Hershey’s Kisses are a classic American chocolate candy that have been around since 1907. Over the decades, Hershey’s has introduced many different flavors and varieties of their iconic tear-drop shaped chocolates. But just how many different types of Kisses are there? Let’s take a closer look at the history and product line-up of Hershey’s Kisses to find out.
The History of Hershey’s Kisses
The story of Hershey’s Kisses begins in 1907, when Hershey’s first produced small, bite-sized chocolates they named “Chocolate Meltaways”. These early chocolates were more rounded on the bottom than the now familiar teardrop shape.
The candies were originally wrapped by hand in squares of foil, and only later acquired the iconic paper flag on top stamped with the name “Hershey’s Kiss”. It wasn’t until 1924 that Hershey’s finally trademarked the name “Hershey’s Chocolate Kisses”.
The teardrop shape was the result of new wrapping techniques implemented in 1921 that allowed foil wrapping to be automated in a continuous process. The pointy bottom shape enabled the chocolates to easily run through wrapping machinery.
Through the early 20th century, Hershey’s Kisses were available in only one flavor – milk chocolate. It wasn’t until the late 1960s that Hershey’s started experimenting with new flavors like tropical coconut, peanut butter, and mint chocolate chip. Through the 1970s, Hershey’s introduced holiday themed Kisses like pumpkin spice, peppermint, and eggnog.
In the 21st century, Hershey’s has rapidly expanded the Kiss product line to introduce many new standard and limited edition flavors. As of 2023, there are over 60 varieties of Kisses available.
Standard Hershey’s Kiss Flavors
Hershey’s produces several standard Kiss flavors that are available year-round. These core flavors make up the bulk of Kiss sales.
Milk Chocolate
The original Hershey’s Kiss is milk chocolate – smooth, creamy milk chocolate wrapped in foil. Milk chocolate Kisses contain 10% cocoa and 12% milk.
Dark Chocolate
Dark chocolate Hershey’s Kisses contain 60% cocoa and have a richer, more intense chocolate flavor than the milk chocolate.
Caramel
Hershey’s caramel Kisses have a soft caramel center enclosed within milk chocolate. They were introduced in 1968.
Almond
Hershey’s almond Kisses have a whole crunchy almond in the center, coated with creamy milk chocolate. They debuted in 1976.
Cherry Cordial
Cherry cordial Kisses feature a cherry-flavored fondant center surrounded by milk chocolate. They have been available since late 2022.
Coconut
Coconut Kisses contain shredded coconut mixed into milk chocolate. They have been available since 1969.
Hugs
Hershey’s Hugs are larger, cylindrical versions of Kisses filled with white confection. Originally introduced for Valentine’s Day in 1986, they are now available year-round.
Kissables
Kissables are bite-sized, candy-coated chocolate candies similar to M&Ms. They come in milk chocolate, dark chocolate, and caramel varieties.
Holiday Hershey’s Kisses
Hershey’s produces special seasonal Kisses for holidays throughout the year. These are typically available for a limited time surrounding each holiday.
Valentine’s Kisses
For Valentine’s Day, Hershey’s makes milk and dark chocolate Kisses with Valentine’s-themed paper flags available in bags and boxes.
Easter Kisses
Easter brings pastel foil-wrapped milk chocolate and caramel Kisses. Recently they have also made marshmallow and coconut creme filled Kisses for Easter.
Father’s Day Kisses
Father’s Day Kisses include dark chocolate and extra dark chocolate varieties.
Halloween Kisses
Around Halloween, Hershey’s sells pumpkin spice flavored Kisses with orange and black striped foil.
Christmas Kisses
Hershey’s makes several Kiss flavors just for Christmas:
- Peppermint – Peppermint flavored fondant in milk chocolate
- Candy Cane – With crunchy candy cane pieces
- Sugar Cookie – Sugar cookie flavored fondant
- Gingerbread – Gingerbread flavored fondant
- Eggnog – Eggnog flavored fondant
- Red and green Christmas foil
Hanukkah Kisses
Hershey’s offers Star of David stamped blue foil wrapped milk chocolate Kisses for Hanukkah.
Reese’s Kisses
For Christmas, Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup flavored Kisses filled with Reese’s peanut butter cream are available.
Regional and Limited Edition Kisses
On top of the standard and seasonal Kisses, Hershey’s occasionally releases special limited edition regional flavors:
Hershey’s Pot of Gold
Pot of Gold Kisses feature a mint chocolate center and green foil wrapping. Originally created for St. Patrick’s Day, they are now sold year-round only in the Chicagoland area.
San Francisco Treats
To celebrate their San Francisco chocolate factory, Hershey’s introduced these regional flavors for the San Francisco market:
- Raspberry jam
- Lemon cream
- Chocolate marshmallow
Nantucket Kisses
Sold only around the island of Nantucket, these Kisses contain crunchy meringue and fudge-swirled chocolate.
Mahogany
Mahogany Kisses feature an intense dark chocolate flavor. They were briefly available nationwide but are now a limited edition Kiss.
80th Anniversary Kisses
For Hershey’s 80th anniversary in 1986, they debuted 80th Anniversary Kisses with a chocolate fudge filling and white confection coating.
Hershey’s Launches
Occasionally when Hershey’s launches a major new product, they will produce a limited edition Kiss in the same flavor, such as when Hershey’s Gold Bars were released.
The Complete List of Hershey’s Kiss Varieties
Here is the complete list of every standard, seasonal, regional, and limited edition Hershey’s Kiss variety ever produced by Hershey’s over the brand’s 100+ year history:
| Kiss Flavor | Details |
|---|---|
| Milk Chocolate | Original milk chocolate |
| Dark Chocolate | Rich dark chocolate |
| Caramel | Creamy caramel filling |
| Almond | Whole crunchy almond |
| Cherry Cordial | Cherry fondant filling |
| Coconut | Shredded coconut in milk chocolate |
| Hugs | Larger cylinder filled with confection |
| Kissables | Candy coated chocolate candies |
| Peppermint | Peppermint fondant filling |
| Candy Cane | With candy cane pieces |
| Sugar Cookie | Sugar cookie fondant filling |
| Gingerbread | Gingerbread fondant filling |
| Eggnog | Eggnog fondant filling |
| Pumpkin Spice | Pumpkin spice flavored |
| Mahogany | Intense dark chocolate |
| Raspberry Jam | Raspberry jam filling |
| Lemon Cream | Lemon cream filling |
| Chocolate Marshmallow | Marshmallow flavored |
| Nantucket | With meringue and fudge swirl |
| Reese’s | Reese’s peanut butter filling |
| 80th Anniversary | Chocolate fudge filling |
| Hershey’s Gold | With Hershey’s Gold candy flavor |
Based on this exhaustive list spanning over 100 years, there have been approximately 36 varieties of Hershey’s Kisses if you include all the standard, seasonal, regional, and limited editions!
Conclusion
Hershey’s Kisses have come a very long way since their initial introduction in 1907. From a single milk chocolate flavor, Hershey’s has expanded the Kiss lineup to include dark chocolate, caramel, almond, cherry cordial, coconut, and many more distinctive flavors. There are also numerous holiday themed Kisses as well as hard-to-find regional editions. In total, over 36 varieties of Kisses have been created to delight chocolate fans over the past century!
While classic milk chocolate remains its best selling Kiss, Hershey’s innovation over the decades has allowed the brand to give customers more choices. Special flavors like candy cane, gingerbread, and Reese’s allow customers to enjoy Kisses in new ways for Christmas, Halloween, Valentine’s Day, and other holidays. Limited releases keep customers excited to try the newest Kiss creations.
It’s impressive that a simple bite-sized chocolate introduced in 1907 continues to feel fresh and exciting 100 years later thanks to Hershey’s insatiable creativity. Who knows what interesting new Hershey’s Kisses we might get to try in the next 100 years!