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this post was submitted on 08 Feb 2026
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I feel like Hersheys is an odd example I’d argue Hersheys is tat I can consider it mainstream , but elite no, not when you can either Swiss or a real chocolate elsewhere. But then that’s a different argument of quality over marketing.
Hershey's isn't very well liked outside the US, I believe. It's an acquired taste - to many foreigners it tastes like vomit because of the butyric acid in it.
US chocolate generally isnt well liked outside the US, there are preservatives they used that make it smell oily (and effects the taste) that the rest of the world bans because they have actual standards and functional regulatory framework
Tastes like vomit to me too. To be clear, I was NOT eating Hershey's. I was playing make-believe.
Can confirm, it's marketshare is tiny. Though having to compete with like 3+ huge local companies doesn't help.
People love to bring up the vomit thing, but butyric acid is also naturally found in milk, butter, Parmesan cheese, and even papaya. Things a lot of Hershey’s detractors would claim to like.
I like don’t hate Hershey’s nor do I think it’s the best. I also like European chocolate like Cadbury, Tony’s, etc as well but they do seem a bit flat or one-note in comparison. Sometimes that’s what I want. I can also understand how if that’s what you’re used to any deviation could be off putting.
Just containing some chemical doesn't mean it will have same effect as it does in a different product.
Chocolate, milk, butter, cheese, and papayas are each a chemically distinct environment, so what this acid does to chocolate may be mitigated or completely offset by the chemical makeup of those other environments.
A more appropriate comparison to chocolate with butyric would be to chocolate without it, and between those two, the difference is a subtle acrid flavor reminiscent of vomit. If you don't personally pick up on that flavor, you should count yourself as lucky - once you notice it, it really does ruin the experience.
Those are low-to-mid tier at best though. Good chocolate is stuff like Callebaut
So is Hershey’s. It seemed fair to me to compare like to like
I was using it as a counter-example.
Disturbing how many people couldn't pick up on that.