What's the best chocolate (candy) you can buy in the U.S.?

[amaguri]

Originally Posted by CalMeacham

At the risk of being thought nyekulturny, I have to defend Hershey's. I am amazed at how people insist on putting them down, and go out of their way to suggest unsavory practices.

Hershey's products, without a doubt, contain all sorts of "inauthentic" ingredients. The standard milk chocolate bar and the standard milk chocolate Hershey's Kiss being the main exceptions.

Mr Goodbar? Krackel? Cookies'n'Creme? All of these use vegetable/palm oils instead of cocoa butter as well as cheap emulsifiers. Even the labels have been changed to reflect this-- they now say "chocolatey" or "made with chocolate" because they're not allowed to say milk chocolate any longer.

I don't mind Hershey's milk chocolate, but their other products have definitely changed over the past few years, and not for the better.

[Yllaria]

Originally Posted by Fear Itself

Any body remember "Ice Cubes" chocolates? They always had a super-smooth texture.

YES! I love those things. It's a good thing they're not sold anywhere I know of locally. Lindt Lindor truffles is a close second. And of course, I haven't tried a lot of the brands discussed in this thread, so I can't make those comparisons.

[pulykamell]

Originally Posted by amaguri

Hershey's products, without a doubt, contain all sorts of "inauthentic" ingredients. The standard milk chocolate bar and the standard milk chocolate Hershey's Kiss being the main exceptions.

But the milk chocolate is a bit weird in its ingredients. As I said above, it has a vague vomit-like taste to it. Looking it up, it appears to be caused by butyric acid or some process that creates that flavor.

[DrDeth]

Well, I am not going to attack anyones love of Hersheys, but it depends why. I mean, I loves me some Kraft Mac & Cheese, to me it's very Proustian, comfort food. But do I think it's anywhere near as good as baked in the oven from scratch? No way.

So if when you unwrap that big brown bar, it makes you think of simpler times, it's comfort food for your soul- then great, go for it!

But you gotta know it's not very good chocolate, right?


OK?

[CalMeacham]

Originally Posted by amaguri

Hershey's products, without a doubt, contain all sorts of "inauthentic" ingredients. The standard milk chocolate bar and the standard milk chocolate Hershey's Kiss being the main exceptions.

Mr Goodbar? Krackel? Cookies'n'Creme? All of these use vegetable/palm oils instead of cocoa butter as well as cheap emulsifiers. Even the labels have been changed to reflect this-- they now say "chocolatey" or "made with chocolate" because they're not allowed to say milk chocolate any longer.

I don't mind Hershey's milk chocolate, but their other products have definitely changed over the past few years, and not for the better.

Don't know about the others -- I was referring only to the Hershey's milk chocolate bar, which seems to be what most people are referring to, and which gets the bulk of the abuse. Don't say that the Hershey bar is filled with wax if you're really talking about the Cookies 'n'cream or the Tropical Bar.