Hershey’s, Reese’s, Kit Kat and Swedish Fish are all familiar candies and chocolate brand names, right? These names are seen all the time, but what about Speculoos, Chokotoff, Aero Chocolate, and even Cadbury? Many are not aware of the differences between American and international candy.

Freshman Charlotte Reed much prefers Belgium and French chocolate to American chocolate. Her favorite is Speculoos, which is a type of cinnamon biscuit made with a multitude of spices like nutmeg and cardamom. In fact, Reed thinks that  the ingredients in European chocolate are better.

“Even store-brand products are made from real milk instead of powdered milk,” Charlotte Reed said.

Charlotte Reed said that European pastries often have more fruits than plain sugar and she often sees more natural ways of sweetening pastries. Freshman Griffin Reed agrees that European Candies have more flavor variety .

“There are toffees, which is something we don’t really have here,” Reed said. “There are also more mixtures of flavors, there are things like chocolate with fruit and nuts.”

Junior Paul Lisker finds that in Mexico, the native fruits embody the flavors of sweets.

“Ice cream flavors typically encompass the fruits available in Mexico,” said Lisker. “Passion fruit, guava and mango ice cream are common treats. This flavor variety is also reflected in the candies.

Griffin Reed enjoys Aero Chocolate, sold in the United Kingdom.

“It’s a very sweet milk chocolate with bubbles in the middle to make it incredibly fluffy,” Griffin Reed said. “I prefer international candy. It’s different from the very familiar flavors from the States and I like to try new things.”

What is the appeal of international candy? Is it the taste, or the sheer fact that it is something different to taste?

Charlotte Reed says there’s something more. She thinks that European chocolate is truly better than American chocolate because of the actual taste.

“European standards are much greater when it comes to chocolate,” Charlotte Reed said. “Some people even protested against the high-end Cadbury brand.”

Cadbury is another chocolate found in the UK. However, it has been sold in grocery stores, but is very different. It comes in different flavors such as fruit and nut and plain milk chocolate.

Charlotte Reed’s favorite chocolate maker is Freferick Blondeel, the Belgian chocolate confectioner. Blondeel puts his all into every last chocolate bar.According to his website, “The best beans are selected from Africa, Madagascar, Ghana, and Tanzania.”

Charlotte Reed enjoys how he makes miniature sculptures out of his chocolate, many of which are not found in the United States. One of her favorite deserts is a chocolate-infused ice cream with a creamy mousse at the center, the uniqueness coming from the spices that give her favorite desert an extra kick.

Both Griffin and Charlotte Reed agreed that they see many more natural ingredients in European chocolate.

“Because of the preservatives and other chemicals in sweets that Europeans often shy away from using, America has the unhealthier types of candy,” Griffin Reed said.

One would think that, as a country so invested in the food that we eat, American chocolate would be better quality. However, maybe it isn’t the quality of international candy that appeals to many, like Griffin Reed said, it’s just the fact that they are trying something new.