» Meet 
Milk chocolate often gets dismissed as the immature younger sibling of
dark chocolate, but we are not ashamed of loving it. Good milk
chocolate melts on the tongue like butter. Serious Eats tried ten supermarket brands of old-fashioned milk chocolate to see which were the best and which tasted like stale Halloween candy. 
Best Overall
While Switzerland is probably a really nice country to visit, we're pretty satisfied just eating its Lindt bar ($2.69 for 3.5 ounces). Smooth and creamy, without tasting too rich, it's what you want in a milk chocolate bar. There's no weird notes or whiffs of anything off-tasting. It's just chocolate done right.
lindtusa.com
Another favorite was the Deutschland chocolate bar, Ritter Sport ($2.50 for 3.5 ounces). Seeing the four-by-four pattern of little chocolate pegs is a satisfying start. Each of the sixteen squares is smooth, sweet but not too sweet, and easy to break off and share.
ritter-sport.com
Honorable Mention
There was a subtle almond or cinnamon flavor in the Ghirardelli ($2.29 for 3 ounces). While the ingredient list didn't confirm our suspicions, the intriguing smidge of flavor did complement the classic milk chocolate taste.
ghirardelli.com
Most Butter-Like
According to confectionery literature, good chocolate should melt on the tongue like butter, and this one did—or did what we imagine a stick of golden fat on our tongues would do. Imported from Belgium, the Trader Joe's brand ($1.79 for three 1.75 ounce bars) is not only cheap but enjoyably smooth and melty.
traderjoes.com
Best Organic
Paul Newman did so much for the food world, from egg-binging to soy crisp development. What a man. And of all the organic brands we tasted, Newman's Own Organics ($2.99 for 2.25 ounces) was by far the most edible. Luscious and moderately gooey, it was the right amount of sweet with a tiny hit of salt.
newmansownorganics.com/food_chocolate
Most Like Stale Halloween Candy
The first whiff brought back memories of "Fun Size" Halloween candy bars and instant hot cocoa packets. This was clearly Nestle ($1.59 for 5 ounces). Though it tasted like fake chocolate, we didn't mind it that much. Nostalgia is a powerful thing.
nestle.com
Most Like Dark Chocolate
Both Dagoba ($2.79 for 2 ounces) and Whole Foods 365 Brand ($2.49 for 3 ounces) had a grainy bitterness that dark-chocolate fans will appreciate. Are they ashamed of being milk chocolate? A little identity crisis here.
dagobachocolate.com; wholefoodsmarket.com
Most All-Around Funky Tasting
For being the most expensive bar we tried, Green & Black's ($3.99 for 3.5 ounces) was a huge disappointment. Was that beef jerky? Something in there was bizarrely tangy and threw off the whole experience. More power to the company for using fair trade, genetically-unmodified, organically-grown cocoa, but this chocolate just ain't good.
greenandblacks.com
Most Belongs on a Graham Cracker
As long as there are campfires and microwaves, there will be Hershey's ($1.99 for 4.4 ounces). Though gritty and chalky when eaten alone, it transforms into a magical ooze when multiplied by intense heat, graham crackers, and marshmallows.
hersheys.com
Look for our dark chocolate taste test to come. Want to know the best ice cream to buy at the supermarket? Find out here.
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