kit kat

Wasabi Kit Kat from Japan (Shizuoka Kanto Edition)

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Wasabi Kit Kat

These remarkable Japanese Kit Kats are made with wasabi! It’s not fake wasabi or the imitation horseradish that’s often passed off as cheap “wasabi” either. Nestle Japan teamed up with the huge Tamaruya-Honten Co Ltd (who has been manufacturing wasabi since 1875) to make these delicious snacks. I couldn’t resist trying this weird flavor so I snapped up the Wasabi Kit Kat as soon as I saw them.

Tamaruya Wasabi

There are 12 pieces of Kit Kats in the box, all individually wrapped. A regular pack in Japan holds 3 wrapped pieces of 2 Kit Kat mini bars so this is four times the amount. It’s presented in a nice box meant as omiyage (souvenirs). It opens up from the front to reveal two rows of Wasabi Flavored Kit Kats. There is writing on the flip side of the cover which explains the provenance of the product.

Wasabi

No, I didn’t inexplicably start reading Japanese from a single trip to Hokkaido. I took a photo of the text with Google Translate and it showed me the English translation. That’s actually how we got around in Japan when we were there earlier this year. Haha. These are special edition Kit Kat from the Shizuoka-Kanto area.

Kit Kat Wasabi Flavor

Tamaruya-Honten uses only wasabi from the Shizuoka Prefecture with no coloring and horseradish added. The latter two is basically what makes up virtually 100% of wasabi locally. No such shenanigans here, the stuff Nestle Japan puts in these Kit Kats is real wasabi made by a reputable wasabi manufacturer. There is a blurb at the back introducing Tamaruya and a link to their website. I believe “honten” means original shop.

I took a bite and was startled to find out that the wasabi flavor was really strong. It cleared up my sinuses and I could taste/feel the pungent wasabi notes through my nose. It was not unpleasant but the taste combination was strange. My better half didn’t like it though, she found the strong wasabi kick rather off-putting. I didn’t mind, I’m quite fond of wasabi but honestly it doesn’t go very well with chocolate.

Kit Kat Wasabi

These Wasabi Kit Kat are more of a novelty item. I was glad I got the chance to taste them but I probably won’t buy them again. I love how Nestle Japan hooked up with an established wasabi producer to make these Kit Kats. The Nestle x Tamaruya partnership for this makes for a great story. It’s the perfect souvenir due to its exclusivity and a regional specialty to boot, but they’re really not that great to eat. I’m definitely keeping the box though.

6 Rakuten Shopping Hacks for Ultimate Value!

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Kit Kat Baked Cheesecake

I have been fascinated with Rakuten ever since a friend of mine told me that she got a pack of Kit Kat that’s exclusive to Japan from the site. These are the awesome bakeable (!!!) Kit Kat bars from the Land of the Rising Sun. They’re actually called Baked Cheesecake Kit Kats and they’re mini Kit Kat bars you can bake in the oven!

Snickers Square

You actually have to put them in the oven before you can eat them. I bought a pack for my better half to try.

Taiwan Apple Milk Tea

There’s all sorts of wonderful discoveries to be had on Rakuten. In a sense, their tagline “Shopping is Entertainment” holds very true for people like me who likes to discover new snacks which can only be purchased in certain countries.

Ritz Smoky Bacon

There are specialized shops in Rakuten that offers Japan exclusive products. You don’t have to fly over there to get something which is localized in Japan anymore, for example their Rose Wine Pocky, which is only available in Kobe. You can find it on Rakuten within a click of a mouse or a search string, which brings me to my first hack:

1. Browse often for the best deals

You have to go through your favorite category (mine is Food & Drink) to discover the latest exotic Japanese products. They have a lot of seasonal, limited edition and new items being listed all the time so if you miss going on for a week, you might completely miss out on a certain limited edition item.

2. Become a member and shop for free

Signing up as a member on Rakuten is free. There’s no reason why you shouldn’t become a member since you get rewarded with Rakuten Super Points. Rakuten Super Points is an alternate payment method in Rakuten – it is equivalent to cold hard cash so if you accumulate enough, you’ll be able to buy (redeem) something for free using your Rakuten Super Points!

3. Take advantage of the 5X Rakuten Super Points Giveaway

Rakuten is now giving away Super Points in the form of a 5% rebate! This is equivalent to 5% of your purchase being given back in the form of Rakuten Super Points. 1 Super Point is worth RM 1 and these points are available 24/7 – there’s no limit on the amount of rebate you can get. Yes, you can use this like cash to offset your next purchase!

4. Get additional 5% discount on Wednesdays with Mastercard

Wednesday is the new shopping day coz you’ll get an additional 5% off if you use Mastercard to make your purchases! This little known trick will allow you to stretch your budget further. Here’s a tip for you – hold off your purchases until Wednesday, just remember what you planned to get and pay for your shopping cart when the next Wednesday rolls along for maximum value.
For example, you can get this limited edition Japan exclusive Nestle Kit Kat Red Pepper for RM 69 from Okashi World.

Nestle Kit Kat Japan Red Pepper

You need to pay RM 69 usually but after Mastercard 5% discount on Wednesday, you just need to pay RM 65.55.

You also get 3.45 points from that via 5x points!

5. Grab their weekend coupons

Rakuten gives out coupons every weekend and this is a great way to get more value out of your purchases. Each weekend comes with a different coupon value so check in every weekend and claim your coupon for discounts on top of your purchases.

6. Save on shipping

Look at the shipping options closely. Some shops have free shipping built in, others have a minimum spend, some have free shipping for certain couriers, while some have multiple courier service providers which vary in price for the same product.

Pringles Multi Grain

Do you have any more Rakuten Shopping Hacks? Let me know in the comments and we’ll see how well it works. The best ones going around now are the 5X Rakuten Super Points giveaway!

Cadbury Shortcake

Have fun while shopping for the latest stuff from Japan, whatever your interests are in Rakuten!

I made my own chocolate bar at the Kit Kat Rubies launch!

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Kit Kat Rubies Group

I was fortunate enough to be invited to the Kit Kat Rubies launch at The Royale Chulan Damansara Hotel. This is in fact the worldwide première of the Kit Kat Rubies as the opening launch is in Malaysia – that’s right, we’re the first ones to get it! 🙂

Kit Kat Rubies Photo

There were selfie props at the photo wall so I decided to take one with Aud and the two girls dressed up in Kit Kat Rubies attire. They’re supposed to take a photo of us, but I thought it’ll be nice to have a photo with them flanking us. Haha.

Kit Kat Rubies Packaging

The event started soon after that and Mr. Sachin Goel (Business Executive Manager, Confectionery Business Unit, Nestle Products Sdn Bhd) and Mr Thierry Martin (Innovation & Renovation Manager, Confectionery Business Unit) went up for the launch gambit.

Kit Kat Rubies Presentation

It was our first look at the Kit Kat Rubies packaging…

Kit Kat Rubies Launch

…which opened up to show a beautifully crafted two-tiered box which opens up both ways to show off an array of Kit Kat Rubies!

Kit Kat Rubies

This gem of a chocolate is individually wrapped and contains an indulgent piece of rich chocolate truffle filling with a crispy wafer centre, and pieces of hazelnut encased in silky smooth milk chocolate. The chocolate truffle cream is created from the finest ingredients brought in from Spain and the crispy wafer centre stays true to the Kit Kat name.

Kit Kat Chocolatier

I had a chance to go up while Mr. Thierry Martin was conducting a chocolate making workshop and mixed my own liquid chocolate. This was an extremely fun experience for the media, each of us got the opportunity to make our own chocolate bar with the ingredients we wanted!

Liquid Chocolate

I opted to put everything except nuts into my chocolate since I wanted to make this for my better half and she didn’t like chocolates. I had these to choose from:

  • Strawberry pieces
  • Chocolate crumble
  • Crisped cereal
  • Almonds
  • Hazelnuts

Making Chocolate

I mixed the top three together well in my liquid chocolate before pouring it into my mould. We had name stickers on the moulds so we won’t mix it up while it set. I actually took a photo of the ingredients we had to work with and used Whatsapp to send it to my dear to ask what she wanted in her chocolate.

Chocolate Moulding

It took a while for the chocolate bar to set but as soon as that was done, it was packed up and I rushed to pass my better half her personalized handcrafted chocolate bar:

Handcrafted Chocolate Bar

We were the first to sample the Kit Kat Rubies and there was a lot going around during the Kit Kat Rubies launch. It’s really indulgent – I loved the chocolate truffle and hazelnuts inside the silky smooth milk chocolate that holds it together. The crimson red individually wrapped pieces adds a touch of class and makes it perfect for sharing.

Kit Kat Rubies Individual

Kit Kat Rubies is an ideal gift for the festive season too – the 2-tier packaging is beautiful and it’s perfect as a gift! No matter the occasion, be it Christmas (it lasts for 12 days), New Year, or even Chinese New Year, Kit Kat Rubies would be an excellent gift. It works for birthdays, celebrations or even just giving for the sake of giving.

Kit Kat Rubies Media

I loved the Kit Kat Rubies launch, especially the chocolate making workshop and the unveiling of the product – it was a lot of fun and all of us enjoyed it immensely. I know what I’m going to give as gifts for this festive season! 🙂

Gimme a break…

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kit_kat_strawberry_japan_bite

I’m a big fan of KIT KAT. It’s awesome stress food. I tend to reach for one at work (I keep a stash) when things get hectic and I need a quick break. I remember hunting down their limited editions back in 2006. They came out with Nestle Kit Kat Limited Edition X1 Cappuccino Flavor and Nestle Kit Kat Lemon Cheesecake Flavor Limited Edition 02. I’ve even had the Nestle Kit Kat Strawberry Limited Edition specially brought in from Japan.

kitkash

There are a lot of promotional bars in Melbourne when I was in university – from the KIT KA$H wafers to KIT KAT Chunky bars where a select few contains a fake plastic contraption (with a similar weight and size to the regular bars so you can’t distinguish it) which sings when you pull it out. If you get this “singing” Kit Kat bar, you’ve effectively won yourself a round-the-world trip.

display

I’ve always wondered why Malaysia doesn’t have similar promotions…until now:

shelf

I’ve always loved reading Roald Dahl’s works and I adore his vivid descriptions of food. This reminds me of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. The Golden Ticket…for adults! Instead of winning a trip to a chocolate factory, you get something much better – an all expenses paid trip for two to see MTV’s Featured Artist of the Month live in concert…anywhere in the world!

buy

Repeat after me: All expenses paid trip, anywhere in the world!

approve

I love travelling and music so I went to the nearest 7 Eleven after work and raided their Kit Kat supply. You just need to look out for this sticker:

sticker

Kit Kat has distilled the contest mechanics into three simple steps:

1. Have a break
2. Have a KIT KAT
3. Check inside pack

I’ve eaten several bars of Kit Kat today for lunch. I also got a couple of my coworkers to dig in – on the condition that the chocolate is free, but if there’s a prize inside, I’m keeping it. 😉

guard

I haven’t found a pack with a prize yet, but I still have a stash of Kit Kat and the contest only ends on August 28 so there’s plenty of time to work my way through the Kit Kat bars. There are iPod Shuffles and music CDs up for grabs too…check out the details here.

wrapper

Good luck!

fingers

(Break a leg/finger)

Nestle Kit Kat Strawberry Limited Edition (Japan)

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kit kat strawberry japan

Nestle came out with a limited edition strawberry flavored Kit Kat in Japan. fish fish [blogspot.com] kindly brought it back for me but I forgot to take it the first time and only managed to get it when I went out for dinner with her a couple of days ago. The Japanese Kit Kat box is very well designed with images of strawberries and a photo of the actual Kit Kat Strawberry bar printed in front.

kit kat strawberry japan box

Nestle Kit Kat Strawberry Limited Edition is packaged in the specially designed cardboard box pioneered by Japan that has evolved into the standard limited edition Kit Kat packaging now. The distinctive packaging is filled with kanji and hiragana characters and has a side perforation which opens up to reveal the individually wrapped twin bars that has become the benchmark for limited edition Kit Kats around the world.

kit kat strawberry japan bars

The Japanese Nestle Kit Kat Strawberry Limited Edition cardboard box contains 2 x 2 wafer bars in a nicely designed wrapper which features a pink color scheme and strawberry outlines in bright aluminum foil interspaced throughout the wrapper. The back of the individually wrapped twin bars is inscribed with “Have a break, have a KitKit” and it’s really nicely designed compared to Malaysian efforts.

kit kat strawberry japan open

Nestle Kit Kat Strawberry Limited Edition (Japan) opens up to reveal the familiar Kit Kat layout with a distinctive strawberry scent wafting out as soon as the foil is perforated. It’s amazing…they got the strawberry fragrance spot on, and I immediately felt like eating it! The bars are nicely pressed too, with speckles of bright red containing bits of strawberry pieces in a pink strawberry flavored coating.

kit kat strawberry japan bite

Nestle Japan Kit Kat Strawberry Limited Edition tastes great! The taste test does not disappoint – it seems that the wafers in the Japanese edition of Kit Kat is much better than the ones we get over here…it has an almost melt-in-the-mouth texture and the middle of the wafers is coated with strawberry paste too, making this one extremely strawberry-licious Kit Kat! 🙂

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Nestle Kit Kat Limited Edition X1 Cappuccino Flavor

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kitkat limited edition cappuccino jusco

Nestle Kit Kat Cappuccino Flavour Limited Edition X1 is the first one in the new line of Malaysian Kit Kat limited edition series. I have only seen the other one (Nestle Kit Kat Lemon Cheesecake Flavor Limited Edition 02) on the shelves and it seems that Nestle Kit Kat Cappuccino Flavor Limited Edition X1 is a Jusco (the hypermarket) exclusive.

kitkat limited edition cappuccino stand

I was walking around in Jusco when I saw this rack of Nestle Kit Kat Cappuccino Flavor Limited Edition X1 on a promotional stand. The normal box (2 x 2 finger wafer) retails for RM 2.29 and the new larger format box goes for RM 4.29. This batch of Malaysian Limited Edition KitKat runs seems to have only two flavors in the lineup.

kitkat limited edition cappuccino size

The packaging looks impeccable – the new line of limited edition Kit Kat cardboard boxes are done well, much like its Japanese counterpart. It is indeed a leap from the simple design of the first Malaysian foray into the limited edition Kit Kat market. The normal 2 x 17 g box and the larger 4 x 17g box have similar side perforations to open up the box.

kitkat limited edition cappuccino box

Nestle Kit Kat Cappuccino Flavor Limited Edition X1 has a more elaborate design compared to the minimalist Nestle Kit Kat Lemon Cheesecake Flavor Limited Edition 02 – there are intricate swirls and symmetrical patterns adorning the cardboard box with a cup of frothy cappuccino in the form of a raised imprint as the centerpiece.

kitkat limited edition cappuccino bars

Nestle Kit Kat Cappuccino Flavor comes in individually wrapped 2 x 2 wafer packs with KitKat logo and the words “Cappuccino Flavor” on the right extreme tapering into a pure brown color palate to the left, much like the other limited edition KitKat in this series.

kitkat limited edition cappuccino open

Nestle Kit Kat Limited Edition X1 Cappuccino Flavor opens up to reveal dark brown twin Kit Kat wafers. The chocolate coating is slightly darker than the standard Kit Kat bars.

kitkat limited edition cappuccino bite

The Kit Kat Cappuccino Flavor tastes like coffee flavored Kit Kat bars. The official description is printed as “Wafer fingers in milk chocolate – Cappuccino Flavor“. It tasted alright, but it’s too plain compared to the Cheesecake Flavored Kit Kat.

kitkat limited edition cappuccino end

Nestle Kit Kat Limited Edition X1 Cappuccino Flavor can be found at Jusco hypermarkets on cardboard stands printed with “It’s out there – ENJOY The rarest of breaks“.

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Nestle Kit Kat Lemon Cheesecake Flavor Limited Edition 02

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kitkat limited edition cheesecake shelf

Nestle KitKat Lemon Cheesecake Flavour Limited Edition 02 is the latest promotion of the Kit Kat line of chocolate wafers. I have no idea where Limited Edition 01 is – I only saw Limited Edition 02 in the Kuching airport before I took a flight to KL. Perhaps the numbering is just arbitrary. *shrugs*

kitkat limited edition cheesecake size

The Nestle Kit Kat Lemon Cheesecake Flavor Limited Edition 02 comes in two sizes – the standard 2 x 2 finger format we’re all familiar with (RM 4.50) and a larger 4 x 2 finger format that I’ve never seen Kit Kat being packaged in, which was what caught my eye in the first place.

kitkat limited edition cheesecake design

The packaging looks great – the Kit Kat cardboard box is light yellow and has a lemon slice imprinted on one side of the box and random see-through holes to allow the individually wrapped yellow wafer fingers inside to be visible through the plastic window. There is also a perforation on the right which opens up like a flip-tip cigarette box.

kitkat limited edition cheesecake box

This Nestle Kit Kat Limited Edition is only available in Malaysia. It marks the first time Malaysia has its own individually wrapped and boxed Kit Kat Limited Edition runs, which are very popular in Japan. Nestle Kit Kat Lemon Cheesecake Flavour Limited Edition 02 is officially dubbed “Wafer fingers in Lemon Cheesecake Flavored Confectionary“.

kitkat limited edition cheesecake bars

Nestle Kit Kat Lemon Cheesecake Flavour Limited Edition 02 comes in individually wrapped 2 x 2 wafer packs with words on one side tapering into a pure yellow color scheme. The design looks good and it marks a nice debut for Malaysian Limited Edition Kit Kat confectionary.

kitkat limited edition cheesecake open

Kit Kat Lemon Cheesecake Flavour opens up to reveal a whitish yellow Kit Kat wafer in the dual wafer format. The consistent color scheme is great!

kitkat limited edition cheesecake bite

Nestle Kit Kat Lemon Cheesecake Flavor tastes like cheesecake on the inside with the lemon flavor coming from the coating. It really tastes like cheesecake! I was amazed at the taste and texture, which resembles a cheesecake (a good one to boot) so closely. The wonders of modern artificial food flavoring! 😉

kitkat limited edition cheesecake end

Nestle Kit Kat Lemon Cheesecake Flavor Limited Edition 02 tastes great! Get it while you can…it is limited edition after all.

P/S – I wrote this before I found the Nestle Kit Kat Limited Edition 01 in KL. The review of the other limited edition Kit Kat in the series is coming up in the next post.

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Nestle Kit Kat Dark Luxury Limited Edition

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kit kat dark luxury bar shelves

Nestle came out with a limited edition variant of their Kit Kat product line – it’s called Kit Kat Dark Luxury and it’s made with dark chocolate instead of milk chocolate.

kit kat dark luxury limited edition

The Dark Luxury Kit Kat bars retail in the standard Kit Kat size but instead of a wrapper, it comes in a nicely packaged box with a perforation on one end and the text “Limited Edition” emblazoned beside it.

kit kat dark luxury wafers

The Kit Kat Dark Luxury cardboard box opens up to reveal individually wrapped 2-finger wafers.

kit kat dark luxury bar

Kit Kat Dark Luxury tastes like standard Kit Kat made with dark chocolate instead of milk chocolate. I didn’t find it exceptional as I do not like the Kit Kat bars over here.

I’ll be flying to KL on a business trip tomorrow morning for a 4 pm meeting and I’ll be coming back again on Saturday. I won’t spend the weekend since I have obligations in Kuching but I’ll probably head out Friday night. See ya!

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Situation normal, all fucked up…

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Tomorrow is the last day of the semester. It would be my final
semester here too, if I don’t fail anything. *crosses fingers* Anyway,
just some updates since I haven’t been posting much – the final exam of
GCS2714 Alcohol and Drug Use went okay, some bits were easy, some were
hard. The last few days (weeks?) have been crazy, my organs took quite
a pummeling…I know my kidneys are not happy with the amount of
processing they had to do. Oh, I had a really interesting sleep
deprivation hallucination today too. I was coding, when those squiggly
RGB protoplasm started to fill my vision (like I was looking through
swirling red green blue “organic eyeshades”). I blinked, and in that
split second (it felt like minutes), I was transported to a bizarre
world with lots of horrible screaming and an ultra bright strobe light
that made everything blinding white and flickering. The strange thing
is, it couldn’t have been more than a second, but it felt like minutes!
It gave me a start, that’s for sure. 🙂 Classic! It’s worthy of a
“hallucination” label instead of visual distortion because of the
auditory hallucinations and sensory (spatial) confusion. Anyway, I’m
too tired now, but here’s some pictures of food I got over the last few
days but didn’t get around to eating yet…will eat them all tonight, and
a nice big meal as well (all the better for a lacerating GI tract to
absorb of course). It would be good to have an alternative energy
source, ketone bodies just doesn’t measure up. 😉 I will post again
tomorrow if all that doesn’t give me reactive hypoglycemia like the
doctor said it would.

mixnewcb.jpg
Cadbury’s Picnic Rocky Road, Snickers Hazelnut, Snickers Cruncher and
Twix (King Size). Twix rocks. Stoner’s choice. 😉 “Tune out big time!”

twixwhit.jpg
It comes in a white chocolate version too.

gat_bega.jpg
I only saw this today…third in the series of Smith’s Great Australian
Tastes. This one is Bega’s Strong & Bitey Aged Vintage cheese. It
would go well with my meal later. 🙂 The first two are here: Heinz Big Red Tomato Sauce & Meat Pie and Ham and Keen’s Mustard [sixthseal.com].

kitkash.jpg
No, there isn’t.

Public service announcement: Grain alcohol/pure spirit (95% alcohol or 190 proof) + lacerating stomach = fiery, terrible retribution from the pits of hell.

A butterfly flaps its wings in China…

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kitcaram.jpg

I didn’t think it would be possible, but it’s done. They improved on
the chunky Kit Kat bars. The bar has this 1 cm gap on the top where
there is this smooth flowing caramel. It has displaced Twix as my
favourite chocolate bar. It’s like stuffed crust pizzas for chocolate
bars! Perhaps the Pizza Hut management were having this focus group
with the Nestle management and they suddenly thought about this cool
idea – going where no man has gone before – putting good stuff into
normally banal stuff. Pizza Hut were putting sausages and cheese into
the crust of their pizzas and Nestle got around to putting caramel (!)
into the top layer of chocolate into their Kit Kat bars. Smooth flowing
caramel…Mmm…

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