In 1894, before the introduction of the milk chocolate Hershey bar in 1900, the Hershey Chocolate Company manufactured and marketed "vanilla sweet chocolate" a semi-sweet chocolate.^[1] This bar has been described as the "first" American candy bar.^[2] The company continued to provide semi-sweet chocolate products and in the 1930s a Not-So-Sweet bar^[3] and in 1939, added the Bitter-Sweet bar to Hershey's Miniatures.^[4] The Hershey's Semi-Sweet bar was being sold in the market in the 1960s.^[5]

Hershey's Special Dark is a component of the traditional Hershey's Miniatures assortment first sold in 1939, when the Special Dark was called Bitter-Sweet.^[6]

In 2006, Hershey's began selling Hershey's Special Dark Miniatures, which included the plain Special Dark bar, along with dark bars with peanuts (similar to a Mr. Goodbar) and with crisped rice (similar to a Krackel).^{[citation needed]}

Hershey's Extra Dark a product very similar to the Special Dark, was introduced in 2009, and discontinued in 2012. Three varieties produced were solid chocolate; chocolate with macadamia nuts and dried cranberries; and chocolate with cranberries, blueberries, pomegranate, and almonds. Hershey's marketing emphasized the antioxidant qualities of these bars' ingredients. Additionally, Hershey's Extra Dark contained 60% cocoa solids, while Hershey's Special Dark contains 45% cocoa solids.^[7]

Special Dark is similar to a standard Hershey bar, but is made with a dark (or semi-sweet) variety of chocolate, and contains a higher percentage (45%) of cocoa solids, chocolate liquor and cocoa butter than milk chocolate.^[8]

Full ingredients include: Sugar, Chocolate, Cocoa Butter, Cocoa Processed With Alkali, Milk Fat; Lactose (Milk), Soy Lecithin, PGPR, Natural Flavor, Milk^[9]

• Official website