Plant Based vs. Organic: The Reese’s Cup Showdown

I will admit to being slightly surprised that Hershey has not only brought an organic Reese’s Cup to market but also a “plant-based” variety. A vegan, oat-milk-based peanut butter cup is not something I had expected from the Pennsylvania candy peddler.

The question is: Are either of them any good? Traditionally, Hershey's chocolate hasn’t tasted like chocolate, and their peanut butter has been equally suspect. I can’t help but admire their ambition, though, enough so to put both cups to the test.

To put the obvious question to rest: Both of these place a good few steps above OG Reese’s. That might not be a huge accomplishment, but fair is fair: They taste fairly natural. If they’re actually less chemically manufactured than the original, I do not know, but I’m frankly surprised these are produced by Hershey. So, that’s a good start.

The organic variety is not a mile away from Justin’s Peanut Butter Cups. There is a slight waxy layer around the chocolate, the type which I’ve never been a fan of, but that side flavor goes away after the first chew. The peanut butter is less sweet than whatever is in the standard cups, though still a tad too sweet for my liking. It doesn’t entirely offset the milk chocolate.

Somewhat paradoxically, the plant-based cup tastes more like high-quality chocolate, even with its oat-milk base. I’m sure there is a similar waxy layer around the cup, but the oats’ drier mouthfeel stands up to it. Presumably, the peanut butter is the same as the organic variety but it doesn’t come off as sweet when paired with the oats.

Which one is the better choice?

This is where I triumphantly was going to say Cobb’s Peanut Butter Cups, but I just learned the Olympia, Wash. confectionary closed down last year. That’s truly a bummer as they were awesome.

Putting that behind us, the plant-based Reese’s isn’t half bad. Not amazing, but fine. And, if nothing else, this is a good push for us to start hunting for a more deserving alternative to Cobb’s.