PURCHASHED: Amazon
PRICE: $8.00
After hunting online for a few days looking for that “one perfect treat” for today’s review, I was pretty excited to discover these: 1) I’m already a big fan of Kit Kats (especially the Orange ones) and 2) just look at that packaging! Now, you might be wondering why the jack o’lantern is green…I did at least. That’s because it’s actually a kabocha (winter squash aka Japanese pumpkin). I mention this because it factors into the flavor. Before we get to that, however, let’s take a closer look at the individual packaging for each bar:
In most cases here in the U.S., even for seasonal candies, the packaging tends to be the same for every piece. Not so in Japan. This assorted pack sported six (6) unique designs, three vertical and three horizontal—all of which were emblazoned with bright oranges, greens, blacks, purples and “traditional” jack o’lanterns. That was the great part.
The not-so-great part was the taste. Now, according to Amazon, these were listed as Pumpkin Pudding flavored Kit Kats. Not having ever tasted actual pumpkin pudding I knew I was in for a surprise, but expected that surprise to be…well, pumpkin flavored. Not so. As I mentioned earlier, the package prominently featured a kabocha and the taste reveals the truth. The smell upon opening a pack instantly signals some type of squash and NOT a regular pumpkin…it’s a much sweeter smell, with a touch of potato. The taste only confirms this and is almost bland, in fact. It’s not bad per se, but not good either.
The packaging on these really hit the mark and it was fun to try a treat from a different culture, but ultimately these were a bit of a letdown for the last entry in this year’s countdown. I give these squash flavored wafers a 2 out of 5 Snack-o-lanterns.