Eleven out of 13 people agree — Mast Brothers chocolate really isn’t worth the money!
The foodie world is in meltdown after chocolate professionals accused the Williamsburg candy company of fooling people into paying top dollar for a “crappy hipster” product via fancy packaging and clever marketing.
But can the Average Joe even tell? We blindfolded Brooklyn Paper staffers and fed them Mast Brothers and two other brands under strict lab conditions — and the results were damning.
“I wouldn’t eat that if I was dying,” said one taster after eating a piece of Mast Brothers Dark Chocolate ($7.99 from Union Market on Court Street). “I wouldn’t give it to my worst enemy.”
The majority of tasters preferred fancy French chocolatier Michel Cluizel’s Noir De Cacao ($6.99), though four human guinea pigs could not get enough of Hershey’s Special Dark ($1.29). Just two community news professionals selected Mast Brothers as their top pick.
The cacao company is in the firing line after a food blogger published a series of scathing posts claiming the chocolate was not only overpriced and overhyped, but that the company had in its early days made its so-called “bean-to-bar” product by re-melting chocolate bought elsewhere. The owners eventually conceded the latter charge, but claim their product is now made from scratch and top notch.
And at least a couple of journalists agree that the be-bearded brothers are doing good work at their Navy Yard factory.
“It seems to have more flavors and layers to it,” said one reviewer.
But several others complained the chocolate came with a lingering aftertaste, which they just couldn’t get out of their mouths.
“It kind of stays with you a little bit too long,” said one self-professed “chocolate guy.”
Perhaps the greatest revelation of the trial, however, was that some still prefer the Great American Chocolate Bar in this artisanal age.
