A Kit-Kat Bounty

Wow. How great are Franklin Avenue pals Matt and Christy? They recently traveled to Tokyo on vacation -- and BROUGHT BACK Kit-Kats for us, even though I didn't even ask!

Best souvenir ever? Pretty damn close.

Regular Franklin Avenue readers know how obsessed I am with unusual Kit-Kat flavors -- particularly the ones coming out of Japan, which sells the strangest varieties of them all.

I've mostly settled as of late with finding the unusual varieties sold at Japanese grocery stores here in Little Tokyo. But this is the mother lode.

The package from Matt and Christy included Blueberry Kit-Kats; Strawberry-Banana Milkshake Kit-Kats, Green Tea Kit-Kats; Bitter Almond Kit-Kats; and... Aloe Vera Kit-Kats. Can't Wait!

Another Kit-Kat Haul

Our recent San Francisco stay took us to Japantown -- and I, of course, immediately sprinted to the Japanese grocery store to scout out some Kit-Kat flavors.

Regular Franklin Avenue readers know that we're obsessed with the wacky, weird and different Kit-Kat varieties found in Japan, some of which make it here via importers.

We were not disappointed. This biggest find: That bag of Maple-flavored Kit-Kats. They don't disappoint; the Maple flavor is subtle (perhaps too subtle). My favorite may be the Green Tea Kit-Kats, as seen in the bottom row.

Also picked up: Milk Latte Kit-Kats and Dark Chocolate Kit-Kats.

Kit-Kat Attack

My favorite part of any Little Tokyo visit? Hitting the markets to find new and unusual Kit-Kat flavors.

I think everyone knows by now that Japan takes the cake in Kit-Kat flavors, manufacturing all sorts of different varieties across the country. (Read about it here.)

I'm not about to spend $20 for a Shoyu-flavored Kit-Kat (although I'm DYING to try it), so a $3 bar at one of the Little Tokyo supermarkets will have to do.

Above, a recent haul from downtown. Chestnut, Strawberry, white chocolate, some sort of coffee flavor, among others. But that's just the surface -- I look at roundup and want to try them all.

Ad Age recently wrote about the Japan Kit Kat phenom as well:

Nestle has upped the ante for the most creative only-in-Japan product by creating 19 unique flavors for Kit Kat, one of the best-selling chocolate candy bars in the world and the No. 1 brand confectionery brand in Japan.

Besides the regular chocolate variety, which must seem mundane to Japanese by now, Nestle has come up with variations that reflect the local produce and palate of each region. There are some staple flavors like miso, soy sauce and green tea, but the list doesn't end there.

Kit Kat varieties now range from yubari melon and baked corn from Hokkaido island to green beans and cherries from Tohoku in northeastern Japan to uzu fruit and red potatoes from Kyushu island at the southern-most tip of the country. The Kanto region, including Tokyo, contributed the sweet potato, blueberry and kinako (soybean) flavors.

The strategy started three years ago with a handful of flavors but has escalated into a national phenomenon. It's also unique to Japan, so Kit Kat lovers in other countries shouldn't expect to see exotic local flavors. (Kit Kat is owned by Nestle, but is produced in the U.S. under license by The Hershey Company).

Each flavor is only sold in the region for which it was created, a distribution strategy that has turned limited edition Kit Kat packages into coveted souvenirs for domestic travelers.

Yes, we've written quite a bit in the past about our Kit-Kat obsession -- including our 2007 haul from Friend of Franklin Avenue, Santos. Roundup here.

Piece of That Japanese Kit-Kat Bar

As you may know, I love unusual candy flavors -- and I especially love bizarro Kit-Kat flavors from overseas. The Japanese market close to my hotel in New York sold two varieties of Kit-Kat I'd never had: Vanilla Bean and Green Tea. The Vanilla Bean flavor was fantastic: No chocolate, just pure vanilla-flavored goodness. The Green Tea flavor was chocolate, with a green tea middle. Good, but hard to make out the Green Tea flavor.

Also at the store, I spotted something I KNEW I had to bring back for the Kid Formerly Known As Blogger Toddler:



Thomas the Tank Engine Pocky!

Break Me Off a Piece of That "Office" Gag

Last week's episode of "The Office" (awesome, as always) featured a running gag in which office dolt Andy (Ed Helms, above) couldn't remember how the old commercial jingle "Gimme a break, gimme a break, break me off a piece of that..." went.

Apple Sauce? Grey Poupon? Driven mad, Andy finally settles on "Fancy Feast."

Of course, the joke's funny, because everyone knows it's "Kit-Kat Bar," right?

Apparently not. I've noticed quite a few people hitting Franklin Avenue this weekend, Googling the words "Break me off a piece of that."

So I checked it out on Google myself, and discovered why: Strangely enough, Franklin Avenue is fourth on the list, and the first to actually mention Kit-Kats (this post, about our love for obscure Kit-Kat flavors).