The Tirol Chocolate Series (Flavours #1-3): Better Than Japan's Famous Kit Kat Bars

Japan's Kit Kats are already very well known for the array of flavours available. However, there is another chocolate that I find just as exciting, if not more: let me introduce you to the Tirol chocolate world in Japan:

• In Japanese it would be known as cheroru choco, since there is actually no "ti" sound in the alphabet. 
• Tirol chocolates are bite-sized, individually wrapped, square chocolates usually found in convenience or "dollar" stores (in Japan they would be 100 yen stores).  Depending on the size, they can be from 20-42 yen per piece, or about 100 yen for a small bag.
• Since its production that started in 1979, there have been hundreds of different flavours and/or different designs. Every year, depending on the season, one can look forward to finding either a new, or re-introduced popular flavour in the stores.
• There are conventional flavours such as strawberry chocolate, milk chocolate, coffee or nuts. There are flavours based on other desserts such as coffee jelly, cheesecake, warabi mochi (a traditional soft, pounded rice dessert), strawberry shortcake or pudding. There are collaborations with other companies that have produced popular desserts such as ice cream maker Cold Stone, chocolate maker Royce, producers of the red bean paste ice cream bar called Aisu Manju and the shu cream or cream puff maker Beard Papas. There are flavours that seem novel such as fried banana, waffle cone, croissant and coconut cookie. Lastly there are the flavours that you may not expect in a dessert such as senbei (savoury rice cracker), kare-pan (a fried bun with curry filling), pizza and yuzu kosho (a spicy condiment with a hint of citrus flavour). 

Do you see the appeal in these chocolates? Not only are they of good quality, they are cheap, the perfect size, and there are so many flavours depending on the store and the season. You won't be able to find all the flavours at one time, which is part of the appeal and excitement.

And now for the fun part, I'm going to gradually introduce flavours on this blog post, so keep checking back for new updates!

1. Tirol (1979)

I'll start with the very first Tirol chocolate ever. It's packaging and flavour hasn't changed since! This is one flavour that can be found all year round.

The very first Tirol chocolate produced in 1979

Flavour: Coffee Nougat

The bitterness of the coffee goes well with the sweetness of the chocolate. I would say it's chocolate for adults. The nougat is rather chewy giving it a toffee-like texture that may get stuck in your teeth.

An airplane design

Coffee nougat filling

2. Milk (1990) - photos to come

This is another signature flavour that can be found at anytime of year and in most convenience stores.

It says 'including heavy cream' above the word Milk

Flavour: Milk chocolate with a heavy cream and milk filling

I can see why this flavour is sold everywhere. Both children and adults can enjoy the sweetness of the milk chocolate and the milky white filling. It's like a cup of hot chocolate in solid form!

The wrapper. Each Tirol square contains about 50-60 kcal.

Solid, but creamy, making a clean cut

3. Tirol Chocolate Bar (1962)

Although not really part of the square Tirol series, this bar is the very first chocolate the company sold.

The first Tirol chocolate

Flavour: Milk nougat covered in milk chocolate

Like the coffee nougat, the milk nougat is pretty chewy and gets stuck in the teeth. However, this one has no bitterness so it tastes sweeter overall.