A few weeks ago I strode confidently into the living room and announced:
"I have an announcement!"
Wendy, perhaps mildly bemused, looked up from the laptop and cupped her hand around her ear.
"I am ordering Nestle Kit Kats from Amazon!" I stated, proudly and boldly. She cracked up, we exchanged a high five, and off I went to complete my purchase.
Rewinding several days, I was telling Wendy everything I had just learned about Kit Kats. I'd read a BBC article comparing Kit Kats and bananas as snacks, and it became apparent that Kit Kats in the rest of the world are vastly different than Kit Kats in the U.S. So I turned to the Kit Kat wikipedia page to fill in the details. Here are the things I learned:
- Kit Kats were created in England by a company called Rowntree, supposedly after a factory worker put a suggestion in the suggestion box for a snack a "man could have in his lunch box for work".
- Kit Kats are made by Nestle everywhere except the U.S., where they're made by Hershey.
- U.S. Kit Kats taste differently than those in the rest of the world (the U.S. version has more sugar and less milk).
- Nestle bought Rowntree in 1988 thus acquiring the Kit Kat brand, but they had to honor a 1969 licensing agreement Rowntree had made with Hershey to sell Kit Kats in the U.S.
- The deal is that if Hershey is ever sold, the U.S. Kit Kat rights revert back to Nestle. Hershey did try to sell itself in 2002, but failed, partly because if someone bought Hershey, they would immediately lose the Kit Kat brand.
- Kit Kats have become very popular in Japan, in part because of the Japanese phrase "Kitto Katsu" which translates to "You will surely win!" They've become a popular good luck charm for parents to give to students during exams.
- Finally, there are a huge variety of Kit Kat flavors, none of which are available in the U.S. Here are some examples: Mint, Orange, Caramel, Capuccino, Apple, Hazelnut, Banana, Strawberry, Green Tea, Passion Fruit, and Lemon Cheesecake.
Fast forward to last weekend, and my package of international Nestle Kit Kats had arrived. I had been eagerly awaiting them all week, and I'd read a number reviews praising how much better Nestle Kit Kats were than the U.S. version. I opened a pack, broke off a piece, and took a bite.
And it was a disappointment. "It's just a Kit Kat," I said to Wendy. I'd read so much about them, about how people "would never eat another U.S. Kit Kat again" after tasting the Nestle version, that my expectations had risen too high. My life did not change after that one bite.
So, I took a few more bites, then ate another piece, finished the package, and finally decided that they are actually pretty good. Probably better than most U.S. candy bars. The chocolate is definitely much better. And now, after having sampled... numerous... packages, I have to say that they are delicious and are indeed superior to the U.S. version.
Finally, if you would like to try these Nestle Kit Kats for yourself, now is the time of year to do so. The Amazon page states "Customer takes responsibility for melted chocolate (happens mostly during summer months)".
P.S. Wendy's reaction after her first bite: "Oh, that's good!"
