The controlled lipolysis was new to me. I had read before that Hersheys used spoiled milk which I had not questioned at the time since I have always noticed an off flavor to it and spoiled milk seemed like a likely cause. Hearing about how the flavor of butyric acid can affect the taste explains to me what I am tasting in some milk chocolate. I have a food memory of eating donuts in a park. They tasted like vomit to me but no one in my group seemed to notice. I think it was tasty freeze donuts. After reading this article, I would not be surprised to find out that their product also had some form of butyric acid in it.
People outside the US seem to think that all US-made chocolate, even the standard stuff, tastes like Hershey’s.
it’s def a very specific and limited assessment of the quality of generic US chocolate. Certainly not all of it is as bad as Hershey’s.
I haven’t had a pure Hershey’s bar in a long time, even though it’s always in the mixed bag of chocolates I give out at Halloween. If there are extras, I’ll pick at and eat pretty much any of the extras, but I leave the Hershey’s. They might have been mixed into a smores dish one or twice. I eat the occasional US produced chocolate bars (some likely produced by Hersheys too) but when they are mixed in with things like wafer bars, malts, or anything else, the chocolate kind of disappears into the other flavors and textures. That is a statement in itself which is that Hershey’s flavor is virtually tasteless - just sugary. With that being said, the writer was being a bit over dramatic, even for striking a humorous tone. I don’t think Hershey’s is disgusting, but it’s certainly not good chocolate by any stretch of the imagination.
I find Ghirardelli to taste like wax.
Is Hershey’s great? No, but it certainly isn’t inedible. I like a handful of Kisses every now and then.
However, this author must not like any fermented or cultured foods–no cheese, butters, yogurts or pickles–because there is more butyric acid in these than in the chocolate.
Hershey uses condensed milk, not sour or expired milk, that is put through lypolysis to break down the milk fats. This causes the sour notes.
If anyone is interested, this is a fascinating book about Hershey and Mars and how they got their start in the US.
But who wants their chocolate to taste like fermented foods? I love cheese, butters, yogurts, pickles… and chocolate. I just prefer most other chocolate (small batch, ideally, if it’s not Belgian or Swiss) to Hershey’s.
As do I. Hershey’s is far from the best chocolate out there, but many people grew up with it. I will gladly take some Lindt or Cadbury instead, and I’m fortunate that the real imported stuff is available here in the US.
I find the author’s opinion a bit mean and snobbish. Don’t like American chocolate? Don’t eat it. But the “vomit” ingredient is found in a lot of other foods that I’d bet she does like.
I agree it’s over the top… as opinions are often written for effect. But I still agree with her assessment of Hershey’s being barfy (no, I don’t even like the kisses, and I live in the fucking state 
), and it would seem so do you 
Even more distasteful: child labor. It’s a huge problem in Africa and Hershey’s is part of it. Buy small, fair trade, direct trade, bean to bar, artisan, single origin, South American, etc.
I would call it… distinct. It does have a sour note to it, and my penchant for Kisses is more nostalgic than anything. I usually buy a bag for Christmas because my family always had them around.
And they always work on Peanut Butter Blossom cookies.
Hershey’s definitely has a unique taste, and you either like it or hate it. I’m a dark chocolate gal, and for some reason Hershey’s is one of the only milk chocolates I actually like. I bet I ate a lot of it as a kid.
Yes they do… haven’t had those in a while. 
Hershey’s only works for me in S’Mores.
For me, Hershey’s is to chocolate as Crisco is to EVOO.
While US chocolate isn’t considered the best, it is by far not the worst in the world. The author is a little harsh.
I don’t eat much chocolate but my husband does so he’s been experimenting with a lot of brands, and never Hershey’s. And he eats his proteins well done! Is Hershey’s that popular? Can you compare Hershey’s to small batch chocolate? Am I still on topic? 
For “Holiday Treats” I usually use bulk Guittard.
I’m always irritated by (defensive when) authors who lump together “American” as one thing, but I guess it brings the clicks.
I didn’t fact check, but here’s a list I found of chocolate makers in California.
Hershey’s is far from small batch. To me there’s no comparison.
Guittard is quite good, as is the not-mentioned Ghirardelli, in my opinion.
No thread drift detected here either
Whatever happened to Scharffenberger ? I tried them many years ago when they first burst on the scene and were praised by a bunch of chefs, but I was unimpressed.
I used to travel South of the Border on business a lot, and used to take a lady in Dallas bars of Kit Kat as she preferred the Canadian to the American version (which is sweeter).
