The chocolate trend that has taken over worldwide has finally landed in Aotearoa. 

Dubai chocolate has been going viral for years now, originally created by Dubai-based Chocolatier Sarah Hamouda in 2022.

Dubai Chocolate exploded on TikTok after influencer Maria Verhera’s tasting video pulled in over 122 million views just a year later.

Any lovers of it will know it can be hard to find at the best of times. Whether it’s the search for which stores sell it, or the looming question mark on whether any will be on shelves by the time you get there.

Lindt might be fueling the craze by bringing the viral choccy to its two New Zealand shops at Mānawa Bay in Auckland and Queenstown - and some supermarkets around the country.

The chocolatiers have whipped up their own take on the viral dessert: a milk chocolate block with a soft pistachio filling (45% to be exact), a bit of nut brittle, and crispy Kadayif pastry for that iconic Dubai crunch.

We got our fix - couldn’t help ourselves - and spent a good chunk of our workday discussing our very honest thoughts when we should’ve been actually working.

So, to make it up to the boss, here are our completely unfiltered (and some brutally honest) takes on Lindt’s new-not-so-new sweet treat.

Lisa was instantly sold on the crunch factor, saying she “loved the crunchy bits” and reckons Lindt “defo needs to turn this into a ball flavour next”.

Bella was all about the crunch too, saying: “It will be banging for those that are into a bitta crunch.”

Izzy agreed, but wished “the pistachio filling was a bit thicker,” saying it was hard to taste what was meant to be the main event.

Raynor, our self-proclaimed texture lover, called it a “perfect mix of creamy and crunchy”, while Amelia thought it nailed that “sweet and salty balance”.

Ricky wasn’t as sold. “One of the trademarks of the hyped Dubai choc has been not only the flavour, but the chonky size of the block,” he said. 

“I feel like Lindt would be on to a winner if they’d used their ‘balls’ for this flavour, but with it being their thinner block, I was just left wanting more of that filling.”

Brutal Brodie chimed in on the trend, calling it “seriously overhyped”. Though he did say the chocolate itself was better than other popular brands he’d tried… So it’s a half point from him.

On the other end of the spectrum, Maia said, “The chocolate? Delectable. Crunch? Chef’s kiss.”

So the overall verdict is that it’s defo worth trying, but at $22 a block, it might be more of a payday ‘treat yourself’ splurge than a pantry stock-up.