I am never one to turn down a piece of chocolate, so when some of Hershey’s chocolates from their Goodness line came up for review, I jumped right in and offered to give the Whole Bean Chocolate variety a try. Hershey’s line of specialty chocolates touts extra health benefits when compared to regular chocolate. The Whole Bean Chocolate variety claims to be special because of the fact that it has 40% less sugar than regular chocolate. Since Hershey’s uses the whole cocoa bean it also is loaded with fiber. Each serving contains 7 grams of fiber and is high in antioxidants.

This all sounds great, doesn’t it? You can have your chocolate and have the health benefits as well without worrying about overdoing it on sugar. I couldn’t wait to take my first bite.

When I did get around to taking my first bite, I was very disappointed in the taste of the chocolate. Hershey’s Whole Bean chocolate is a very mild milk chocolate, just like the packaging promises. What they don’t tell you about is the aftertaste. The chocolate left a not so pleasant aftertaste in my mouth. The texture of the chocolate was smooth and creamy, but the taste of the chocolate lacked what I look for in a good chocolate … amazing flavor that satisfies a craving.

Yes, the Whole Bean Chocolate variety is going to please a lot of customers simply based on the added health benefits. These are the same people that are fighting for Kentucky Fried Chicken to be healthy. This chocolate lover will stick to the chocolate that pleases my taste buds instead of my waistline. When I am eating chocolate, it is not for the health benefits… it is for the flavor and the Whole Bean Chocolate misses the flavor mark for me.

I called a couple of girlfriends over to assist me with this “oh so difficult” project. When I told them we needed to test chocolate covered caramels, I had zero resistance.

I set the box out and we each grabbed a chocolate. At first bite I noticed a distinct dark chocolate flavor. I looked at the box again to make sure I was tasting the right thing and sure enough…the description informed me that each milk chocolate caramel was drizzled with dark chocolate. If you are not a dark chocolate fan, you may not like these chocolates as the drizzle of dark chocolate packs a flavorful punch.

The caramel in each chocolate is soft, rich and creamy. The caramel has a mild flavor which is almost overpowered by the rich chocolate taste.

The verdict? At $6.99 for an 8 ounce box, you really can’t go wrong with these chocolates. They don’t knock your socks off, but it is a quality box of chocolates at an everyday treat kind of price.