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Hurray For Hershey's!

partysugar — Thu, 13 Sep 2007 01:18:31 -0700

Today, September 13, is the birth-anniversary of Milton Snavely Hershey, a very prominent figure in the candy world. The founder of the Hershey's chocolate empire was born to a respectable Pennsylvania family in 1857. A true example of extraordinary perseverance, Hershey experienced failure after failure before striking it rich with his super creamy caramels. He was one of the first confectioners who valued the importance of using fresh milk to make quality candy.

Hershey's caramels caught the attention of a European candy importer and a huge sale allowed Hershey to experiment in other aspects of candy making. He began to produce all varieties of baking chocolates, establishing a business that continues to thrive and grow in the present day.

I always have a bottle of Hershey's chocolate syrup in my fridge, how about you guys? Is Hershey's a part of your life?

Source: Hershey
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Taste Test: Hershey's Extra Dark Chocolates

YumSugar — Thu, 19 Feb 2009 14:00:58 -0800

Despite the fact that Valentine's Day has passed, my brain is still in a chocolate state of mind. I've eaten a lot of chocolate lately, so when I received a pouch of assorted Hershey's Extra Dark Chocolates, I was eager to try them.

At 60 percent cacao, Hershey's Extra Dark falls somewhere in between the brand's iconic Special Dark, which is only 45 percent cacao, and its newer Cacao Reserve, which has 65 percent cacao. Hershey's describes Extra Dark as a "velvety smooth, rich dark chocolate" with "just the right balance of taste, aroma, and sweetness," and has been touting it as a healthy source of antioxidants. The chocolates come in a slew of flavors, including raspberry, blueberry, cranberry and almond, pomegranate, and cranberry macadamia. To hear what Party and I thought of the different flavors, read more.

Pure Dark Chocolate: Hershey's bills its Special Dark as "the dark chocolate for milk chocolate lovers," but I think this flavor could also appeal to those who are weary of dark chocolate. Despite being dark chocolate, it still has lingering sweetness, a creamy consistency, and isn't bitter at all.

Raspberry Infused: This was our least favorite flavor. Party declared it "artificial smelling," and its taste wasn't much more authentic.

Pomegranate: Party and I decided this flavor was the best of our tasting: Because the dark chocolate already had fruity notes, it paired exceptionally well with the tart, juicy flecks of pomegranate, which were slightly chewy and added a pleasant texture to the bar. Unlike its raspberry counterpart, the pomegranate actually tasted like real pomegranates.

At $3.29 for 12 pieces, I would definitely buy this chocolate again, as it's a terrific bargain. The assortment is nice, too, for those of us (like myself) who can't decide which flavor to commit to. Have you tried any of the Hershey's Extra Dark Chocolates? What did you think of them?

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Hershey's Closes Scharffen Berger, Joseph Schmidt Plants

YumSugar — Thu, 29 Jan 2009 14:00:34 -0800

Lovers of local artisan chocolate, be prepared for some bitter news: This week, Hershey announced plans to close the plant where Scharffen Berger chocolate is manufactured, as well as the factory where Joseph Schmidt chocolates are produced.

Although Hershey will continue production of the two brands, the chocolates will no longer be produced where they first became popular – in the Bay Area. The plants are not commenting, but a spokesperson from Hershey's headquarters said, "We will maintain the highest quality standard for all our artisan productions."Both brands, founded in San Francisco, were pioneers credited for increasing the popularity of high-end, premium chocolates. Scharffen Berger, founded in 1996, made a name for itself with its discerning selection of cacao beans, its diligent roasting techniques, and the the chocolate's complex, smooth flavors. Its Berkeley, CA-based plant offered factory tours to local visitors.

I'm sad to hear this news, and a bit skeptical of Hershey's promise. After the company acquired both brands in 2005, it reassured customers that it wouldn't alter the businesses, and would most likely expand them. Hershey's insists it will maintain both brands' integrity, but the chocolate czar recently made the choice to switch to cheaper ingredients.

Does this signal an end of an artisan chocolate era? Will you continue to buy these brands?

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Hershey Co. Is Raising Its Prices

YumSugar — Mon, 28 Jan 2008 15:15:31 -0800

Attention all you candy freaks! Looks like it's time to start pinching your pennies. This morning Hershey Co. said that it will raise the prices of its candy bars.

The price raise is being pinned on the rising cost of milk and cocoa, and Hershey is defending the decision by stating that its products contain more milk and cocoa than competitors. Hershey spokesperson Kirk Saville said:

"While we have no way of knowing what others are thinking, or what their cost situation is, we do know that within the category our products include far more pure milk chocolate and solid chocolate than our competitors."

For a while, Hershey was looking into changing its formula to lower milk usage. However Saville had no comment on whether or not Hershey's is still planning to go down this route.

The price increase will be effective immediately, and it will be about a 3 percent increase across a third of its US candy line. How does this make you feel? Will you still purchase Hershey's candy, or will a price increase make you think twice?

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Candy-Off: Hershey's vs. Brach's Candy Corn

YumSugar — Thu, 30 Oct 2008 09:00:42 -0700

Happy National Candy Corn Day! This Halloween, grocery aisles have been stocked with two distinct types of my favorite seasonal candy: the traditional version made by Brach's, as well as a newer Hershey's rendition.

Last year, when I first tried the Hershey's candy corn, I thought it had a cloying aftertaste, and despite giving them a second chance, I still didn't care for them. Just to make sure I was giving the candy a fair assessment, I sought out some other Sugar gals for a second opinion. To see what they had to say, read more.

"Candy corn is not allowed to have a wrapper!"
"Hershey's tastes more artificial, if that's possible."
"The candy corn lost something in the texture . . . just not right!"

While both are overly sweet, the Hershey's Kisses version lacks the wonderfully waxy, granulated texture that makes candy corn so addictive. Instead, it has the creaminess of white chocolate and a rich, butterscotch-y aroma. Many of us agreed that had Hershey's simply not labeled it candy corn, we would have preferred it.

The bottom line? When something is labeled as candy corn, there are expectations in taste. Candy corn may taste plastic-y, but an artificial rendition of it tastes even worse. There's one attribute, however, that both share in common: too much of either, and you'll be left with a belly ache.

Hershey's Switching to Cheaper Ingredients

YumSugar — Fri, 19 Sep 2008 13:00:15 -0700

Hit by the worsening economy and the rising costs of raw materials, candy giant Hershey's has not only raised candy prices, but has also begun replacing cocoa butter, the ingredient that allegedly gives Hershey's candies their delicious flavor, with vegetable oil.

The formulas of candy products such as Whatchamacallit, Milk Duds, Mr. Goodbar, and Krackel, among other candies, have been changed. Since experts say that the change was meant to go unnoticed by consumers, why the copy edit? Because without cocoa butter, FDA rules will not allow the product to be called milk chocolate.

The new formula has little impact on the nutritional value of the chocolate, and a Today Show blind taste test showed that half of the consumers actually preferred the new vegetable oil formulations. Fans after the taste of authentic milk chocolate can still find the real deal in Hershey's Kisses, Reese's Peanut Butter Cups, and the classic Hershey's chocolate bar. If in doubt, avoid labels that read "chocolate candy," "chocolaty," or "made with chocolate."

What do you think of this news? If you eat Hershey's candies often, have you noticed a difference? Do you feel cheated by the news of cocoa butter being removed?

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Does Coffee Dream of Electric Chocolate? New Starbucks Chocolate Reviewed

YumSugar — Mon, 03 Mar 2008 08:30:31 -0800

This summer a press release went out with limited fanfare. The folks at Hershey's were teaming up with Starbucks. At the time there was very little news available, other than an upcoming Starbucks-branded premium chocolate. The news piqued my interest, but there was no word on when the products would hit the shelves. Turns out it's today.

Using the expertise of Artisan Confection Company - a division of Hershey's that includes Scharffen Berger and Joseph Schmidt - Starbucks has created a line of products to sell in stores. There are three types of chocolate bars, tasting squares and filled truffles. Thanks to FabSugar - who hand-carried these samples back from New York - we were lucky enough to give them a try. If you want to learn more about each flavor, as well as what we thought of them, read more.

The box the samples arrived in was dramatic. It was a high quality brown box filled with all sorts of goodies. There were six different tasting squares, four truffles, three chocolate bars and covered coffee beans. I thought the bars were better than the squares, and that the truffles were a bit overpowering. The beans on the other hand, were absolutely delicious. Overall, the flavors that paired coffee with chocolate were highly successful, the other tea-inspired flavors, not so much.
Truffles

Dark Chocolate Vanilla Bean Truffle: A rounded chocolate-covered-cherry sized truffle with a large dollop of vanilla bean cream in the middle. It was creamy and smooth, slightly buttery. Overall very nice.

Milk Chocolate Chai Truffle: This was the least favorite truffle. It was super heavy-handed with the cardamom and tasted more like sucking on chocolate covered cardamom pod, than it did like chai.
Milk Chocolate Caffe Mocha: The chocolate is slightly waxy. I thought it seemed rather Hershey's-like. Reminded us of the Hershey's Treasures, only better.
Dark Chocolate Espresso: This was by far our favorite truffle. The dark chocolate was smooth - almost too smooth - and it had a great melt, with a hint of smokiness. The espresso really came through, but was not overpowering. We'd definitely eat this again.

Milk Chocolate Covered Coffee Beans
This was my favorite thing in the box. FabSugar - who is a bit of a chocolate snob and hates on milk chocolate - even thought they were delicious. Unlike most chocolate covered beans, these are more like ground up beans covered in chocolate. It's a big coating of chocolate on a lovely amount of crunch.

Tasting Squares

Milk Chocolate: This was sort of generic. It would hit the spot if you craved chocolate, as it was tasty, but there was nothing special about it.
Dark Chocolate: Strangely, we liked the milk chocolate better. We thought it was a bit waxy. Again, tasty, but nothing special.
Mocha Dark Chocolate: This was our favorite square, the flavor pairing was really nice. There were bits of beans in it. I almost wished they offered this in a milk chocolate version too.
Chai Milk Chocolate: Like the truffle, there was way too much cardamom going on. Some of the folks here liked it because of that, but I was disappointed by how much it didn't taste like chai.
Passion Dark Chocolate: This was the worst thing in the entire box. Some of the folks thought it was okay, but I hated it. It was highly floral in taste, and there were bits of things in it that were just too much. It sort of tasted like artificial powder stuck inside of the chocolate. I say pass this one off to your friends, so you can eat the others.
Citron Dark Chocolate: Like the passion square, this one is also infused with tea. It was nicely flavored and okay. However at the end, it started reminding me of cleaner. If you love lemon/chocolate pairings you'd probably like it, but once again I say pass this one and eat the others.

Chocolate Bars
There are three flavors of chocolate bars - milk, dark and mocha dark - the flavors are reviewed above, but it should be mentioned that they tasted much better in a thicker bar format. It was nice to have something to sink your teeth into.

So, have you seen the new Starbucks Chocolates - they'll be in large grocery and drug stores retailers soon. If so, have you tried them?

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Hershey's Is Thinking Pink!

YumSugar — Thu, 04 Oct 2007 15:29:31 -0700

In honor of National Breast Cancer Awareness month, the Hershey's Company is producing limited edition versions of some of their popular products: Kisses, Nuggets, Syrup, and Peppermint Patties. They will also contribute $300,000 to the Young Survival Coalition, a non-profit network of breast cancer survivors and supporters dedicated to addressing the concerns and issues unique to young women and breast cancer.

“The Young Survival Coalition is proud to work with Hershey’s powerful brands to raise awareness for our important mission,” said Michele Przypysny, Chief Executive Officer, Young Survival Coalition. “Our partnership with The Hershey Company has helped us to provide vital programs and services for young women and their families.”

The products all have special pink packaging and are designed to help raise awareness. They should be available in stores for the entire month of October.

Thanks to TeamSugar for telling me about this one!

Hershey's Halts Production of Joseph Schmidt Chocolates

YumSugar — Wed, 11 Feb 2009 10:15:06 -0800

At the end of last month, Hershey announced plans to close the two Bay Area plants where both Scharffen Berger and Joseph Schmidt are produced. However, it assured customers that it would continue production of both brands and "maintain the highest quality standard for all artisan productions." A mere two weeks later - right before Valentine's Day, no less - Hershey seems to have had a change of heart: In a letter to customers, Joseph Schmidt confections tells customers that Easter will be its final season, and all remaining stock will be sold through June 30.

Based on its track record, this news doesn't surprise me. I was skeptical of the company's promise to keep the artisan brand's standards in the first place. It does sadden me, though. Do you think chocolate has taken a turn for the worse?

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Who's Crazier?

GiggleSugar — Wed, 11 Feb 2009 12:07:24 -0800

Am I missing something, or are the women who are making headlines these days batsh*t insane? Where are the accomplished female scientists, writers or pilots-able-to-land-in-the-Hudson-without-hurting-anyone stories? Instead, we hear about Nadya Suleman, a woman who, if there were no fertility specialists, would just have lots and lots of Beanie Babies instead of 14 children and no job. And then there's Sheyla Hershey, the woman whose huge rack wasn't big enough for her after nine plastic surgeries so she left her boyfriend, went to Brazil and had what looks like a giant butt installed onto her chest (using a gallon of silicone that now makes her a 38KKK). So, here's my question: Who's crazier?