AOL posted a story today on milk chocolate bar ratings, conducted by kitchendaily.com.  I wasn’t surprised to see Dove rated at the top, as Consumer Reports has rated them a “Best Buy” several times.  I was surprised, however, that Hershey’s rated as high as it did in the 10th spot.  In my opinion, it ranks lower on their list of 20 bars, due to its gritty and waxy texture.

Cadbury came in at #17, also no surprise, as they rated the American version, produced under license by Hershey’s.  Had they rated Cadbury produced in any of the other countries, I am sure it would have rated higher; especially Cadbury produced in New Zealand- or used to be produced in New Zealand.  The New Zealand factory no longer produces the Cadbury Dairy Milk Bar, instead focusing on specialty chocolates and other confections.  New Zealand now imports their Dairy Milk Bars from the Australian factory, in Tasmania.  What is the difference?  I have tasted Cadbury Dairy Milk Chocolate Bars from Argentina, Australia, Canada, China, England, Egypt, France, Ireland, Malaysia, New Zealand, Poland, Russia, Singapore, South Africa,  and U.S.A.; they all tasted very different with the New Zealand bar having the creamiest texture.  Why?  Every Cadbury factory in the world uses the same (top-secret!) recipe, however, the MILK is the ingredient that changes the taste of each bar.  In New Zealand, the cows are grass fed jersey cows, producing a different tasting (and creamier) milk than what comes from grain fed cows.  And, in Australia, the cows are grass fed.  This is similar to drinking Coca Cola in different countries (the water is different); the recipe is the same but the water is what influences the taste.

So, don’t write off Cadbury, just because it is ranked #17.  Next time you are in another country, see if you can find a bar of Cadbury Dairy Milk Chocolate, flip it over to the back, and read the label to see where it was produced.  In my opinion, the Australian Cadbury was the second best of the ones I tasted, however, the English Cadbury was far better than the American version.

A final note on the Kitchendaily.com taste test:  Trader Joe’s Fair Trade Milk Chocolate rated 4th and Scharffen Berger’s Milk Chocolate tied for 7th.  Interesting…  Give them a try for yourself! 

Here is the link to the complete results:
http://www.kitchendaily.com/2011/07/28/the-best-milk-chocolate/?icid=main%7Chtmlws-main-w%7Cdl8%7Csec1_lnk3%7C220293#photo-1