KitKat v Kvikk Lunsj: which four-fingered chocolate bar tastes best?

Say what you like about Nestlé, but it is certainly dogged. This week, the court of appeal rejected its attempt to register KitKat’s four-finger shape as a UK trademark, but that it is just the latest stage in 11 years of Europe-wide KitKat legal wrangling between the Swiss food manufacturer and one of its competitors, Cadbury.

You may think it is time to have a break, have a generic chocolate wafer snack. Not Nestlé. Instead, it may yet take its case to the supreme court to protect a brand that, in Britain, shifts more than 1bn products annually.

Nestlé’s case cannot be helped by the fact that in Norway, Freia (which, like Cadbury, is owned by Nestlé’s huge global rival Mondelez), has been selling the KitKat doppelganger Kvikk Lunsj, or “quick lunch”, since 1937.

But which tastes better? Is the KitKat really distinctive? Let’s put it to test in the ultimate KitKat v Kvikk Lunsj showdown. (Kvikk Lunsj is available in specialist UK stores including ScandiKitchen, London).

Look
Kvikk Lunsj fingers are decorated with tiny storks, which is lovely. Wholesome. KitKat’s carry the hashtag #mybreak, which is #tryhard.
Kvikk Lunsj 4/5 KitKat 2/5

Feel
How insubstantial a KitKat suddenly feels, in the butch shadow of the marginally thicker, wider, a full 5.5g heavier Kvikk Lunsj, a classic Norwegian hiking snack.
KL 5/5 KK 3/5

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Snap
Audibly, Kvikk Lunsj delivers a marginally more satisfying thunk as you snap a finger off.
KL 4/5 KK 3/5

Chocolate
The crucial component. 66% of the KitKat, 80% of the Kvikk Lunsj. The KitKat chocolate is unsophisticated, one-dimensionally honeyed. The Kvikk Lunsj tastes European: less sweet, creamier, similar to Milka’s mellow, rounded flavour.
KL 4/5 KK 2.5/5

Nibble-ability
If you like to nibble around the edges, deconstructing the layers to prolong the pleasure, then Kvikk Lunsj – thicker sides, bottom, really chunky ends – is on top.
KL 4/5 KK 2.5/5

Texture
KitKat edges it. Its wafer offers a clear crunch and its closely compacted fingers have a definitive bite. The Kvikk Lunsj, while crisp in the middle, has a softer, airier feel.
KL 3/5 KK 4/5

Verdict

Kvikk Lunsj 24, KitKat 17

It’s official. Not only is it not a unique, trademarkable product, KitKat isn’t even the best four-fingered chocolate bar in Europe.