In Hong Kong , like many parts of Asia like Singapore, Japan or China, consumers are very much driven by brand names. However, does one really know his or her own taste, what one really likes or wants or we leave it to the brand and price to determine whether we are connoisseurs of good taste or just consumers who can’t afford anything more expensive.
As Hong Kong seems to be attracting an increasing number of of gourmet chocolatiers into Hong Kong, I wonder if the every day consumer can really taste the difference in chocolates. Are we obliged to give “Godiva” when we give chocolates as gifts but in fact, our palates prefer another perhaps cheaper brand?
Out of fun and curiousity I did a simple blind test with a few people. I bought 4 chocolate bars, all of which were simple milk chocolate bars. The chocolates were broken into unrecognizable pieces and placed into 4 container with a color sticker to differentiate between the 4 brands. My small sample group of about 10 people sampled each of the chocolates and each person was asked to write down the chocolates they thought was most expensive to the least expensive.
The astonishing result was 80% of the sample actually thought the least expensive chocolate was the most expensive one. Only 20% was able to identify the most expensive chocolate.
The chocolates samples I used; in order of retail prices in Hong Kong were : Godiva milk chocolate, Lindt milk chocolate, Frey milk chocolate and Meiji Milk chocolate.
Meiji came out to be the most liked chocolate which most people felt was the most expensive.
Maybe the Japanese understands the Hong Kong taste buds better.
If you are thinking of buying chocolates when visiting families and relatives for the coming Chinese New Year, Meiji may be your best bet and much better value for money too.
Happy new year and happy Chinese New year in advance 
P.S.. I do not work for Meiji or any of the chocolate brands
