Is American chocolate really that bad?

[SsnakeBite, the No1 Frenchman]

I keep hearing jokes about how awful American chocolate supposedly states, with most of them actually coming from American people, making me think there might be some truth to it. Apparently, it's supposed to be because of some bizarre law pushed by some lobby that limits cocoa importations, forcing manufacturers to use substitutes or something like that.

Still though, it seems odd to me that it could be bad enough to earn such a reputation, so is it really that bad?

[HMARK Center]

There are some damn fine chocolate makers in the states, but they're usually smaller companies or come from specialty shops.

The mass produced kind, though? Yeah, it's basically garbage, for the most part. Still sweet and thus kind of tasty, but definitely inferior. Hershey is an awful culprit on that front.

Like, I prefer dark to milk chocolate, but there are places around the world that make great milk chocolate; here, instead, I think most of our candy being milk chocolate is a way to downplay the blander flavor of mass produced chocolate.

[Paco]

By itself? No.
Compared to other chocolate? YES.

[Deleted]

I'd say that's a fair statement. Like HMARK Center said, there are a lot of small companies putting out great chocolate, but the most well known companies that probably make their way to other countries aren't good at all.

[A Platypus Rave]

No.

It's not as good as other country's chocolate but it's not terrible.

I know shockingly there's a lot of hyperbole on the internet.

[Deleted]

Of course it's good, that's why we are all so fat.

[Push R Truth]

I'll fight anybody that mocks my addiction to Nestle Quik. It's deliciously shitty chocolate milk and I'm not going to apologize for it. I don't care if "it's not real chocolate" or is "shitty powder". It's good, shut your piehole!

[GuyOfOwnage]

Feb 29, 2016 10:08:11 GMT -5 HMARK Center said:

There are some damn fine chocolate makers in the states, but they're usually smaller companies or come from specialty shops.

The mass produced kind, though? Yeah, it's basically garbage, for the most part. Still sweet and thus kind of tasty, but definitely inferior. Hershey is an awful culprit on that front.

Like, I prefer dark to milk chocolate, but there are places around the world that make great milk chocolate; here, instead, I think most of our candy being milk chocolate is a way to downplay the blander flavor of mass produced chocolate.

Yeah, this. The smaller companies, though, are usually amazing. Niagara Chocolates in the Buffalo, NY area, for example, makes mass-produced American chocolate taste like literal fecal matter by comparison.

[Welfare Willis]

Feb 29, 2016 10:05:49 GMT -5 SsnakeBite, the No1 Frenchman said:

I keep hearing jokes about how awful American chocolate supposedly states, with most of them actually coming from American people, making me think there might be some truth to it. Apparently, it's supposed to be because of some bizarre law pushed by some lobby that limits cocoa importations, forcing manufacturers to use substitutes or something like that.

Still though, it seems odd to me that it could be bad enough to earn such a reputation, so is it really that bad?

As I understand it, it has something to do with the fact we try to protect American sugar farmers. Since importing sugar from other areas is so costly to companies like Coke and candy makers they often substitute sugar with high fructose corn syrup. That may not be the only reason, but when I read into this is one of the more popular answers I see.

[xCompackx]

As an American who has only had chocolate from America, I can tell you for sure that no other chocolate compares to America!

...that's how this is supposed to go, right?

[HMARK Center]

Feb 29, 2016 12:30:43 GMT -5 Welfare Willis said:

Feb 29, 2016 10:05:49 GMT -5 SsnakeBite, the No1 Frenchman said:

I keep hearing jokes about how awful American chocolate supposedly states, with most of them actually coming from American people, making me think there might be some truth to it. Apparently, it's supposed to be because of some bizarre law pushed by some lobby that limits cocoa importations, forcing manufacturers to use substitutes or something like that.

Still though, it seems odd to me that it could be bad enough to earn such a reputation, so is it really that bad?

As I understand it, it has something to do with the fact we try to protect American sugar farmers. Since importing sugar from other areas is so costly to companies like Coke and candy makers they often substitute sugar with high fructose corn syrup. That may not be the only reason, but when I read into this is one of the more popular answers I see.

By and large, it's to protect American corn growers, who have a ridiculous amount of influence on our food (and even our fuel) policies. Not going to get partisan with politics, here, but it's something that shapes a lot about the average American diet.

[Dub H]

Here on brazil,or when I was on Canada, i never saw much American Chocolate, can't name one we have from the top of my head,so I have to assume yes.

[CATCH_US IS the Conversation]

Feb 29, 2016 13:18:22 GMT -5 HMARK Center said:

Feb 29, 2016 12:30:43 GMT -5 Welfare Willis said:

As I understand it, it has something to do with the fact we try to protect American sugar farmers. Since importing sugar from other areas is so costly to companies like Coke and candy makers they often substitute sugar with high fructose corn syrup. That may not be the only reason, but when I read into this is one of the more popular answers I see.

By and large, it's to protect American corn growers, who have a ridiculous amount of influence on our food (and even our fuel) policies. Not going to get partisan with politics, here, but it's something that shapes a lot about the average American diet.

If they didn't put corn syrup in everything, they could use more corn towards other corn-based things like fuel and other foodstuffs.

[edgestar]

Feb 29, 2016 10:17:45 GMT -5 A Platypus Rave said:

No.

It's not as good as other country's chocolate but it's not terrible.

I know shockingly there's a lot of hyperbole on the internet.

What?!

[Hit Girl]

If you haven't had European chocolate, you haven't eaten proper chocolate.

['Foretold' Joker]

Depends .... if you take Hersheys then

Compared to fine chocolate you can get in Switzerland, Belgium or Germany it's terrible.

Compared to mass produced British chocolate it still isn't great.

Need chocolate mixed with peanut butter? top of the line.

Having said that Mars is American and the chocolate they make is very nice.

[Deleted]

If you're talking about Palmer, it's the worst of the worst, for sure. I mean, cocoa powder is rarely above the 4th ingredient in their crap.

But I think Hershey's chocolate is pretty good for world standards.

[Deleted]

Feb 29, 2016 14:11:05 GMT -5 'Foretold' Joker said:

Having said that Mars is American and the chocolate they make is very nice.

Mars is MOSTLY American. The company family has had a bitter history that saw the son of Forrest Mars exiled to England, where he created Mars bars (which are next to impossible to find in the States but commonplace in the Kingdom) and where M&M's originated from an adaption of a Spanish novelty candy.

[SmashTV]

About ten years ago a colleague returned from America with some Hershey chocolate. I'd heard all about it, tucked in and instantly regretted it. It had such a sour taste compared to chocolate here in the UK.

I felt bad for him that I didn't like it, but felt compelled to be honest with him when he asked if I liked it. When I said no he nodded in agreement, saying he also thought it tasted bad but thought that it looked bad if he came back empty handed.

He could have got something else instead, mind you...

[Professor Chaos]

I'm probably one of the few people on earth that hates the taste of all chocolate.