In Japan, You Can Now Soothe a Sore Throat With a New Limited-Edition Kit Kat Bar

Kit Kat japan
Nestlé Japan's sushi-shaped Kit Kats for Valentine's Day are pictured at its Ginza store in Tokyo. The latest limited-edition release features a cough drop flavor. Toru Hanai/Reuters

A new flavor of Kit Kat has landed in Japan, and this one truly is a puzzling novelty for exotic chocolate bar lovers.

"Introducing the Kit Kat cough drop flavor!" read an enthusiastic tweet on the Kit Kat Japan account Sunday promoting the new variety ahead of its release on Monday with a hashtag that translates to "Kit Kat wishes do come true."

熱い声援を贈るあなたへ。
大きな声で応援するのにピッタリな #キットカット のど飴味が発売!
https://t.co/yhU9qpe1oU

個包装には、全6種類の #松木安太郎 氏の名言ならぬ迷言!?入り!
クリームの間にはのど飴を粉砕したパウダーが練り込まれています♪ pic.twitter.com/xkKEIW5NYj

— キットカット (@KITKATJapan) August 21, 2017

You read that right. If cough drops can have candy-like flavors, Kit Kat's maker, Nestlé, saw no reason why its chocolate snack shouldn't have a cough drop flavor. According to the nutritional information on the package, each serving contains 2.1 percent of throat lozenge powder, which has been mixed in the white chocolate layers to deliver a "refreshing taste."

The chocolate bar will be available for purchase only until September 10 and cost around 140 yen, the equivalent of $1.28. It was released ahead of the 2018 FIFA Russia World Cup qualifying matches, which see Japan facing off against Australia on August 31 and against Saudi Arabia on September 5.

The unusual new flavor was created with soccer fans in mind, so they can loudly cheer in support of their team without fear of losing their voice. The Kit Kat wrapping features a well-known sport commentator and former national soccer player and manager, Yasutaro Matsuki.

In a play on words on Kit Kat's Japanese pronunciation "Kitto Katsu," which translates to "sure win," each of the limited-edition boxes features the slogan "There's a battle there that most definitely can't be lost!" as the Japanese website Rocket News reported.

Japan is a well-known mecca for lovers of exotic Kit Kats, who have come to love the wasabi, sake and purple sweet potato, one of the 30 varieties sold in the Asian country.

The chocolate-covered wafer snack was invented in the United Kingdom in 1935 and only arrived in Japan in 1973. Since then, it has won increasing popularity in the country, which is now the world's second-largest consumer of the snack, according to Kit Kat Japan's website.

Demand for Kit Kat in Japan has increased so much that Nestle inaugurated a new factory on August 1, its first one in the country in 26 years, dedicated to the production of seven premium products in the Kit Kat range.

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Sofia Lotto Persio reports mainly on Asia and gender issues for Newsweek. She previously covered international affairs with a specific ... Read more

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