Taste the Earth with Japan’s new Sublime Volcanic KitKats

We try the newest sensation in the sweets world: chocolate made from volcanoes.

A few days ago, we attended the press event for the world’s latest Japanese KitKat variety, and the ceremonial unveiling came with some impressive fanfare, as a number of big names gathered to welcome the arrival of the new Sublime Volcanic.

Created by famous Japanese patissier Yasumasa Takagi, the new KitKats are made with incredibly rare cocoa beans, sourced from volcanic islands in Papua New Guinea, Vanuatu, and the Phillipines.

These beans, grown on lava-rich soil, give chocolate a very specific and unique taste, and they’re also incredibly rare, as they account for a mere 0.2 percent of the world’s chocolate.

The new KitKats can be purchased separately, or as part of a three-piece or seven-piece boxed set. We picked up one of their seven-piece boxed gift packs, which contains each of the new varieties, plus a bitter, milk, white, and ruby Sublime chocolate bar.

The three volcanic KitKats come in bright boxes that incorporate colours from each country’s national flag, with the yellow box representing the yellow Raggiana Bird of Paradise that appears on the flag of Papua New Guinea. 

This chocolate bar is made with cocoa beans grown on the tiny volcanic island of Karkar in Papua New Guinea, and is described as the fruitiest of the three new varieties, featuring raspberry-like notes.

They’re spot-on with the description, as this chocolate has an incredibly unusual tartness that’s similar to biting into a fresh raspberry. While the acidity levels are surprisingly similar, rather than tasting like fruit, this KitKat is filled with deep, rich chocolate flavours. Add to that a delightfully crisp crunch and a smooth, understated sweetness, and there’s no mistaking that this is definitely a premium luxury KitKat.

Next we move on to the red box, which contains chocolate made with cocoa beans from Mindanau in the Phillipines.

This is also a fruity variety, containing a slightly more pared-back acidity that’s said to be similar to grapefruit and the bittersweet flavours of a cherry.

Compared to the bright, refreshing tartness of the Karkar variety, this chocolate has a more mellow, slightly earthy element to it. This makes the chocolate more pronounced, and creates a deliciously complex combination of fruity and spicy notes, which, according to patissier Takagi, is meant to spark images of powerful magma bursting forth from the surface.

Finally, we have the Sublime Volcanic made with cocoa beans sourced from the island of Malekula in Vanuatu.

Vanuatu is made up of over 80 individual islands, and out of all them, Malekula is the most abundant with nature. This chocolate really highlights the flavours of the Earth, with a fragrant sweetness similar to molasses. 

Sweet and bitter at the same time, this chocolate has a richer, fuller flavour than the other two, with less defined acidity and more earthy notes that highlight the unique characteristics of the unusual cocoa bean. This one is a real treat for dark chocolate lovers.

Each one of these new volcanic KitKats is a real surprise for the tastebuds, with unique flavours you won’t find anywhere else on the market. The new bars can be purchased separately for 400 yen (US$3.69) each, in gift packs of three for 1,300 yen, or as part of a seven-piece box for 2,600 yen.

The Sublime Volcanic KitKats are on sale at Chocolatory stores from 15 January, and online and at 50 pop-up shops around the country from 18 January.

Photos © SoraNews24  

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