Comments on Jim's Chocolate Mission: January 19th: Hershey's Milk Chocolate

This is very funny! As an American, while Hershey...

2010-06-14T22:42:04.734+01:00

This is very funny! As an American, while Hershey isn't my favorite brand of chocolate, I vastly prefer it to the Cadbury chocolate bars I've had in the past. In fact, I think Cadbury tied for my least favorite along with some fancy Belgian chocolate I tried. Too creamy... not sweet and chocolate-y enough... I suppose tastes in chocolate are acquired just like everything else.

Hershey's isn't awful, but I wonder if the sample ...

2010-01-21T03:08:25.012Z

Hershey's isn't awful, but I wonder if the sample you had was produced for export from the US (instead of being locally made). In which case, it was probably even more heavily laden with preservatives and such so it'd last 8 months on a container ship before it got to the candy counter.

That's the downside of mass-produced food in general. It's not built for taste. It's built to survive shipping conditions.

i do think it was a big mistake selling out, whoev...

2010-01-19T23:07:10.102Z

i do think it was a big mistake selling out, whoever it was too, they shouldve stuck to their guns, but as you say Jim it was all about money. A brand with such a rich heritage of, what over a 150 years, and portfolio and the fact it was doing very nicely by itself just adds to the disappointment in every respect along with the job uncertainty - it wasn't as if it was doing really badly and needed bailing out to survive. It wasn't perfect but what company is.

It was also one that overall seemed to avoid meddling with its products in the way alot of chocolate companies have been in recent years.

I don't think things will be quite the same again...

CADBURY TAKEOVER REACTION ...in response to Al...

2010-01-19T22:48:49.787Z

CADBURY TAKEOVER REACTION

...in response to Alan , Rosa , Phil , Claudia , Rachel , Kim, Brittanie , Dave , Sophie

....

Well my own view as British citizen is that this is a huge shame. Cadbury was a successful profitable company that had huge heritage here in the UK.

Personally I think it is shareholder greed that has won over at the end of the day .. which is little surprise in a world where 'business is business'.

I genuinely hope that Kraft do nothing at all apart from act as a parent company and almost just leave what was Cadbury solus to operate as a separate entity ... of course this is just wishful thinking and this will never happen and I can see the UK Cadbury business changing radically under it's new owners.

I will post a further more -reaction as part of my 7Days of Chocolate Reviews but my initial thoughts are completely rooted in disappointment.

Perhaps I am looking on the bad side of things!? But with the potential of lost jobs and lost brand heritage I can't at the moment see that this will have a happy ending.

... more to come Saturday!

Thanks everyone - keep posting your views.

JIM

Wow soooo many comments where to start..... I wil...

2010-01-19T22:40:15.093Z

Wow soooo many comments where to start.....

I will post my reaction to the Cadbury takeover separately ..so answering people who spoke of the review today!

Claudia

The bar does taste exactly like the milk chocolate Kisses. I like the kisses better myself though as I like the way they melt in the mouth.

You make some great points about people liking what they are used to! It could be solely down to the type of milk used as it will obviously vary by region.

David

A lot of people have a problem with the smell. You are not alone in that.

Graeme

The score is just my opinion chap. If you think differently why not leave your own score - it would be great if people started doing that.

Emma

Graphic :D but possibly pretty true.

Anon

I do like the Mr Goodbar and Hersheys Kisses :) I think if you grow up eating this stuff you are just more used to it than if not.

Karen

That is a fair point Karen - people often forget the other super brands that sit in the Hershey portfolio.

Alan

Yes chap I think you touched on a good point about if you grow up with Hershey you probably don't know anything else and are used to it.

Ganesh

I know a lot of people are fans of that Cookies n Creme. I find it a little sweet myself but I really like the milk chocolate version of it.

Louise

Thanks for the nice words. I have to admit I am no expert on the ingredients thing but from what limited stuff I have read American companies are starting to cut down on the amount of cocoa butter they use.

Richard

Of course you can contribute .. it is an open door here chap!

Your points are well articulated and are similar to Karens! The almond joy and reeses sub brands are some fine examples of what Hershey do well. If we judged Cadbury by their white chocolate dream bar we wouldn't ever contemplate eating anything of theirs.

Phil

I have always said that Reese's would be so much better if it had a better milk chocolate. Shame huh.

Rachel

Hersheys reviews do normally get followed by a bit of agro don't they! Oh well it seems good natured today :D

Brittanie

Haha you must love your British chocolate huh!? I don't think American chocolate is all bad at all ... I think you just need to be selective! It is the same here in the UK - we have many awful products like Katie says.

Katie

This is a great point! We have a whole load of rubbish here in the UK. I think it is fair to say that every market has it's awful products and it's good ones.

Thanks

JIM

It all depends on what you're used to, doesn't it?...

2010-01-19T19:37:38.864Z

It all depends on what you're used to, doesn't it? We're used to the mainstream Cadbury's and Galaxy, so that Hershey's just doesn't taste like we expect it to. I've heard of people from Germany who can't stand Cadbury's because it's sweeter than what they're used to. People who are used to Belgian chocolate probably hate Milka :P

What is with all the people saying that America ma...

2010-01-19T18:21:59.945Z

What is with all the people saying that America makes bad chocolate? Yes granted some of the more mass produced stuff is rubbish but it is hardly like some of the crap we get here in the UK reflects well on our marketplace.

Calling American chocolate crap just because one milk chocolate bar isn't to your liking is very narrow minded.

If they Americanise Cadbury to be like this Hershe...

2010-01-19T18:14:46.778Z

If they Americanise Cadbury to be like this Hershey rubbish I think I may give up on chocolate altogether. What a terrible waste of a fantastic brand.

Well, I read this blog dutifully and I have waited...

2010-01-19T17:58:42.270Z

Well, I read this blog dutifully and I have waited for you to rate this (Hershey's) so I could put in my 2 cents.

I am an American and have until recently only had the option of US brands of chocoate. That being said, I need to get this off of my chest. I DETEST AMERICAN CHOCOLATE! The taste, texture, aftertaste, and every other quality is simply horrendous.

I can honestly say I drive 45 minutes away from my home to purchase English Sweets from a Warehouse that imports English goods. I'd move to the U.K. for the sweets alone. The taste of most British Chocolate, and some other European chocolates is not just far more delectable, but also more nutritional superior (IMHO.) Most of the sweets have no artificial colors, flavorings, or other unnatural additives that Americans so love to put in.

That being said I just want to say that I pray Kraft doesn't alter Cadbury what so ever. Let's all hope!

I am so upset that Cadbury has been taken over. Th...

2010-01-19T17:46:06.202Z

I am so upset that Cadbury has been taken over. They are saying it could cost up to 7,000 jobs. This is terrible news.

When do you think we will see things start to chan...

2010-01-19T15:59:49.585Z

When do you think we will see things start to change with all the Cadburys stuff turning into Kraft stuff? Thank god Hersheys didn't get their mitts on Cadburys.

It is such a shame that Cadbury sold out to Kraft ...

2010-01-19T14:00:06.086Z

It is such a shame that Cadbury sold out to Kraft as it leaves very little British confectionery manufacturing here.

Off the top of my head I can think of only Thorntons and Hotel Chocolat whose main brands are left grounded in UK heritage. It is such a real shame.

I too am a little sad to see Kraft get their hands...

2010-01-19T13:52:29.946Z

I too am a little sad to see Kraft get their hands on Cadbury esp after all the fuss they made about rejecting the offers etc. However, I know Hershey has a similar background to Cadbury and Kraft doesn't, but I think we are much more used to the Kraft brand in the UK than Hershey's and it would be totally bizarre to me to see Hershey's on the back of a bar of Dairy Milk, more so than Kraft I think lol.

Personally I don't rate the Hershey brand bars I've tried very highly (mainly due to the chocolate) but I find it interesting how different nations view one anothers chocolate. like Phil has said, for example, he found Hershey Easter egg insanely sweet whereas I've found Americans find Hersheys creamy not sweet and our Dairy Milk sweet rather than creamy! lol

The first thing I thought when I saw this review w...

2010-01-19T13:49:16.644Z

The first thing I thought when I saw this review was "oh no!" because reviewing Hershey's always seems to cause a shitstorm. :|
I think it's hard to appreciate Hershey's "distinctive" flavour unless you grew up eating it. I don't think I'll ever be able to enjoy it!

P.S Kind of sad Kraft own Cadbury now. I was always kind of proud of it being a British company...

Actually, I think I also like the Hershey's Cookie...

2010-01-19T12:43:06.934Z

Actually, I think I also like the Hershey's Cookies and Cream bar. It's been a few years, mind. So I can't really remember it :P

The last time I had pure Hershey chocolate was whe...

2010-01-19T12:05:06.483Z

The last time I had pure Hershey chocolate was when I bought one of their easter eggs (imported) at a market stall. All I remember was that it was insanely sweet, more so than Dairy Milk. Still, I do love Reeses products, it's just a shame they aren't coated in real milk chocolate! Or is that just a UK thing?

Hmmm I must admit upon hearing that Kraft now own Cadbury I did feel a twinge of sadness. It was inevitable I guess. If they start messing about with Dairy Milk I swear I will stop buying it.

Jim have you seen that Kraft have now bought out C...

2010-01-19T11:57:15.676Z

Jim have you seen that Kraft have now bought out Cadbury? There is an article on the BBC about it

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/8467007.stm

What do you think?

Can I throw my two cents in please? I think karen...

2010-01-19T11:43:45.115Z

Can I throw my two cents in please?

I think karen is raising a fair point in that a lot of people who have contributed here have gone for the jugular and disregarded Hershey as a total company just because they dislike a single one of their chocolate bars.

Myself I am also no great fan of the milk chocolate they make but on the other hand can reel off at least five other quality brands that they have in their portfolio. Without Hersheys you wouldn't have Reeses, Almond Joy, Mr Goodbar etc. I just don't think they can be judged fairly by just one bar.

I think this is a fair review that sums up what I ...

2010-01-19T11:30:51.702Z

I think this is a fair review that sums up what I feel about Hershey nicely.

The only issue I have with them myself is their continual push to take out ingredients and replace them with cheaper alternatives. I find that very frustrating.

The only Hershey's chocolate I have ever tried and...

2010-01-19T11:09:25.108Z

The only Hershey's chocolate I have ever tried and really liked is the Cookies and Cream bar but that is white chocolate.

I haven't actually ever tried normal Hershey milk chocolate so I can't add my thoughts in that regard.

I agree with the conclusion - at least try it give...

2010-01-19T11:09:02.312Z

I agree with the conclusion - at least try it given the history :) I've never had anything Hershey's so far, but I've heard so many people talking about it that I just have to give it a try.

I bought a bag of Hershey's Miniatures a while bac...

2010-01-19T10:25:53.036Z

I bought a bag of Hershey's Miniatures a while back to try the different bars (which is quite a nice idea rather like Cadbury Heroes).

Being in small form prob affected the flavours as I could taste abolutely nothing atall lol no flavour, no chocolate, nothing just a waxy texture- unlike miniature Dairy Milk which tastes like the normal size bar. I count myself lucky I've never had the Hershey's large bar! Horrible stuff! But I guess if you've grown up with it, it will be what you're used too.

Emma - That's just how I feel about it, I just did...

2010-01-19T09:57:22.751Z

Emma - That's just how I feel about it, I just didn't want to say! :D

Karen - I think everyone is just being critical of the milk chocolate to be honest. Personally, I love Reese's :D

You are all being way overly critical of Hershey h...

2010-01-19T09:26:04.542Z

You are all being way overly critical of Hershey here. You forget that they produce things like Reese's and York chocolates which are amongst my all time faves.

I have to say I dont actually mind Hershey's choco...

2010-01-19T09:25:16.326Z

I have to say I dont actually mind Hershey's chocolate, in fact I quite like Hershey's Kisses and Mr Goodbar but I think this is because I'm american and my sisters and I used to have these a fair amount when we were growing up. I think if I'd tried it first as an adult I probably wouldn't like its... unique taste, shall we say ;) Great to see you reviewed it! :)