Every Hershey's Bar Flavor, Ranked Worst To Best

We don't want to be dramatic, but this was an actively bad candy bar. If you were a child of the '90s, you probably remember Lip Smackers chapstick. Well, the Hershey's Birthday Cake bar, which is part of the brand's Ice Cream Shoppe line, tastes pretty much exactly like a vanilla Lip Smackers. Yes, that cloying sweetness is there, but so is an unnatural chemical taste that'll remind you of a product you probably shouldn't have eaten but definitely did anyway. Then, there are the multi-colored sprinkles that give the white bar a festive look. They taste vaguely fruity, but the texture is firmer than that of standard sprinkles. It somehow makes this candy even worse.

There are few sweets we would actively turn down because of the flavor, but this candy bar is one of them. After taking a few bites to test it out, we threw the rest of the bar away — that's how much we disliked it. Sure, it gets some points for appearance, but it's far, far better to look at than it is to eat.

Of all the Hershey's Ice Cream Shoppe flavors we tried, the Strawberries 'n' Creme Hershey's bar is probably one of the least offensive of the bunch. Does that mean we actually like it? No, not exactly. It just doesn't actively turn our stomachs. This candy bar looks slightly less unnatural than the blue-tinged Cotton Candy flavor, but it still has a sickly pink color to it that looks more like a smoothie than it does a piece of candy. It's dotted with red flecks that are presumably meant to resemble actual pieces of strawberries.

Take a bite, and it'll taste like you're eating a ridiculously sweetened version of cheap strawberry yogurt. It's not as deeply unpleasant as the other two Ice Cream Shoppe flavors we've already covered, but it's unappealing enough to stop us from wanting to take another bite. Those red flecks taste even sweeter than the surrounding creme, which makes their subtle crunch seem grating. If you crumbled this bar up and added it to something else, the flavors might be bearable, but otherwise, we wouldn't suggest trying this flavor out. There are much better Hershey's bar options in the candy aisle.

Hershey's Salted Caramel bars are also a part of the Ice Cream Shoppe lineup, but they're not quite as bad as many of their counterparts. That being said, you shouldn't get your hopes up too much — these candy bars are still pretty lackluster. If you're expecting chocolate, think again, because this is another one of those creme candy situations. And while salted caramel is delicious when paired with chocolate, it can be too intense on its own. That's certainly the case with this candy bar. The sweetness is so intense that even the decent amount of salt in the recipe can't contend with the sugar, which results in an unbalanced bite.

However, considering how unappetizing the other flavors in this lineup are, we have to give the Salted Caramel bar some credit. The salt at least tries to balance out the sweetness, even if it doesn't totally work. Plus, the flavor feels a lot more natural than some of the others do — it tastes just like you would expect overly sweet caramel to taste. You definitely have much better Hershey's options available to you, but the Salted Caramel bar isn't the worst you can do.

If you're thinking the Chocolate Hazelnut bar from Hershey's is going to taste like Nutella, think again — that's not exactly what's going on here. This is another one of the Ice Cream Shoppe offerings, but we like this one significantly more than the others we've mentioned so far. The major selling point here is that this chocolate bar does have a significantly nuttier flavor than even the almond options on this list. Therefore, if you're looking for something with a richer flavor than a standard milk chocolate bar, then this may be a product you could be interested in.

But while the flavor of this candy bar is richer, it also seems quite a bit sweeter than the standard Milk Chocolate bar from Hershey's, which is already exceptionally sweet. If you're looking for a simple dark chocolate, this is not the chocolate bar you should buy. However, if you're the kind of person who loves super-sweet treats, then the Chocolate Hazelnut bar may be just what you need.

Now we're getting to the good stuff. Are Milk Chocolate Hershey's bars our favorite dessert on the planet? Not exactly. The chocolate is too sweet, and it's lacking the richness other brands offer. But if you're trying to upgrade your Hershey's milk chocolate experience, you may want to opt for the Milk Chocolate with Almonds bar. Although you are dealing with that same overly-sweetened chocolate, the whole almonds make a significant difference in this recipe. Not only do the almonds add some crunch and texture to the equation, but they also add a lovely nutty flavor to the chocolate. The bitterness from the almonds balances out all that sweetness, which makes this chocolate bar one of the better options on this list.

Even though we like the texture of the whole almonds in this bar, we think it would taste better if they were crushed up and more evenly distributed. Instead of getting an even texture, you'll have some bites with a whole almond in them and others with barely any almonds at all. Compared to many of Hershey's other offerings though, this is an especially solid candy bar.

If you ask us, dark chocolate is almost always better than milk chocolate, and there are very, very few exceptions. That rule definitely applies to Hershey's chocolate flavors, at any rate. So, it shouldn't come as any surprise that Hershey's Organic Special Dark bars come in near the top of our list. Is this the best dark chocolate we've ever tried? Not by a long shot. But compared to other cheaper dark chocolates on the market, this version from Hershey's isn't bad. It doesn't have that silky texture you may expect from high-end chocolate, but it is rich and creamy enough to get you to come back for another bite.

As far as the sweetness level goes, you're not going to be missing out on any of Hershey's signature sugar in this treat. While the bitterness of the dark chocolate balances that sweetness out slightly, this is still a considerably sweet chocolate. If you're looking for something quite bitter, you're probably not going to be happy with this selection. However, those who are slightly less picky with their chocolate selections are probably going to enjoy this product.

Finally, we've reached the best of the best, and we couldn't be more excited for you to try out our favorite Hershey's bar of them all. It's the Special Dark with Almonds bar, and you should get your hands on one ASAP. We truly believe this is the very best that Hershey's has to offer. First of all, there's the chocolate itself. Although we know some people love that signature Hershey's milk chocolate, we definitely prefer the brand's dark chocolate, even if it doesn't have the richness and intensity you'll find from some other chocolate brands.

But the chocolate itself isn't enough to give this candy bar first place. There's also the very important addition of whole almonds. This gives the chocolate bar more texture so there's something else for you to discover beyond that first rush of sweetness. We also love how the bitterness of the nuts interacts with the sweetness of the chocolate — it all comes together beautifully. Yes, the Special Dark with Almonds bar may be slightly more difficult to find than a standard Milk Chocolate Hershey's bar, but we're here to tell you that a little bit of extra effort goes a long way. If you can find this chocolate bar at your local grocery store, you should snag it.