Nestlé Japan has launched a new Yuzu Sake KitKat that is sure to excite Japanophiles. If Tokyo Banana snacks no longer excite you, you can ask your friend who is heading to Japan this year end to grab you a pack of this snack instead.
The new flavour is inspired by yuzushu, which is shochu or sake infused with the peel of yuzu, a citrus fruit. At 0.2% alcohol, it probably won’t make you high, but you can enjoy the uplifting flavour of sake and citrusy fragrance of yuzu with your KitKat.
This is third in a line of sake-inspired KitKat flavours. Nestlé Japan had launched a sake KitKat and umeshu plum liqueur KitKat previously.
The face behind this product is none other than esteemed soccer star Hidetoshi Nakata, who wants to share his love of Japan with the world. You can watch the documentary of how Nakata developed the product with Nestlé Japan.
In a scene, you can witness Nakata sniffing and tasting a sample, critiquing that the flavour contains too much yuzu and lacks the bitter taste of sake. Looks like much care has been put in to craft this new flavour!
Source
He finally decided on Hamakata Shoten, a brewery with more than 100 years of history, to develop the new product. It is located in the Kochi prefecture, where more than 50% of Japanese yuzu is produced.
In the final scene, he describes how the fragrance of yuzu surprises you when you tear open the packet and the taste delivers, complete with the delectable bitter bite of sake. Wow, now I can’t wait to try it.
Yuzu looks like a yellow grapefruit, with the same knobby texture. While the fragrance of yuzu is citrusy, it is distinct and almost instantly recognisable. The Japanese place yuzu in their hot baths on the winter solstice, to enjoy its fragrance and supposed medicinal ability to prevent illnesses.
Recently, the flavour has gained popularity in the west, with French chefs incorporating some yuzu peel or juice in their cooking, particularly in fine dining dishes.
Yuzu juice is also an essential component of ponzu, a Japanese soy-based dip with citrus notes.
The bright colour of the yuzu fruit is also captured on the new flavour’s packaging. The cheerful bright yellow box is sure to bring delight to anyone. A 9-piece box will retail for 700 yen (~S$9), which makes it the perfect price point for a souvenir.
Now, let’s hope that we will start seeing these treats appearing on the shelves on Singapore’s Don Don Donki.
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