different whatsoever to standard milk chocolate Kit Kat. I wouldn't say this was necessarily a bad thing but it is not as if Nestle had gone out their way to really differentiate the product from anything else we have seen before. I am not saying that Nestle should have done anything overly elaborate as I still quite like the traditional Kit Kat design (hence the 8.0 score), that said it would have been nice to have a little shake up. Whereas the presentation failed to excite the smell certainly didn't. Upon opening the wrapper I was met with a pleasant barrage of toffee like scents that certainly gave promise for the taste.

Caramel flavoured milk chocolate wasn't top of anyones wish list when this product was first announced, however as Alan pointed out if it was anything near the standards of Hotel Chocolat caramel flavoured chocolate it could really be something to behold. Of course I never perceived the chocolate to ever be in the same league as the Hotel Chocolat equivalent but at the same time it was in some ways better (and worse) than I was expecting. Due to the mildness of standard Nestle milk chocolate it didn't take long for the caramel flavours to come through and at first they were really rather welcome. The toffee hints added nicely to the usual sweet dried milk flavours and seemed to bring something just a little bit more special to the flavours of the outer chocolate. Unfortunately though I thought that as the chocolate got later in its melt the taste became overly sweet and to the point where the sugary flavours dominated the malty, biscuit flavours of the wafer. The ferocity of the sugar in the taste not only took the wafer element out of the taste but also at times caused a mild burning sensation at the back of my throat. Before consuming one of the two fingers packets I was expecting to eat another packet after. This didn't actually happen though due to the burning feeling at the back of my throat and I decided against further adding to it by having another.

Overall I am a real fan of the standard Kit Kat and I have to say as a headline I didn't think this was as good. The added caramel had both its plus and minus points. As I have stated above it did bring an extra dimension to usual mild milk flavours of the chocolate with its sweet, buttery, toffee flavours. Unfortunately though the first word I used to describe it came a little over bearing and the sugary sweetness became all too much dominating not only the flavours of the wafer but also causing a slight discomfort at the back of my mouth. If your a fan of the Kit Kat range I am sure this is worth you trying, at the same time though I should warn that you shouldn't get all that excited about it.

7.8 out of 10