Gimmie a Break, Japan
Every once in a while, I like to import a few things from Japan. Let's face it: the Japanese have much cooler stuff than we get here in the US. They live on the bleeding edge of technology and have a real knack for presenting products. Take, for example, the KitKat candy bar I purchased. Here in America, we get one flavor of KitKat and the four breakable wafers come in a plain orange wrapper. That's it. No flash, frills, or funky flavors. Meanwhile, in Japan, there's a constant turnover of flavors. Some hang around a while, some are limited, and others simply fizzle out.
"Royal Milk Tea" is the flavor I purchased. It arrived as part of a ten-count case. Each candy bar comes in it's own little box. The end is perforated, with a little thumb indent. You shove your thumb into the perforation, pull up, and...
... the package reveals two pairs of individually wrapped KitKat bars. This is kind of nice, because I don't feel pressured to polish off an entire four-wafer candy bar in one sitting. I can grab one little packet and I only feel obligated to finish two wafers.
This type of packaging reminds me of the "unboxing" trend that so many people get a kick out of these days. Consumers like to feel that they're opening a present every time they buy something. Apple, Flip, and Aliph are all companies that abide by this concept, as they deliver their product in creative ways. Shiny boxes with concealed flaps and transparent plastic parts are fast becoming the norm, while the days of cutting open blister packaging is (hopefully) on the wane. Interestingly enough, something as simple as a candy bar seems to fall into this category in Japan. Who wants to tear open a piece of foil-coated plastic, when they could instead have their own unboxing ceremony each time they eat a snack?
All that aside, I know the burning question in your mind is, "How was the candy bar?" Well, I thought it was pretty good. It certainly tastes like milk tea, but has an underlying chocolate flavor too. In my mind, it seems like the wafer holds the tea portion of the flavor, while the outer chocolate-like substance provides the milk. I can't get too attached to these though. From what I hear, they're a limited edition release and will soon be removed from production.
Other currently available flavors include: Milk Coffee, Caramel, Raspberry & Passion Fruit, Strawberry, and Chili Powder (seriously).