Standing in the checkout line at the grocery store, staring at that wall of candy bars, can feel oddly overwhelming. There are so many options, and they all promise something good. But here’s the thing — not all candy bars are created equal. Some are genuinely great, and others are shockingly bad despite being super popular. The one that landed at the very bottom of recent taste tests might actually be the most famous candy bar in America.
Hershey’s milk chocolate landed in last place
This is probably the most surprising result from the whole taste test. Hershey’s Milk Chocolate Bar — the candy bar that basically started it all in America — ranked dead last out of 16 popular candy bars. The biggest issue is the quality of the chocolate itself. When a bar is nothing but chocolate with no nuts, no caramel, and no wafer, the chocolate has to be really good. And Hershey’s just doesn’t deliver. It tastes cheap and relies too much on sugar to cover that up.
Some people even notice a tangy, slightly sour taste in Hershey’s chocolate. That comes from something called butyric acid, which is part of the manufacturing process. It’s not exactly a crowd-pleaser. The chocolate also doesn’t have that smooth, creamy feel that good milk chocolate should have. Instead, it’s bland and one-dimensional. Being budget-friendly is nice, but when the chocolate tastes this flat, the low price doesn’t really make up for it. There’s simply nothing going on to distract from the mediocre chocolate.
Payday struggles without any chocolate at all
Ever open a candy bar expecting chocolate and finding… none? That’s the Payday experience. It’s the only bar on most ranking lists that doesn’t contain a single bit of chocolate. Instead, it’s a sticky caramel center completely covered in salty peanuts. The caramel is tough and chewy in a way that’s not exactly pleasant. It sticks to teeth and leaves a weird residue on the molars. A dentist would probably not be thrilled about this one becoming anyone’s go-to snack.
The peanuts on the outside do add some saltiness, which at least gives the bar a little bit of balance compared to candy bars that are nothing but sweet. But overall, the combination just doesn’t come together very well. The taste test results put Payday near the very bottom. The good news is that Payday does make a chocolate-covered version. So if the salty peanut thing sounds appealing but the lack of chocolate is a deal-breaker, that might be worth looking into instead.
Butterfinger has a peanut butter problem
Butterfinger has one of the most recognizable looks and feels of any candy bar out there. That layered, flaky peanut butter interior is unlike anything else on the shelf. But here’s the catch — the peanut butter is so intense and overpowering that it drowns out everything else. The chocolate coating should help, and it does a little, but the peanut taste is just too dominant. There’s also an odd residue and aftertaste that sticks around long after the bar is gone.
Many people find the layered peanut interior’s strange appearance a bit off-putting too. The chocolate on the outside isn’t high quality, so it can’t really save the experience. It’s not the absolute worst candy bar anyone could buy, but it regularly lands in the bottom half of taste rankings. For people who love bold peanut butter, Butterfinger might still be enjoyable. But for anyone who wants a more balanced candy bar where everything works together, there are much better options sitting right next to it on the shelf.
Heath bars taste like toffee gone wrong
Toffee is one of those things people either love or can’t stand. And Heath bars are basically toffee covered in chocolate — that’s the whole deal. The problem is that the toffee doesn’t actually bring much taste to the party. Most of what comes through is the milk chocolate coating, and since Hershey’s makes Heath bars, that chocolate isn’t exactly impressive. What the toffee does bring is little sticky, hard pieces that get stuck in teeth for what feels like hours afterward.
So it’s a bar that manages to be both boring and annoying at the same time. The chocolate is bland, the toffee doesn’t add much, and the whole thing just feels like a missed opportunity. It ranks slightly above the plain Hershey’s bar because at least there’s something more going on. But that’s a pretty low bar to clear. Anyone who really loves toffee might get some enjoyment out of it, but most people would be better off reaching for something else entirely when they’re craving a sweet treat.
Milky Way is fine but nothing special
Have anyone ever eaten a Milky Way on purpose? Like, specifically chosen one off the shelf when other options were available? It’s the kind of candy bar that mostly shows up in mixed bags of fun-sized bars at Halloween. The dominant ingredient is caramel, and there’s way too much of it. The result is a sticky, chewy mess that can be genuinely hard to eat. Someone with braces would probably want to stay far away from this one.
Underneath the caramel, there’s a layer of nougat that adds almost nothing in terms of taste. It’s just kind of… there. The milk chocolate coating rounds things out, but it’s overly sweet and doesn’t taste particularly high-end. Everything combined creates a candy bar that’s just painfully sweet with no real contrast. Milky Way isn’t terrible by any means. It’s perfectly edible. But in a world full of better candy bars, it’s hard to get excited about one that’s so aggressively average from top to bottom.
Snickers adds peanuts but still misses balance
Snickers is basically a Milky Way with peanuts thrown in. And those peanuts do help — they add a nice crunch that makes the whole thing more interesting to eat. That’s why Snickers consistently outsells Milky Way by a huge margin, pulling in over $380 million in annual sales. It’s one of the most popular candy bars on the planet. But popular doesn’t always mean best, and taste tests tell a more complicated story about this iconic bar.
The main issue is that everything is too sweet with nothing to break it up. Even the peanuts seem to lack salt, which defeats their whole purpose. The chocolate coating isn’t high quality either, giving the whole bar a slightly waxy feel. Snickers is undeniably filling though, which gives it an edge as a quick snack when real hunger strikes. It’s the candy bar most likely to actually hold someone over until dinner. That counts for something, even if the overall eating experience is far from perfect.
3 Musketeers is lighter but still lacks depth
Here’s where things get a little surprising. 3 Musketeers actually beats both Snickers and Milky Way in taste rankings, even though it seems like the simplest of the three. It’s just fluffy nougat wrapped in chocolate — no caramel, no peanuts. But that simplicity actually works in its favor. Without the heavy caramel layer, the bar doesn’t feel as overwhelmingly sweet or as hard to chew. The nougat is light and airy, making it a more pleasant eating experience overall.
That said, 3 Musketeers has its own issues. One bar packs a whopping 36 grams of sugar, which is more than some organizations recommend for an entire day. The chocolate coating still isn’t great quality, and the whole thing can taste a bit one-note after a few bites. It’s the kind of candy bar that’s perfectly acceptable when it’s the only option around. But if there’s a more interesting bar sitting nearby on the shelf, most people would probably reach for that one instead of this fluffy but forgettable option.
Kit Kat keeps things simple and gets it right
Sometimes less really is more. Kit Kat doesn’t try to be anything fancy — it’s just crispy wafers layered with chocolate. And somehow, that basic formula works incredibly well. The wafer makes the bar light and easy to eat without feeling heavy or overly rich. That satisfying snap when breaking off a piece is genuinely fun, and the whole experience feels less like eating candy and more like having a light, crispy snack. It’s also nut-free, which makes it safe for people with allergies.
The chocolate on a Kit Kat isn’t amazing on its own. It’s sweet and not particularly complex. But because the wafer does so much of the heavy lifting, the chocolate doesn’t need to be world-class. In Japan, Kit Kat has become a cultural phenomenon with over 300 different varieties introduced over the years. Even in the U.S., the standard version consistently ranks in the top half of taste tests. It proves that a candy bar doesn’t need a dozen ingredients to be enjoyable. Sometimes a great wafer and decent chocolate is all it takes.
Hershey’s other products are actually much better
Here’s the truly ironic part of this whole story. Hershey’s Milk Chocolate Bar might be the worst-ranked candy bar, but the Hershey company actually owns some of the best ones. Kit Kat, Almond Joy, Reese’s, and even Cadbury in the U.S. all fall under the Hershey umbrella. Several of these ranked near the top of the same taste test that put the plain Hershey’s bar at the bottom. It’s like the company figured out how to make great candy bars but forgot to update the original.
What makes those other bars work is that they add contrasting elements to the chocolate. Almond Joy has coconut and almonds. Reese’s has that salty peanut butter. Kit Kat has its wafer. Those additions cover up or complement the chocolate in ways that the plain Hershey’s bar simply can’t. Even the classic Hershey’s bar can be saved by using it in desserts — like s’mores, where the graham cracker and marshmallow do the heavy lifting. On its own though, the original Hershey’s Milk Chocolate Bar remains a reminder that being first doesn’t always mean being best.
The next time that checkout line candy display catches someone’s eye, it’s worth thinking twice before grabbing the most familiar option. Popularity and name recognition don’t always equal a great-tasting candy bar. Some of the best picks — like Kit Kat, Reese’s, or even a Tony’s Chocolonely — prove that a little variety goes a long way. And that shiny Hershey’s wrapper? It might be better left on the shelf unless there’s a bag of marshmallows and some graham crackers waiting at home.
