There are unforgettable milestones in your life. The moment you meet your wife. Or the birth of a kid.
One of my life milestones happened in 2005.
And I wish I would have known then what I know now: that the last time that I would ever have a coffee-flavored KIT KAT was this one day in 2005.
In 2005, a friend of mine, Shane, offered me a piece of his KIT KAT. Told me it was amazing. I like KIT KAT, but never ventured into specialty KIT KAT flavors. So color me skeptical.
But this was no ordinary KIT KAT.
This was a coffee-flavored KIT KAT.
And he was right. This coffee-flavored KIT KAT was as advertised!
Shane told me that he got it at this specific gas station on the east end of Stillwater. I drove out there, bought a couple coffee-flavored KitKats, and shared with friends.
Everyone I shared with thought they were great (because my friends have good taste), so I figured I’d buy more to share with others.
I went back to that same gas station later that day to buy the rest of the box. The box was gone. In its place were “normal” KIT KAT. The cashier had no idea what I was talking about. The same cashier that earlier that day had sold me coffee-flavored KIT KAT told me that she’s never seen or sold coffee-flavored KIT KAT before.
I’ve never seen a coffee-flavored KIT KAT since then.
There’s not a lot on the Internet about the origins of coffee-flavored KIT KAT (because who would spend their time writing about candy that disappeared 15 years ago). But, evidently, coffee-flavored KIT KAT were actually created to persuade Japanese consumers to buy instant coffee. (Thanks, Grober!)
Anyways, Japan loves coffee now, so that worked. But despite my best efforts, I still can’t find coffee-flavored KIT KAT.
I frequently pull up Amazon just to see if there’s anything new from Japan. There used to be a listing for coffee-flavored KIT KAT, but it’s gone now. (In fact, one time it let me add my email address to be notified when more came in stock. I entered my email, and Amazon told me that I had already signed up to be notified in the past.)
I’ve bought random coffee-adjacent flavors from Japan on eBay. But they’re all a little off, and a little stale.
I’ve talked to Hershey (manufacturers in the U.S.) and Nestle (manufacturers elsewhere) to see if there’s anywhere I could find them. No luck from either.
So, the search continues. I check Amazon and eBay regularly. I always scan the KIT KAT availability in every checkout line. No luck, yet.
But, one day. They’ll be back. And I will buy all of them, mail some to Shane, share the rest with everyone I can, and maybe establish a new milestone for someone else’s life.
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[1] Every once in a while, someone will find a few espresso flavored KIT KAT and share with me. These are very, very good. And while I will never, ever turn one down … they’re just not the same. Espresso KIT KAT are made with darker chocolate, which is fine, but I prefer milk chocolate.
[2] Coffee Crisp are also really good. But again, not quite the same. Coffee Crisp are a little too artificial-tasting, in my opinion.
