This Is Hands Down The Worst Chocolate Candy Bar

Mashed recently reviewed 16 popular chocolate bars and ranked them from worst to best. Surprisingly, one of America's most iconic and recognizable candy bars landed dead last — and the reasoning behind the ranking is pretty understandable. While a Hershey's Milk Chocolate Bar has an undeniably smooth texture, it took a nose-dive into last place because of its flavor. The reviewer described the classic milk chocolate bar as tasting "cheesy," and they're not the only ones who think it tastes funky. In fact, the tangy flavor of a Hershey's Milk Chocolate Bar has a scientific explanation.

The off-putting flavor of Hershey's Milk Chocolate is presumably linked to a process called lipolysis, where fats in the milk break down, releasing fatty acids, including butyric acid, which can contribute a sour or cheesy taste. Butyric acid is also found naturally in dairy products and contributes to their characteristic flavors, explaining why some people pick up on a cheesy note when tasting Hershey's Milk Chocolate. Some people even say a Hershey's Milk Chocolate Bar tastes like vomit, which actually isn't just hyperbole — butyric acid is also associated with the taste of vomit. Although the flavor may be off-putting to some, it has become a familiar — and even nostalgic — taste for generations of Hershey's fans.

Aside from its sour flavor, others (including myself) can't get behind the bar's barely-there chocolate flavor. Its sweetness seems to overpower the cocoa, with sugar accounting for roughly 58% of the weight of a standard 1.55-ounce bar. The tanginess, combined with overwhelming sweetness and weak cocoa flavor, creates an unbalanced taste that can make the chocolate bar unbearable to eat on its own.

Despite its divisive flavor, Hershey's Milk Chocolate Bar isn't entirely a lost cause. The bar remains a familiar, budget-friendly option, especially for those who enjoy the taste enough to eat it on its own. However, for those who aren't as fond of its flavor as they are of the price, the chocolate bar actually pairs well with certain ingredients, making it an inexpensive chocolate bar to use in recipes. For example, using a Hershey's Milk Chocolate Bar in s'mores is a non-negotiable for some because it adds sweetness that complements toasted marshmallows and graham crackers. Its distinctive tang also helps balance the overall flavor, preventing the combination from tasting overly sweet and instead creating a more complex bite. The flavor of Hershey's Milk Chocolate Bar can offer a similar balance of sweetness and tang to recipes beyond s'mores, whether chopped into homemade brownies, cookies, or your favorite ice cream; melted into chocolate bark with added toppings; or stirred into warm milk for hot chocolate.

Hershey's Milk Chocolate may be an American classic, but its iconic status doesn't necessarily make it a crowd-pleaser. It might not be worth eating straight from the wrapper, but it still has a place, whether that's between two graham crackers or mixed within other desserts, to make it more appealing to those who find it tastes like cheese — or worse, vomit.