British Kit Kat vs American Kit Kat

Today marks the 7th day of our 31 days of British Snack Reviews.  So far we have reviewed a range of chocolates and crisps from England including some new found favorites, all of which will be included in our international snack store set to launch January 1st.  To celebrate our 1 week anniversary we are going to try our very first blind taste test.  We are going to decide if which is better, the British Kit Kat or the American Kit Kat.

Before we dive into our review and blind taste test let’s take a look at the history of Kit Kat.  This delicious wafer covered chocolate bar is almost always believed to be an American snack here in the US.  Well guess what, it’s really an old English snack.  Kit Kat was initially developed by the English Brand Rowntree back in 1935.  It instantly became a hit and stayed under the Rowntree’s brand name until the company was purchased by Nestle in 1988.  Prior to be sold to Nestle, Rowntree licensed Kit Kat to Hershey.   Today license is valid until/if Hershey is sold and is one of the top 5 brands they currently hold.  Now we understand why there is a difference between the British Kit Kat and the American Kit Kat.  Let’s get on to our blind taste test and see which of the two sweet treats will be declared the winner!

Our taste test panel for our comparison of the British Kit Kat vs American Kit Kat is comprised of 11 American adult males that range in age from 25-35.  In the US this is the second most snack purchasing demographic, only surpassed by younger adult males.  Several of the subjects have traveled internationally but none of the subjects have previously tried the British version of this chocolate bar.  All of the subjects are familiar with the US Kit Kat.  Prior to the test we removed the bars from their wrappers and broken them into bite size pieces.  Upon removal we noticed the very difference in chocolate color but none of the subjects could determine which was which from its appearance.  The only other noticeable difference was the logo treatment stamped into the bar.  Now onto the results of our comparison.

Which Kit Kat is better, British or American?  The short answer:  The winner is British Kit Kat!  Six testers opted for the British Kit Kat, four testers opted for the American Kit Kat, and one tester could not determine which he like better.  All of the subjects could definitely determine there was a clear difference and the testers who preferred the American Kit Kat stated they like it because it was familiar to them.  Other comments include that the British Kit Kat was a less enhanced chocolate and the American Kit Kat was crunchier. 

<- Which Kit Kat would you choose?

Now that we have settled one of the great international snack debates you need to try this for yourself at home. Starting January 1st we will sell the British Kit Kat with shipping to anywhere in the world.  Starting February 1st we will do the same with the American Kit Kat.  If you leave your details to the right we will offer our newsletter subscribers an exclusive package for sale with both these snacks and others to compare for yourself. 

This Snack review of the British Kit Kat and American Kit Kat is authored by Richard Olivarez. Contact for article suggestions.

01/01/2014 UPDATE:  The British Kit Kat is now available for purchase online in our international store.

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