MANY PEOPLE CLAIM to like only expensive chocolates. But is there really that much of a difference in the taste of different brands of chocolate? Should you spend five bucks on a single bar of an expensive brand, or just splurge on a pile of generic ones?

To answer this question, Michelle Gao and I conducted a chocolate taste test on a selection of 10 Uni students.

On a cold and rainy afternoon, the 12 of us gathered in Uni’s kitchen with taste buds at the ready. Michelle and I were busy breaking chocolate bars into pieces while keeping the inquisitive population at bay. And it didn’t help that several of the bars were rather hard and melted easily.

Finally, when everything was prepared, all 10 of our test subjects took their places at a long table. We supplied each with half a stick of day-old bread from Jimmy John's and a constantly refilled cup of water, courtesy of the sink tap, to clean their taste buds between samples. The test takers were rather boisterous and rowdy, with one of them even bringing in a guitar. But who wouldn't be a little antsy, given free chocolate?

THE PROCEDURE

We divided our test into two sections. The first consisted of four different brands of dark chocolate pieces, while the second had four different types of milk chocolate bars.

The testers were equally split between those preferring dark or milk chocolate, with two students unable to decide. Their consumption habits ranged from little to two bars of chocolate a week.

For each section, we randomly assigned a number to each bar. We broke the bars into small pieces, which the testers sampled in between sips of water and bites of bread. Every brand in a particular section was tasted twice. The first time, each person evaluated the chocolate on its own; the second round was to rank the brands from 1 to 4, with 1 being the best.

To analyze the findings, we averaged each chocolate’s rankings and ascribed the brand with the lowest number the most preferred of the group. We also included the number of times it was ranked 1 or 4 so that readers could get a sense of the differing opinions among the testers.

FIRST SECTION: DARK CHOCOLATE

• 4th Place (3.1): Lindt Excellence Intense Dark Chocolate 70% Cocoa ($0.85 per ounce; available at Art Mart)

Group result: This was the least favorite of the group, trailing the others with a score of 3.1. Only one person out of the 10 ranked it as his or her favorite, while four ranked it as their least favorite. It was described as bitter and fruity with a bad aftertaste.

Jie's verdict: I first tasted bitterness. Then it became sour. It was slightly chewy, but left my mouth with a bitter taste on the sides of my tongue and a dried-up sensation at the tip and center. After I drank cold water, the taste became even more bitter, but now at the tip and back of my tongue.

• 3rd Place (2.5): Hershey’s Special Dark Mildly Sweet Chocolate ($0.33 per ounce; available at Wal-Mart)

Group result: On average, this was the third-ranked chocolate with a score of 2.5. Two people liked it best while three begged to differ on the opposite end with a 4 ranking. Complaints included it being dry, having a bad texture, and being too sweet. A couple of responses went as far as to say that it “doesn’t even count as dark chocolate.”

Jie's verdict: This chocolate was hard, especially to break apart. It was too sweet — no bitterness whatsoever, though there is a certain amount of dryness at the very end. There was a grainy texture to it, and occasionally, minute bits of random flavors mixed in. However, the sugar flavor pretty much masked everything else.

• 2nd Place (2.3): Le Dominican Organic Seeds of Change 61% Cocoa ($0.99 per ounce; available at Strawberry Fields)

Group result: The surveys indicated that this was the second-best dark chocolate with a score of 2.3 points. Three testers indicated that it was their favorite, while two didn’t like it very much, giving it a 4. Most testers thought of fruits and oranges with a smooth texture, though several complained of its bitterness and sourness.

Jie's verdict: The bitter taste reminded me of chocolate and it had a flowery aftertaste. The soft and easily melted texture was fairly pleasant. However, I didn’t like the bitter and sour combination very much.

• 1st Place (2.1): Moonstruck Chocolatier Dark Chocolate 68% Cocoa ($1.50 per ounce; available at Moonstruck Chocolate Café)

Group result: Of the dark chocolates, the test takers decided that this was the best of the four, scoring 2.1 points. Four people liked this the best, but only one liked it least out of the other choices. It was sweet and had an nice texture with “slight other flavors” (cocoa mass, sugar, cocoa).

Jie's verdict: Sweet and milky were my first impressions of this chocolate. However, it quickly became bitter as it came into contact with the sides of my tongue and the back of my throat. There was a dryness after I finished it, but the texture was very smooth.

SECOND SECTION: MILK CHOCOLATE

• 4th Place (3.0): Newman’s Own Organic Milk Chocolate ($0.91 per ounce; available at Strawberry Fields)

Group result: With a mean score of 3.0, this was the least preferred of the milk chocolates. A fifth of the 10-member population liked this the best out of all four milk chocolates, but half the population liked this the least. Several comments complained of its bad aftertaste, with one tester writing “aftertaste like grass” and another saying that it was “almost fake.” There were too many flavors, with descriptions including sugary, nutty, and musty.

Jie's verdict:Sugar, then milk, were the first two flavors I tasted. The milk tasted more like soy milk than the normal grocery-store milk. It then progressed to a sticky state, reminding me of caramel, before disappearing.

• 3rd Place (2.7): Green & Black’s 34% Cocoa-Rich Organic Milk Chocolate ($1.42 per ounce; available at Art Mart)

Group result: The second-to-last-choice chocolate came in with a score of 2.7, even though it was the most expensive of the milk chocolates. Two people ranked this bar the highest, while four ranked it on the other end. People thought it was too sweet, sticky, and grainy. Two people even thought it was Hershey’s.

Jie's verdict:Grainy texture, it tasted bitter, like dark chocolate, at first. Then, there was a soapy sour taste which became drier as time progressed. The aftertaste was slightly bitter and a bit odd, really (organic raw-cane sugar, organic whole-milk powder, organic cocoa liquor).

• 2nd Place (2.4): Hershey’s King-Size Milk Chocolate ($0.33 per ounce; available at Wal-Mart)

Group result: Surprisingly, this was the second-most-preferred chocolate, averaging a 2.4. Only two testers liked this chocolate the best, but only one person despised this more than the others. Several thought that it was just right, though a little sour and bitter.

Jie's verdict: To me, it tasted more or less like chocolate milk or hot chocolate. The texture was a bit rough, but it was OK. Like M&Ms.

• 1st Place (1.9): Belgian Milk Chocolate ($1.29 per ounce; available at Art Mart)

Group result: The testers favored this brand above all the others, with an average ranking of 1.9. Four people liked this chocolate best, and no one disliked it the most. A majority agreed that it was very milky, sweet, and gooey, though the taste was good. As one response went, it was the “kind that you ate at 3 a.m.”

Jie's verdict: Creamy, milky, chewy, and a little bit sour. It’s pretty good. Just like how real milk chocolate should be like.

THE CONCLUSION

Our study shows that pricier dark chocolates are better than cheaper ones, while there’s less of a difference between milk chocolate bars.

In general, it seems that people prefer expensive dark chocolate bars to cheaper ones, with the exception of the Lindt and Hershey’s bars. However, it should be noted that there were only 0.4 points separating the top three choices.

On the other hand, it seems that people can’t tell the difference between pricey milk chocolates and inexpensive ones. In particular, our testers didn’t like the organic milk chocolates.

The differences in the average scores were larger than in the dark chocolates, but the results showed that the testers couldn’t quite tell the disparities between the samples based on their prices, with the cheapest milk chocolate earning second place.

So, Santa, can we have a few more of those Hershey’s bars, please?

MORE PHOTOS: CHOCOLATE TASTE TEST

Alum Brian Berry (standing) keeps the cups full as the taste test proceeds. Gargoyle photo by Jie Han (click to enlarge)

Senior editor Michelle Gao distributes chocolate to an eager crowd. Gargoyle photo by Jie Han (click to enlarge)

The amount of samples steadily decreases as the test progresses. Gargoyle photo by Jie Han (click to enlarge)

The testers are in various stages of a trial, with a few having just eaten the sample while others are already jotting down responses. Gargoyle photo by Jie Han (click to enlarge)

Senior Alex Zhai meticulously critiques the chocolate. Gargoyle photo by Jie Han (click to enlarge)

Seniors Aliisa Rantanen and Linda Song are busy filling out their surveys. Gargoyle photo by Jie Han (click to enlarge)

Junior Kareem Sayegh casts around for inspiration. Gargoyle photo by Jie Han (click to enlarge)