Welcome back from your midweek holiday, fellow Americans! While you've been flipping burgers and shotgunning beers in the name of independence, an all-out battle of the chocolatiers has broken out overseas. Switzerland-based Lindt — the makers of your favorite truffles and incredibly sensual commercials — came for Italian brand Ferrero — the brains behind Nutella — with a rival chocolate hazelnut spread. The spread itself has been around for a few years in certain countries in Europe, but it just landed in the U.K. And Lindt's stuff has one key difference that you're either going to love ... or abso-freakin-lutely HATE.
Lindt's jar of Hazelnut Cream is made with 40 percent hazelnuts; Nutella only packs about 13 percent of the nuts. That can only mean one thing: Less chocolate in Lindt's formula. As a born-and-raised resident of Chocolate Town, I'll be sticking to Nutella for my cocoa fix. But if you have a larger affinity for all things nutty, Lindt's jar might be the way to go — that is, if you're an expat. Sorry, U.S.A: The stuff still hasn't crossed American borders.
If you happen to live abroad, you'd still better act fast. A ticker on Lindt's site shows how many jars are still available. At press time, there were only 901.
This isn't the first time a brand has tried to unseat Nutella before. Hershey's has made one and Justin's tried to, too. Only time will tell if Lindt succeeds in a way the others haven't!
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