Sweet competition and copycats

Two weeks ago, I scouted a copycat of Ferrero Rocher, named Diamond by Solen.  It has the same packaging, including the mini-labels and foil wrappers of Diamond which has a brown twirl.  One glaring difference is that Diamond is almost 25% cheaper than Rocher.  As you can see in the fourth photo, without the wrappers, they’re almost the same.  The one in the left is a Diamond, right is a Rocher.  If you want to spot based on down wraps, Diamond has a swirl, Rocher has a letter (e.g. N, E, etc.).

(Source)

The anatomy of the piece is the same.  In the center is a whole roasted hazelnut in a thin wafer shell filled with hazelnut cream.  Rocher uses its very own Nutella for the cream, while Diamond banks on belgian counterpart. As I compared it, I had appreciated better the roasted hazelnut when munching Diamond’s, but Rocher’s has a more reasonable blend for the total piece.  Not too sweet. It’s not surprising to see copycats. Since this brand of boxed chocos is very popular for its elegant appeal.

(Source: Hany, Chocnut, Kitkat, Tiffany Break)

Another chocolate resemblance that I encountered in UAE is between KitKat and Break. However, it’s definitely not a copycat case. Tiffany’s packaging was done without any clear intention to be associated with KitKat. I just couldn’t help having flashback of the lines, “Take a break, take a KitKat”. Knowing that there’s actually a Break brand which tastes like KitKat. I would say that back home, this and Meiji’s black chocos are my ultimate favorites.

I found KitKat’s name so childlike and appealing. It’s interesting to know that when it was launched in London and the South East in 1935, it was actually named Rowntree’s Chocolate Crisp. Such a mouthful, huh. Two years later it was renamed as KitKat Chocolate Crisp. It officially became KitKat after the Second World War. No one is sure where the name KitKat came from but it was thought that the famous KitKat Club of the 1920s had some influence. During the war, this chocolate brand was portrayed as a valuable wartime food and advertising described the brand as “What active people need”. Ugh, I so agree with that.

Of course, there’s the comparison between Choc Nut and Hany. I found the latter to sweet. I am loyal to Choc Nut and it’s actually a part of my childhood, budding years, and until now. This doesn’t fail to bemuse any Filipino based abroad. When a colleague came here several months ago, I feasted on the three packs he got me. It tasted like the best Choc Nut ever. Haha (as if there’s a difference). Weeks after that, I’m glad to have found nearby groceries and supermarkets selling this (with an exorbitant mark up). Choc Nut is breakable into bits though. So as always, I put it in my mouth on a per bar basis. And it sticks there so long. That’s what Hany and Choco Mani can’t do. I think Choc Nut would always be part of me. In fact, it should be Philippine’s national chocolate. Haha. Seriously, it should be tablea in that sense. By the way, did you notice those columns in Folk Arts Center? They look like Choc Nut.

Any choco copycats that you took note? What are your favorite chocolates?