Kit Kats - Rum Raisin, Shinshu Apple, Tokyo Banana

Another trio of fruity Kit Kats, this time with some more out of the ordinary flavors for Japanese fruit candies. Rum raisin is the most confusing one, as I typically think of raisins as being purple or brown but the packaging and picture on the package is decidedly blue. Maybe Japanese raisins are made from blueberries? Apple and banana are more standard flavors but in the context of a crispy wafer snack not too often seen, and both of them have their regional flairs with Shinshu and Tokyo.

Surprisingly, despite having a packaging seemingly fit for a blueberry, the rum raisin Kit Kat looks and smells more like one of the sake ones. I definitely get a bit of an alcohol smell along with a fruity smell, but I can't exactly decipher which fruit that is. I'd say it's closest to grape, but then wouldn't that just make this wine? What is rum made out of anyways? ...sugarcane, huh.

Unlike the sake kit kats though, the fruity flavor in this one is more pronounced than the alcohol flavor, giving it a much sweeter taste with a side of rum. The fruit flavor does actually taste somewhat like a mixture of grape and blueberry. It's probably one of those but my tastebuds are not distinguished enough to pick it out. Overall despite not being a fan of alcohol taste I quite like this. It's more sweet and refreshing than anything, like chilling out on a summer day, by the pool, not a care in the world. Can those days come quicker already?

Rating: 7 - Aroof!

This apple Kit Kat is already making my tail wag with this color and smell! The deep brown color is always a delight to see (and blends in with my fur), and the smell reminds me of some nice apple cider with a bit of a caramel tinge to it. I wasn't expecting this from an apple Kit Kat but I'm glad that's what it is.

The taste is even more interesting. This Kit Kat seems to capture the tanginess and bite of an apple as well, which is quite rare. If I closed my eyes I think I would be experiencing the crunch of an apple at the end... and is that chocolate in the aftertaste? Guess this isn't purely apple after all. The apple and chocolate together sort of work, but I think they also end up clashing a little bit. Rather than enhance the rich tangy sweet apple the chocolate seems to drown it out a bit with its own tanginess. Regardless the flavors are still quite pleasant, but it's sad because this could be so much better if it were in fact entirely caramel apple.

Rating: 6 - Aruff!

Speaking of chocolate combinations that do work very well, now we have the Tokyo Banana Kit Kat which appears to also be a mixture of chocolate and banana. I know very well chocolate and banana is a combination that has worked so well in Japanese candy before. The smell isn't too different from other chocolate banana snacks I've had: the sweet rich chocolate and grittiness of the banana complement each other well putting my nose in heaven. There's also a special design on this one which is nice.

The banana taste in this one actually feels more authentic than some of the others! It's more rich and has much less of the artificial sweetness taste, so already this is a winner. That and the already great Kit Kat chocolate flavor and crunchiness gel quite well. I think this is missing just a little extra "pop" in flavor to make it truly great, but as it stands this is definitely a great Kit Kat experience. It feels like eating a chocolate covered banana coated in crispy rice... speaking of which can I have some of that?

Rating: 8 - Rowf!