Hot KISS Buns Are Headed For Store Shelves In Japan

Move over, hot cross buns — here come the hot KISS buns. They're spicy and black, and starting next week, a limited number will be sold in stores in Japan, marking the rock group's 40th anniversary world tour. The bun's official name: Spicy Chili Tomatoman.

The steamed bun's black exterior derives from bamboo charcoal. It has a bright red filling, consisting of tomato paste, onions — and very hot peppers. Its surface is branded with one of four icons associated with KISS members, such as a star symbol for Paul Stanley.

"The buns are based on the image of the band KISS," a spokesman for the Circle K Sunkus convenience store chain tells Agence France-Presse. "Black on the outside and hot and spicy on the inside."

"Like the band, they have impact," he said.

Stores will begin selling 300,000 of the KISS steamed buns, for a price of a little over $1 each, on Feb. 24.

When an earlier version of the buns was released back in 2013, the website Rocket News 24 reported on one man's quest to try a bun that's said to be "hotter than Hell."

In the end, the bun lived up to another song's title — "Tears Will Fall":

"After biting into it, tears began to roll down Mr. Sato's face which he wiped off with his Destroyer T-shirt. It was every bit as hot as the lava like substance it looked like. Probably it was too hot, but anything less just wouldn't be rock and roll so he accepted the spicy intensity with pleasure."

The return of the rock band KISS to Japan is prompting a store to bring back spicy black buns in their honor. The band is seen here in Tokyo during a 2013 visit.

Franck Robichon/EPA/Landov