From Bean to Bar: The Craftsmanship Behind Japanese Kit Kat Chocolatory

Discover the luxurious world of Japanese Kit Kat Chocolatory and its artisanal approach to chocolate. Since the early 2000s, Japanese Kit Kats have become a staple for Japanese consumers due to the regional and locally-inspired flavors.

In 2007, Nestlé created an elevated line of Kit Kats known as Kit Kat Chocolatory options. These delightful creations included high-quality ingredients, exciting Kit Kat flavors, and unparalleled craftsmanship. While traditional Japanese Kit Kat bars are delicious, these Japanese Kit Kat bars offer an elevated experience with ingredients like gold flakes, fruit and nut toppings, and ruby chocolate.

Whet your appetite for these premium Kit Kats by visiting Japan Crate, a monthly subscription service offering unique Kit Kat flavors, premium snacks, and more.

Below, we explore the Kit Kat Chocolatory line more in-depth, including the history of these candies, their unique ingredients, and where to find them.

The Origins of Kit Kat Chocolatory

In 2007, Nestlé changed its approach to the delicious Kit Kat Japan chocolates with the goal of offering elevated products. This goal led to creating the Kit Kat Chocolatory line, featuring premium ingredients for a more sophisticated experience. Eventually, this line led to global Kit Kat Chocolatory shops with locations from Japan to Canada. Visitors of these shops have access to exclusive flavors, immersive experiences, and even the ability to create a customized Kit Kat bar (at specific locations).

Craftsmanship and Quality Ingredients

Multiple locations of the Kit Kat Chocolatory shops include items crafted and designed by well-known sweet makers and chocolatiers, ensuring the chocolate bars are delicious and well-crafted every time. This line also allows Japanese Kit Kat chocolatiers to experiment with innovative techniques, allowing customers to try exciting new Japanese Kit Kat flavors. For example, one of the popular Kit Kat offerings is the ruby-flavored chocolate made with rare ruby cocoa beans. These beans help create a pretty pink hue and one-of-a-kind berry-like taste.

The quality of the ingredients is another major factor in producing elevated offerings when crafting these Kit Kats. Each bar is made with couverture chocolate, a high-quality chocolate usually only used by professional chocolate makers. This type of chocolate creates a smoother consistency, creamier taste, and beautiful glossy exterior. The high cocoa butter content is the major difference between couverture chocolate and other varieties. This high-quality chocolate is mixed with premium ingredients like strawberry juice powder, black currant, and real passion fruit.

Unique Japanese Kit Kat Flavors

The exploratory Japanese Kit Kat flavors in this candy bar line include a wide array of options, from green tea Kit Kats with a delightful matcha flavor to purple sweet potato, cotton candy, sake, ruby chocolate, and sun-ripened melon. With each Kit Kat Japan option including premium ingredients, the flavors offered in these Japanese Kit Kats are even more delicious than candy store chocolate bars.

The Kit Kat Chocolatory Experience in Tokyo

Japan was the first country to have its own Kit Kat Chocolatory, which opened in 2014 in Tokyo's Ikebukuro district. Found in the Seibu Department Store in Tokyo, this Kit Kat Flagship store remains open (and popular) today. Each season, four exclusive, experimental flavors of Kit Kats are available in the shop alongside options crafted by Yasumasa Takagi, a famous Japanese chocolatier.

This Kit Kat store (Tokyo) is tucked into the bottom level of the Seibu Department Store, alongside other food offerings. Once inside the store, visitors will enjoy elegant decorations, including a Kit Kat chandelier, Kit Kat cake, and displays offering insight into the history of Kit Kats. During the shopping process, a promotional video is displayed, providing customers with additional details about the creation of these exclusive chocolate offerings.

The Kit Kats themselves include luxurious packaging, with four Kit Kats tucked inside each sleek box. With their elegant appearance, these chocolate bars are ideal souvenirs or gifts for loved ones. Those who arrive early at the shop are rewarded with an additional treat for 600 yen: a parfait created from soft ice cream and a unique Kit Kat flavor that's not normally available in the shop.

A second Kit Kat Chocolatory location is also available in Ginza, which is more expansive than the Seibu Department Store offering. The Ginza shop includes a cafe alongside exclusive Kit Kat flavors, which boasts sweet treats, light bites, and drinks. You can also personalize Kit Kat gifts here by including a complimentary message with your order.

Other Kit Kat Flagship Stores

Those in other countries can also indulge in premium Kit Kat offerings with other Kit Kat flagship store locations. Since 2014, Kit Kat Chocolatory shops have opened in Canada, Australia, America, and England. In total, there are currently 10+ Kit Kat Chocolatory stores, with 3-4 Kit Kat Japan offerings.

Each shop uses high-quality ingredients alongside local flavors to craft delicious treats. While certain Kit Kats are modeled after specific ingredients, others take inspiration from iconic local goodies like the Australian Lamington.

In the Australian shop, customers will find three varieties of Kit Kats, a Special Editions section that includes global flavors, the Sublime Flavors (premium offerings, like their matcha green tea or sake Kit Kats), and the Creations Range, which features nostalgic flavors like white chocolate, ruby chocolate, original milk chocolate, dark chocolate, dark hazelnut, etc. These flagship shops are the ultimate stop for Kit Kat fans.

Kit Kats in Japan Crate

You can also enjoy the rich flavor and sweet taste of Japanese Kit Kat flavors with a Japan Crate subscription. This monthly delivery service includes a unique theme offering insight into Japanese culture, from popular sweet and savory snacks (like senbei and Calbee chips) to holidays and traditions occurring in the country.

As you snack your way through the box, you'll find a full-sized Japanese Kit Kat with a new flavor every month. These Japan-exclusive premium Kit Kats include flavors like Frozen Cookies & Cream (a deliciously sweet flavor featuring the taste of vanilla ice cream and cookie bits), Milk Tea, and more.

Subscribers particularly enjoy the full-sized Kit Kats in each delivery, noting that they're a standout among the snack offerings. Others enjoyed the authentic taste and variety of Kit Kats (and snacks) received each month.

Conclusion

Whether you prefer the nostalgic taste of classic premium Kit Kats or more experimental offerings, the Kit Kat Chocolatory line is a must-try. Featuring top ingredients that help create silky, smooth chocolate bars along with local ingredients, they're truly a sweet lovers' dream.

Beyond the exciting flavors of the Kit Kats, the immersive experiences each Kit Kat Chocolatory location offers alongside the elevated ingredients have curated a truly unique location for consumers. Purchasing Kit Kat Chocolatory bars, whether from a Chocolatory shop directly or online, provides the opportunity to indulge in the rich tradition of Japanese chocolate craftsmanship.

Explore more premium Kit Kats and Japanese confectionary offerings with a Japan Crate subscription. Each month, you'll uncover more Kit Kat flavors directly from Japan. Increase the number of new snack flavors and offerings by checking out Sugoi Mart's selection, which includes a wide variety of mouthwatering Japanese Kit Kats and snacks.

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