Holiland x Toblerone Team Up for Some Fleeting New Eats

Just like any other metropolis, Beijing is bursting with trends. This goes for pretty much anything you can think of, however, food certainly ranks high on the list. Think restaurants, bars, cafés and bubble tea parlours, but also – bakeries! I know I enjoyed Wedome’s limited chocolate mooncakes for Mid-Autumn Festival, but that’s ancient history by now and my gluttony constantly demands new and greater thrills.

Raise your hands if you grew up with the unique mash of nougat, almonds, and honey that is Toblerone. The famous triangular candy bar was created by Emil Baumann and Theodor Tobler in Bern, Switzerland, in 1908. Its distinctive shape was likely inspired by the Matterhorn in the Alps, with the brand name being a portmanteau combining Tobler's name with the Italian word torrone, or nougat. A little more than 100 years later, it certainly is a pity that Messrs Baumann and Tobler are not around to witness the exciting new twist on their creation courtesy of none other than Holiland.

That’s right, folks. Holiland has joined forces with Toblerone, and Chinese netizens' are oohing and aahing over the holy matrimony.

The announcement post on Holiland’s official WeChat heralded three items: the Toblerone Dark Choc Stick, its shorter cousin, the Toblerone Milk Choc Bread, and the Toblerone Crisp. Look, I am always more than willing to sell my hypothetical firstborn for a sweet treat. Therefore, I donned my winter coat, whipped out Tencent Maps, and embarked on a pilgrimage to the nearest Holiland store where – whoopee – they had the goods! I got hold of the Toblerone Dark Choc Stick and the Toblerone Crisp. So let’s go with the Toblerone Dark Choc Stick first, shall we?

Given that my fitness goals were rearing their ugly heads, I enlisted the solicitous help of my partner to sample the thing. Together we rejoiced, cut the baked goodie in two, sunk our fangs in the chocolatey sponge and…

…Whomp, whomp. Okay, okay. Maybe it wasn't a full-on disappointment, but it wasn't anything special, either. It was good because chocolate is good, you know? Such is its nature. Otherwise, the pastry itself had little to do with Toblerone other than its triangular shape, which made the sponge somewhat dry at the angles. It was cool to try as a one-off for merely RMB 19 though.

Time for the Toblerone Crisp. When I bought it, it was handed to me in a special Toblerone-themed paper bag that I’ll keep to deliver foolish expectations to people. The Crisp itself is a duo of two flavors per box – dark chocolate and sea salt.

Now this here, friends, is the one item that I would go back for. The sea salt milk flavor was undoubtedly our favorite, with a nice bite that immediately gave way to a rather pleasant mousse and a hint of…well, sea saltiness. The dark chocolate flavor was somewhat understated, and we’d have appreciated a more pronounced bitterness, but we’re not going to complain when crispy turns to satiny, creamy goodness in your palate. Not bad for RMB 29.

All in all, these goodies are a fun twist on the beloved Swiss chocolate and are best shared due to their richness. They’re supposed to be a limited edition for 11.11 and you can order Holiland through Meituan, so why not give them a try before they’re gone?

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Images: Holiland, Ana Padilla Fornieles