Review: Kit Kat Framboise
Purchased: May 2010
Best Before: March 2011
Review: September 2011
I think, though I’m not entirely sure about it, that this was perhaps the first Kit Kat I bought myself in Japan, on my first 2010 trip. I found it on the shelf at the convenience store (conbini) across the street from my hotel in Shinjuku, and I remembered being slightly chuffed at the fact that the non-Japanese writing on the package wasn’t English at all… but French! Framboise (raspberry, for the French-language-challenged) is one of those words that all Canadian kids learn, because it’s on the french packaging of many of our favourite snacks and candy. I’d have to imagine that it’s a touch different in Tokyo… While strawberry is a more common flavour in Japanese candy, raspberry isn’t entirely unknown and so I was a little surprised to see them going with the French pronunciation, particularly with the katakana pronunciation written underneath…! If I had to hazard a guess, I’d say the French language on the packaging is used to denote an air of European sophistication (not unlike the ‘European Cheese’ flavour description of Cheese Kit Kats).
I should note that, unlike many of the fruit-flavoured Kit Kat bars, this one isn’t made of the white chocolate base, but the milk chocolate mixed with raspberries.
Anyway, I picked a few of them up alongside a Banana Kit Kat bar and some fried chicken (not in Kit Kat format) and headed back to the hotel room to try it out.
Packaging: A pretty pink package tied up with a bow, and a slice of delicious raspberry mousse cake pictured on the front! It couldn’t be any prettier, and while I may be stereotyping somewhat I think it’s safe to say that this product could not be aimed more at a female demographic.
This traditional Kit Kat box packaging with the two sets of bars foil-wrapped inside (portion control!) is lovely and kept the Kit Kats safe and fresh long after the best before date came and went.
This particular package has a “Sweets Concept” logo on it that I can’t place, I guess raspberry flavoured chocolate requires a high-concept product design. Ooo, look, Google! Apparently this was part of a Nestle’s attempt at a more sophisticated range of flavours. Like Framboise.
Scent: Cracking open the package the scent is very strong, but mostly of Kit Kat milk chocolate. There are other scents there, mostly really high, sweet notes, but it’s mostly chocolate with an underlying scent of raspberry. I kind of expected it to be a little more intense, but maybe that’s the trade-off for avoiding the white chocolate base?
Taste: Unlike many of the Kit Kats I try, this bar actually tastes much stronger than it smells. The sweet, jammy raspberry flavour shoots right to your taste buds, and as you let the bar melt on your tongue the only flavours you’re really picking up are sweet raspberry and sweet milk chocolate. This is an intensely flavoured bar! It’s nice though, not that complicated but an amazing sweet hit. It’s everything it promises on the package!
Verdict: It’s everything I want in a chocolate bar! Sweet, chocolatey, full of flavour. I don’t know if it’s a terribly sophisticated flavour, as Nestle may have hoped, but it is tasty and I’m hoping that they bring it back eventually so I can try it again.
