Ikinari Dango Kit Kat

What an interesting looking Kit Kat! It's themed after a Japanese dessert consisting of mochi filled with sweet potato and red bean. That sounds like a wonderful combination and I'd like to scarf some of those down right now, but at least I have the next best thing right here. It also features Kumamon on the package, what a cute bear! I bet he'd like some of this too.

True to the source material, this Kit Kat has a white exterior. It also smells very strongly of sweet potato, almost too strongly. I don't get any other flavor so it's a very "raw" smell, almost savory. I wonder if the red bean is lurking inside somewhere?

The taste definitely contains a few other things besides sweet potato. The most noticeable thing is the mochi part which just comes across as creamy and soft, without too much of any other flavor. Maybe it's because it's actually flavored like mochi, or maybe it's just some very light white chocolate. There is definitely some red bean in there too, though it's not extremely noticeable first, just comes across as a cushion of sweet earthiness. The sweet potato portion like the smell is quite raw tasting, so if you love sweet potato you'll love this. But if you're on the fence, it doesn't offer too much else besides that sweet potato sensation. Unlike a lot of other snacks, I do actually feel like this could use a bit of extra sweetness.

Rating: 6 - Aruff!

Yaokin Sweet Potato Yokan

While sweet potato may be out of season now, the its hearty flavor is always in season in my taste buds! It seems like no matter what form sweet potato takes it manages to keep its status as a comfort food. But can this tiny jelly snack bring the same kind of comfort? It's also worth noting that this takes the form of a traditional Japanese snack known as yokan, which is a thick jelly usually eaten in non-package form. But with this innovation of packaged yokan, it can be shipped to anywhere in the world!

This snack, as it turns out, is quite high maintenance. I couldn't get the package open, even with my ever-developing teeth, so I had to resort to scissors for this. And as it's a jelly, getting this thing to slide all the way out of the package can be an ordeal. It does stay together unlike some of the other jellies, but it's quite sticky. It does have that perfectly nutty sweet potato flavor though, that brings back all those nice fall memories.

As it turns out, this tastes... exactly like a sweet potato. There's a little more bite here than most jellies, and as it turns out, a little bite with some squishiness gives you the exact texture of a sweet potato. The flavor is spot on too, so much so that I'm a little suspicious this is just packaged sweet potato. But that isn't a bad thing if so, it's a little hit of fall comfort for anyone who needs it on the go. Doesn't that sound like a nice idea?

Rating: 7 - Aroof!

Kit Kats - White Chocolate Citrus, Pumpkin, Beni-Imo

Now that I've gotten past some of the standard fruit flavored Kit Kats, things are starting to get a little stranger. There's a white chocolate citrus flavor which sounds great and also has a baseball theme to it. Then there's some kind of pumpkin, which is always welcome, and a peculiar purple sweet potato flavor that sounds like it could be a recipe for success.

Oh no, the citrus one is melty! It has been a hot day, but I don't think I expected this. It's a plain white color, but has a distinctly orange smell that's really nice actually. Kind of reminds me of a creamsicle? I could go for one of those in this hot weather.

Despite the meltiness, this one really doesn't disappoint. It somehow creates such a refreshing feeling in my mouth that it's unreal. It's so creamy and orange-y yet feels so light at the same time. I don't even understand how it can be like this. You'd think that something with white chocolate would be so much heavier, but it isn't. This tastes like all those light refreshing orange-y drinks out there, except unlike those it's candy! I hope they hand these out at hot ballgames... except they'd melt. But you feel so relaxed and cool after eating these. Like a fan blowing orange scented goodness in my mouth.

Rating: 10 - AWOOOOOOO!!!

Tohato Harvest Sweet Potato Biscuits

It's our good friend Tohato once again, here to bring another dose of sweet potato to me eager panting tongue, this time in biscuit form. I'm intrigued, and the biscuits themselves on the bag art are smiling at me. I hope that's not how they are actually do. It's quite hard to eat cute things. It's also worth noting that I found these at Nijiya Market in many different flavors, most of which I can't distinguish. If this is good, I look forward to scarfing down more flavors in the future.

Rapoppo Farm Sweet Potato Candy

More sweet potato! Not that this pup is complaining, whether alongside or instead of a hunk of meat the vegetable never fails to delight. This candy comes from Rapoppo farm, which I'm told is a sweet potato themed bakery. Just another item on the list of things I ask, "why isn't this closer to my den?" Doing my research, they have bruleed sweet potatoes, cookies with sweet potatoes, and sweet potato custard among other things. Now I'm a dignified wolf, but I would certainly sit and beg and do whatever for any of these confections... not that I can. Maybe I'll have to concoct some myself.

Tohato Sweet Poteko: Honey Sweet Potato Flavor

Again a larger item to the delight of my always-empty belly, these sweet potato rings promised to be one of the more savory items in my November Japan Crate. Sweet potato is definitely one of my favorite flavors to munch on, so my eyes opened wide with delight at three sweet potato items being in this box, but they have to do it right. I've seen many a sweet potato fry ruined by way too savory seasonings. I know I've already seen the brand Tohato repeated in the December Japan Crate with their caramel corn, so they must be a popular brand of puffed delights in Japan. Let's see what they got.