Chocolate Store Reviews and More

Use the geographic index to stores by location.

Alegio Chocolaté. (Big image.)

Alegio Chocolaté

Alegio knows what they are doing with chocolate. Unfortunately, their price is quite high, which prevents me from recommending them, except possibly on a "try once" basis.

Type: Fine. Price: $115/lb. in 2007. Chart: Yes. Conclusion: Good but too expensive.

• Store: 1511 Shattuck Avenue / Berkeley, CA 94709. 1-510-548-2466.

Anette’s Ensemble box. (Big image.)

Anette’s Chocolate Factory

The Peanut Crunch started with a good light crunch and revealed distinct but light toasted peanut flavor. That was my favorite, and I also enjoyed the Apricot Cream, Marshmallow Cream, and Tart Cherry. I would prefer stronger chocolate flavors in Anette’s chocolates. The Dansk Bar sounded promising with "chocolate truffle layered over marzipan and vanilla caramel," but I was disappointed. The flavors were not brought out well, and the texture was firmer than I expected. I also found the Triple Berry Cream too sweet to enjoy the fruit and chocolate flavors, so I recommend you select your favorite pieces from the case if you are in the store.

Type: Standard. Price: Truffles $43/lb., others $30/lb. in 2008. Shipping: $16. Chart: Color. Conclusion: Good variety, worth visiting when in Napa.

• Orders: Web.
• Store: 1321 First Street / Napa, CA 94559. 1-707-252-4228.

Artisan’s Couture chocolates. (Big image.)

Artisan du Chocolat

The Couture pieces have uniform shapes, rounded rectangles, differing largely in the decorations printed on their flat tops. I suspect that eases production and enables the good price of £30/lb. ($50/lb. in 2009). Artisan should not be missed when you are in London.

The O chocolates are more of a novelty, disks with a thin filling. While the flavors are okay, the fillings are too small to contribute much. So I leave these pieces to people who just want chocolate with a little bit of something else. At £42/lb., they do not enjoy the same price attractiveness as the Couture chocolates. I did not try the truffles or salted caramels but suspect you will not go wrong sampling them.

Type: Fine. Price: Couture £30/lb. in 2009. Shipping: £17.50. Chart: Color. Conclusion: A must in London.

• Orders: Web.
• Store: 89 Lower Sloane Street / London SW1W8DA / United Kingdom. +44 (0) 20 7824 8365.
• See web site for other stores, including Selfridges London.

Pythagorus. (Big image.)

Au Chocolat

Au Chocolat once carried the Les Cygnes collection from Kim’s Chocolates that included these wonderful Pythagorus pieces with mathematical expressions in gold lettering. Most readers will not share my excitement for the math chocolates, but I like mathematics, so I was happy to find a new supplier, named after the collection, Les Cygnes.

Type: Standard and Fine. Price: $19/lb. and $28/lb. in 2002. Conclusion: Ordinary.

• Store: 35 High Street / Boston, MA. 1-617-737-1197. Weekdays 7:30 to 6.
• Orders: Web.

Bissinger French Confections

Type: Standard. Price: Toffee $28/lb., other $33-36/lb. in 2005. Chart: Drawings. Conclusion: Too expensive for Standard.

• Orders: Web.
• Store: 3983 Gratiot Street / Saint Louis, MO 63110-1776. 1-800-325-8881.
• See web site for stores in Saint Louis and Minneapolis.

Bridgewater Chocolates. (Big image.)

Bridgewater Chocolate

Bridgewater chocolate bars. (Big image.)

I recommend Bridgewater’s assorted chocolates, including the toffees, which you can buy separately. However, their marzipan, truffles, and bars do not impress me the same way, although nothing is particularly wrong with them. The truffles had an airy mousse-like filling. The orange truffle was pleasant, but the hazelnut and raspberry were distant in those truffles. The bars with bits of various fruits, nuts, or other items had a more appealing chocolate flavor than most chocolatiers’ bars. The fruits added a bit to the flavor but were a minority portion. The marzipan was standard.

Type: Fine. Price: $34/lb. in 2006. Shipping: $22. Chart: Color. Conclusion: Assorted chocolates are very good.

• Orders: Web.
• Store: 559 Federal Road / Brookfield, CT 06804. 1-203-775-2286.

Burdick chocolates. (Big image.)

Burdick Chocolate

After trying several Fine chocolatiers that have been recommended highly, I tried Burdick again and realized his work is significantly above other artisan chocolatiers. Do not miss this. If you cannot get to the cafés in Harvard Square, Walpole, or New York, call or order on the web to have chocolate shipped to you. Burdick Chocolate is well priced for this quality and reasonable for shipping and makes an excellent gift.

Type: Fine. Price: $60/lb. in 2011. Shipping $11.50. Chart: Color. Conclusion: Best choice for a fancy gift and a must when you are in Harvard Square.

• Orders: Web or 1-800-229-2419.
• Store: 47 Main Street / Walpole, NH 03608. 1-603-756-2882.
  • Take Route 12 to South Street. Turn right onto South Street. South bends right and ends at T with South Main Street. Turn left onto South Main and drive into center of town. Burdick is on right.
• Store: 52-D Brattle Street / Cambridge, MA 02138. 1-617-491-4340.
• Store: 5 East 20^th Street / New York, NY 10003. 1-212-796-0143.
• See web site for other stores.

Byrne & Carlson

Type: Fine. Price: $32/lb. in 2004. Conclusion: Great for a truffle assortment and as a gift.

• Orders: 1-888-559-9778, email to byrneandcarlson@cybertours.com, or P.O. Box 789 / Portsmouth, NH 03802-0789.
• Store: 121 State Street / Portsmouth, NH.
  • From Market Square in downtown Portsmouth, walk a block east to State Street and a couple of blocks south.

Cacao Atlanta

The Pecan Penuche also plays on local products, Georgia pecans. Its flavor makes nice use of pecans but is a little sweeter than I would like. Two pieces make excellent use of spices. The Aztec has a deep chocolate flavor, strong enough to stand up to the blend of six chilies and spices that kick in after a few seconds. In the Cayenne Passion Fruit, the cayenne and passion fruit play nicely with and against each other and with the chocolate. I often find that "hot" spices detract from chocolate, but Hard has blended these well.

Those were my favorites of the Bean to Truffle Collection. They are novel enough that I am pleased to have tried them once, but the exceptional price prevents me from recommending the collection. The other pieces in my box were well done but not highlights for me. The Pistachio Marzipan did not present the pistachio or marzipan flavors well, the Nougat Torrone does not feature much chocolate flavor, and the Gianduja seemed very slightly bitter.

Cacao Atlanta has additional truffles available in the boutiques but not available online. I have not had opportunity to try them but suspect they would be excellent. I sampled some non-truffle products that were available online but was not excited by them.

Type: Fine. Price: $124/lb. in 2012. Shipping: $12. Chart: Numbered. Conclusion: Several notable and novel pieces but very expensive.

• Orders: Web.
• Inman Park (factory store): 312C North Highland Avenue / Atlanta, GA 30307. 1-404-221-9090. 1-866-960-9440.
• Buckhead: 2817 Peachtree Road / Atlanta, GA 30305. 1-404-467-4670.
• Virginia Highlands: 1046 North Highland Avenue / Atlanta, GA 30306. 1-404-892-8202.

Jade collection. (Big image.)

Impériale collection. (Big image.)

Cacao et Chocolat

The Jade line was more to my liking, in part because of my preference for chocolate with interesting fillings. I enjoyed the Papanta with its distinct medium-strength hazelnut flavor and crispy texture. The Mazapan is a nice soft marzipan. The Nogales did not shine for me, but other Jade pieces were tasty.

Cacao et Chocolat delivers in Paris and ships worldwide. While I might shop at Cacao et Chocolat occasionally were I in Paris, I cannot recommend ordering from the US unless the euro drops significantly against the dollar. Orders shipped outside France will be reduced 5.21% to remove the 5.5% Value Added Tax, but of course you will pay shipping. Shipping cost to the US for a 1950 g (4.3 lb.) order was €40.15. That may be too much for a small individual order, but it is quite reasonable if you place a group order with some friends. You might need to keep the total order (before shipping) under $200 to avoid US duty.

Type: Fine. Price: Jade €35/lb., Impérial €42/lb. in 2009. Chart: Color, French, hard to distinguish pieces. Conclusion: Reasonable choice in Paris.

• Orders: Web.
• Store: 29 Rue de Buci / 75006 Paris / France. +33 (0) 1 46 33 77 63.
• Store: 63 Rue Saint-Louis en l’Isle / 75004 Paris / France. +33 (0) 1 46 33 33 33.
• Store: 36 Rue Vieille du Temple / 75004 Paris / France. +33 (0) 1 42 71 50 06.

Café Ströbele.

Type: Fine. Price: €20/lb. in 2006. Conclusion: Tour stop and good supplier if you live in town.

• Store: Hirschstraße 4 / 89073 Ulm / Germany. +49 (0731) 6 37 79.

Candinas truffles. (Big image.)

Candinas Chocolatier

Type: Fine. Price: $41/lb. in 2006. Chart: No. Conclusion: Fine Swiss chocolate.

• Orders: Web or 1-800-845-1554.
• Factory store: 2435 Highway PB / Verona, WI. 1-608-845-1545.
• Store: 11 West Main Street / Madison, WI 53703.

Chocolat Céleste

Céleste's other pieces have covered a range. The flavors have been generally medium strength, usually with good balances. A raspberry piece had a good body, with the raspberry distinctly present but not forefront.

Chocolat Céleste offers USPS as a shipping option, which I prefer over UPS and FedEx for residential service.

Type: Fine. Price: $109/lb. and up in 2012, toffee $40/lb. Chart: Some color charts. Conclusion: Good but pricey.

• Orders: Web.
• Store: 652 Transfer Road, Suite 16A / Saint Paul, MN 55114. 1-877-644-3823. 1-651-644-3823.

Chocolat Michel Cluizel. (Big image.)

Chocolat Michel Cluizel

The store was formerly called La Fontaine au Chocolat and featured a fountain of flowing chocolate. However, I more admired the cacao pods made of chocolate and the wonderful tortoises and other animals. They were works of art in chocolate.

After I finished looking, I enjoyed the excellent balance of chocolate and raspberry in the framboise. The pistache was great. The noisette had a good hazelnut, but the chocolate was a bit weak. The Chocoblock looks like the chocolate-nut bark you find in so many stores, but it was superb. It contains assorted nuts and particularly brings out the pistachio flavor.

Type: Fine. Price: €51/lb. in 2010. Chart: Color. Conclusion: A must in Paris.

• Orders: Web.
• 201 Rue Saint-Honoré / 75001 Paris / France. +33 (0) 1 42 44 11 66. North of the Louvre.

Chocolate Connoisseur

Type: Fine. Price: Truffles $37/lb., others $18/lb. in 2004. Chart: No. Conclusion: Not quite worth the price.

• Store: 513 South Park Avenue / Winter Park, FL 32789. 1-407-622-1166.

Chocolate Dream Box

Generally I found the flavors moderate in strength. I prefer strong flavors, particularly my favored hazelnut. However, these are no slouches, and the various flavor combinations were well balanced. The few alcohol pieces used the liqueur flavors well without letting the alcohol bite.

The milk-chocolate-covered toffee was very good. I do not think the dark chocolate or white chocolate showcase the toffee as well. Lest my praise and high marks for the Chocolate Dream Box make you giddy, let me note that not everything was perfect. The crunch of the Hazelnut Crunch felt just a bit soft, and the chocolate flavor in the Lion Heart was blunted.

Type: Fine. Price: Pralines $54/lb., toffee $34/lb. in 2008. Chart: Color. Conclusion: A hidden treasure.

• Orders: Call the store, no web ordering as of September 2008.
• Store: 710 Blossom Hill Road / Los Gatos, CA 95032. 1-408-356-2626.

The Chocolate Garden

The milk chocolate orange truffle is also excellent, but I am not as fond of the others. I had to work to taste the hazelnut in the milk chocolate hazelnut, and the chocolate flavors did not seem strong to me in the milk chocolate, dark chocolate, or darkest dark chocolate. I wonder if the cream they are using is a little unusual. (The web site gives a hint: In addition to heavy cream, the truffles contain butter and butterfat.)

I do recommend The Chocolate Garden. You can get a box of all one flavor. The price is good for this quality, and they offer inexpensive USPS shipping.

Type: Fine. Price: $39/lb. in 2005. Chart: Map. Conclusion: Superb truffles.

• Orders: Web or 1-269-468-9866.
• Store: 2691 Friday Road / Coloma, MI 49038.

The Chocolate Moose

Type: Standard. Price: $11/lb. in 2003. Conclusion: Only known source for Peanut Butter and Jelly Chocolate Cup.

• Store: 184 North Broadway Road (Route 38) / Salem, NH 03079. 1-603-893-2225.

The Chocolate Truffle

You will also find fine truffles, assorted pieces filled with creams and jellies and pretzels and nuts and caramel and other goodies, fine brands of chocolate bars, and other novelties. The Gourmet Brownie & Peanut Butter is fun but massive, so be sure you have help eating it.

Type: Both Fine and Standard. Price: Assorted. Conclusion: This was my primary source for personal consumption when I lived in New England.

• Orders: Web.
• Store: 494 Main Street / Reading, MA 01867. 1-866-333-4616. 1-781-944-7155.
• Store: 586 Main Street / Lynnfield, MA 01940. 1-781-334-9800.
• Store: 18 Thompson Street / Winchester, MA 01890. 1-781-729-0409.
• Some products available at Au Chocolat, Indulge, and Sweet Mimi’s Chocolates.

Chocolate Visions

Type: Fine. Price: $55/lb. in 2006. Shipping: $8. Chart: Color. Conclusion: Recommended.

• Orders: Web.
• See web site for retailers. Some are listed in the directory entry.
• Mail: 20D Victor Square / Scotts Valley, CA 95066. 1-831-457-2883.

Chocolaterie Bernachon

Some pieces I liked were the dark chocolate Palets d’Or, Le Cocktail (with a blend of nuts, was what fine chocolate should be but not the oustanding piece I expected from Bernachon’s reputation), Le Métis (praline, marzipan, and pistachio, was an unusual melange and interesting), L’Aveline (hazelnut praline, was very good with sharp flavors that were not overpoweringly strong), La Truffe (a very good truffle), Le Chuao Pepitos (strong chocolate), La Nougatine (good caramel), and La Truffette (an orange flavor that blends well with the chocolate).

Le Gianduja was lifeless. La Noisette was okay, but the hazelnut flavor seemed a bit off to me.

The ballotin and its contents looked very nice. The look was distinctive and not frilly. However, I would not say a pre-mixed ballotin is worth the price. Stick to the pieces you like.

Type: Fine. Price: €34/lb. in 2003. Conclusion: If you go, stick to the mostly-chocolate pieces.

• Store: 42 Cours Franklin Roosevelt / 69006 Lyon / France. +33 (0) 4 78 24 37 98.
• Worldwide mail order.

Chocolaterie Bernard Callebaut

The product came with nutrition and ingredient information. The product I received weighed slightly less than the claimed amount. Chocolaterie Bernard Callebaut is separate from Callebaut.

Type: Fine. Price: $41/lb. in 2004. Chart: Color. Conclusion: You are better off with Burdick.

• Orders: Web or 1-800-661-8367.
• See web site for stores in Canada, the United States, and Tokyo.

Chocolatier Blue chocolates. (Big image.)

Chocolatier Blue

Some of the pieces had flavors I thought were too mild or combinations that missed the mark slightly. The Grapefruit with Rosemary did not capture either flavor for me. In the Peanut Butter and Strawberry Jam, the peanut butter and jam flavors were excellent, but the chocolate flavor was lost.

Overall, I would give Christopher Elbow the edge over Chocolatier Blue, for some similar chocolates with stronger flavors at a comparable price. However, Chocolatier Blue has a better price and some very good and interesting pieces worth experiencing.

For full effect, I suggest eating Chocolatier Blue pieces whole, rather than in smaller bites, especially the milder pieces. The Cookies & Cream had notably more character when eaten whole. Some of the pieces I received may be holiday flavors; I am not sure whether they will be available on a regular basis. Chocolatier Blue’s web site required Google Wallet to purchase. That required a lengthy legal agreement I had no time to evaluate. Fortunately, a friend lives near their flagship store and picked up a box for me.

Type: Fine. Price: $71/lb. in 2012. Shipping: $0. Chart: Color. Conclusion: Worth trying, nice gift.

• Web.
• Flagship: 1964 University Avenue / Berkeley, CA 94704. 1-510-705-8800.
• Other stores.

Christopher Elbow chocolates. (Big image.)

Christopher Elbow Artisanal Chocolate

Elbow’s pieces are mostly square ganaches or round caramels. Many of the caramels were dominated by a sweet fruit caramel, with chocolate from the crisp shell playing a lesser role. The chocolate was a little stronger in the Fleur de Sel, which was wonderful to bite into. The Bananas Foster is also notable because four flavors, chocolate, banana, caramel, and rum, are each noticeable and distinct, working together but not diminshing each other.

The ganaches generally delivered stronger chocolate flavors, especially the deep chocolate flavor of the Venezuelan Dark, which seemed stronger than its 70% cacao. In contrast, the Madagascar seemed to have a fruity chocolate. The paté de fruit in the Raspberry was amazingly strong, although not completely outstripping the chocolate.

Some pieces delivered milder flavors, such as the Bourbon Pecan and the Honey Vanilla. Sight and taste are not the only senses stimulated; the French Lavender and the Cinnamon had particularly nice scents.

I rarely recommend chocolates at this price level, and I certainly cannot make Christopher Elbow a regular treat, but I do recommend experiencing these exquisite chocolates. They would also make a superb gift. (Alternatives at this quality but somewhat cheaper are Burdick and Jacques Torres.) While I recommend Elbow’s chocolates, the toffees did not stand out for me.

Service was very good, and the shipping cost is not bad in today’s market.

Type: Fine. Price: $84/lb. in 2008. Shipping: $15. Chart: Color. Conclusion: Expensive but compelling.

• Orders: Web.
• Store: 118 Southwest Boulevard / Kansas City, MO 64108. 1-816-842-1300.
• Store: 401 Hayes Street / San Francisco, CA 94102. 1-415-355-1105.

Chuao chocolates. (Big image.)

Chuao Chocolatier

Chuao Chocolatier’s pralines are an interesting collection, including unusual combinations like banana with caramel, feta/goat cheese with chocolate buttercream, and raspberry with hazelnut. Chuao (pronounced "chew-wow") uses Venezuelan chocolate with French and Belgian techniques. Brief comments about specific pieces follow. Note there are a variety of flavors, and chocolate is not the main character. It supports Chuao’s pralines but is not expressed strongly.

Almond Truffle: hazelnut a bit harsh. Cacique: okay but little raisin flavor. Cambur: interesting banana and caramel. Candela: soft filling with praliné, good macadamia flavor. Chevere: a strange combination but nice, a tinge of feta with slightly bitter buttercream. Coco Canelle: nice mix of coconut and almond with cinnamon accent. Framboise: hazelnut only accents raspberry. Grignottine: good, air, diverse light flavors. Gianduja and Noccello: too weak hazelnut. Java: good, medium coffee flavor. Le Citron: lemon overpowers chocolate. Modeno: nice strawberry, little caramel. Morocho: hazelnut and buttercream, but hazelnut does not come out much. Mulato: good marzipan. Parchita: moderate passion fruit flavor, little caramel. Picante: robust raisin and spicy pepper flavor. Sambuca: more alcohol than I like, but the almond peeks through.

Chuao’s pralines are tempting for the interesting flavors, but not so much for the chocolate, and are worth trying except the price gives me pause. I had trouble matching some pieces to their pictures. Three bars I purchased in April 2006 totaled the labeled weight, but the milk chocolate Caracas bar was only 99 grams of the 110 labeled. The web site uses a pop-up.

Type: Fine. Price: Pralines $65/lb., bars $24/lb. in 2006. Shipping: $25. Chart: Color. Conclusion: Maybe worth trying, but sent spam.

• Orders: Web or 1-888-635-1444.
• Store: The Lumberyard, Suite C-109 / 937 South Coast Highway 101 / Encinitas, CA 92025. 1-760-635-1444.
• Store: University Towne Centre / 4465 La Jolla Village Drive, H-09 / San Diego, CA 92122. 1-858-546-1463.
• More retailers.

Coco-luxe’s dessert-themed chocolates. (Big image.)

Coco-luxe Confections

While fun and novel, the pieces alone are little better than average, so I do not recommend Coco-luxe at these prices unless you are really into the theme. In 2006, I purchased a box labeled 128 g that contained only 84 g of chocolates.

Type: Fine. Price: $75/lb. at store 2008, $97/lb. in underweight package in 2006. Shipping: $17-$22. Chart: Online. Conclusion: Not worth it unless you are into their theme.

• Orders: Web.
• Store: 1673 Haight Street (at Cole) / San Francisco, CA 94117. 1-415-367-4012
• I found Coco-luxe chocolates at Gump’s in 2006 but see no mention of retailers on their web site in 2009.

A small part of Cocoa Bella’s selection. (Big image.)

Cocoa Bella Chocolates

I took several photographs of Cocoa Bella, but I could not fit all the counters into one photograph, and none of the images convey the magnitude of the selection. The image shows you part of one counter. Click on it to see the more detail, and then imagine about 15 feet of counter like that.

Cocoa Bella’s offerings change too quickly for me to keep this review up to date. The selections are excellent, and it appears you can expect to find superb chocolates at Cocoa Bella whatever is there. My current favorites are Cluizel and Christopher Elbow. It is clear Cocoa Bella is a required stop in San Francisco. I have not seen any other store with as wide a selection of chocolates from Fine chocolatiers.

Type: Fine and some Standard. Price: $35-85/lb. in 2009. Chart: Yes (ask). Conclusion: Exceptional selection of Fine chocolate.

• Store: 2102 Union Street / San Francisco, CA 94123. 1-415-931-6213.
  • Monday to Saturday 11-8, Sunday 12-6.
• Store: Westfield Mall / 865 Market Street / San Francisco, CA 94103. 1-415-896-5222.

Cosmic Bliss. (Big image.)

Cosmic Chocolate

Cosmic’s shipping cost varies quite a bit based on the size of your order and the destination.

Warning: Cosmic’s web site rudely played music without consent. (My praise of their web site is only for the visual design. I do not endorse their use of Flash or sound or their failure to supply standard navigation elements.)

Type: Fine. Price: $147/lb. in 2008. Shipping: $25, see above. Chart: Yes. Conclusion: Massively overpriced.

• Orders: Web or 1-877-612-2639.
• Mail: 5002 B Telegraph Avenue / Oakland, CA 94609. 1-510-654-2923.

Côte de France. (Big image.)

Côte de France

Type: Fine. Price: €48/lb. in 2010. Chart: Color, incomplete. Conclusion: My favorite in Paris.

• Orders: Web.
• 25 Avenue de l’Opera / Paris / France. +33 (0) 1 42 61 41 46.
• 3 Avenue Mozart / Paris / France. +33 (0) 1 42 88 17 79. Near La Muette station.
• 12 Rue d l’Isly / Paris / France. +33 (0) 1 43 87 54 81.
• 5 Place des Ternes / Paris / France. +33 (0) 1 47 63 29 20.
• See web site for current list of shops.

Les Cygnes. (Big image.)	Pythagorus. (Big image.)

Les Cygnes

I am not fond of all their pieces, but some are pretty nice, and the price is okay, so I recommend ordering pieces that appeal to you. The Mathilda is a quite nice marzipan, and some of the other marzipan pieces are good too. The Altesse is a good caramel. There is also a piece with a bit of a peanut shape and three lines that is very nice, but I cannot match it with a name on the web site. It is the leftmost piece in the image to the right.

Type: Low Fine. Price: £16/lb. in 2006. Shipping: £9. Chart: No. Conclusion: Good price.

• Orders: Web.
• Store: The Thistles Shopping Center / 46 Bastion Wynd / Stirling FK8 2EA / Scotland, United Kingdom. +44 (0) 1786 469767.

Dalloyau

Type: Fine. Price: €43/lb. in 2003. Conclusion: One of the better stores in Paris.

• Store: 99 Rue de Faubourg Saint Honoré / 75008 Paris / France. +33 (0) 1 42 99 90 00.
• Future web site.

DeBrand Fine Chocolates

The Classic Collection is ordinary quality but expensive price. The creams are very sweet, and the chocolate flavor is not strong in most pieces. The peanut butter flavor in the peanut butter piece is quite strong.

Warning: DeBrand sent me unsolicited commercial email. DeBrand’s web site rudely played music even though I have "Play sounds" disabled.

Type: Standard to high Standard. Price: $33/lb. (Classic), $105/lb. (Connoisseur) in 2003. Conclusion: Skip it.

• Orders: Web or 1-800-482-4373.
• Store: 10105 Auburn Park Drive / Fort Wayne, IN 46825. 1-260-969-8333
• See web site for other locations in Fort Wayne and Indianapolis.

Dilettante

Type: Fine. Conclusion: Their truffles do not stand out.

• Orders: Web or 1-800-482-0281.
• Store: 416 Broadway East / Seattle, WA 98102. 1-206-329-6463.
  • Sunday to Thursday 11 a.m. to midnight, Friday and Saturday 11 a.m. to 1 a.m.
• Store: 1603 First Avenue / Seattle, WA 98101. 1-206-728-9144.
  • Monday to Saturday 10-6, Sunday 11-5.

Donnelly Chocolates. (Big image.)

Donnelly Chocolates

The peanut vanilla caramel piece stands out. Donnelly’s chocolate leans toward the bitter.

The ordering process on their web site is excellent. It is simple and fast and offers choices of light, dark, or mixed, without alcohol, and without nuts. Shipping is expensive, like other fine chocolatiers.

Type: Fine. Price: $75/lb. in 2003. Conclusion: Good but expensive.

• Orders: Web or 1-888-685-1871.
• Store: 1509 Mission Street / Santa Cruz, CA 95060. 1-831-458-4214.

el Eden truffles. (Big image.)

el Eden Handcrafted Chocolates

el Eden’s truffles were superb, full of flavor. I prefer not to judge chocolatiers by their truffles because so many are overwhelmingly chocolate. But el Eden’s truffles were what truffles should be: strong flavors that balance with the chocolate.

Type: Fine. Price: $45/lb. for 50 truffles (20.5 oz.), $52/lb for 25 in 2002. Conclusion: A terrific treat, worth the price when you truly need good chocolate or as a gift.

• Orders: Web or 1-866-435-3336 (toll-free).
• Store: 443 East Sixth Street / New York, NY 10009. 1-212-979-9291.

Elisabeth Brussels

Type: Fine. Price: €17/lb. in 2003 in Bruxelles. Conclusion: Good if you like light flavors.

• Store: Rue au Beurre 43 / 1000 Bruxelles / Belgium. +32 (02) 426 01 78. Near Grand Place.

Elk Candy Company

Type: Standard and Fine. Price: $21/lb. in 2004. Conclusion: Visit when in New York and mail order occasionally.

• Orders: Web.
• Store: 1628 Second Avenue / New York, NY. 1-212-650-1177.

Fauchon chocolates. (Big image.)

Fauchon

Type: Fine. Price: $45/lb. in 2001. Conclusion: Not recommended.

• Orders: Web.
• Store: Park Avenue and 56^th Street (northwest corner) / New York, NY. 1-718-784-7001 or 1-866-784-7001. (Mailing address is 575 Madison Avenue / New York, NY 10022.)
• Store: 26, place de la Madeleine / 75008 Paris / France. +33 (0) 1 47 42 60 11.
• Retailers: Some Neiman Marcus stores.
• See web site for more stores in Paris and around the world.

Galler

Type: Fine. Price: €15/lb. in 2003 in Bruxelles. Conclusion: Misses the mark.

• Store: Rue au Beurre 44 / 1000 Bruxelles / Belgium. +32 (02) 502 0266.
• Store: Rue de Bodenbroeck 17 / Bruxelles / Belgium. Near Grand Sablon.
• Store: Rue de Commerce 13 / Wavre / Belgium. +32 (010) 22 96 85.
• Store: Rue du Pot d’Or 2 / Lüttich / Belgium. +32 (04) 221 30 50.
• Store: Rue Céleste Balthasart 30 / Vaux-sou-Chèvremont / Belgium. +32 (04) 361 07 17.

Garrison Confections’ Seasonal Collection. (Big image.)

Garrison Confections

Although there was some nice work in the collection, I cannot recommend it due to the high price ($75/lb.) and the shortcomings.

I do recommend Garrison’s Ultimate Toffee. It was a very good toffee and only $17/lb. It does have only a thin layer of chocolate that could be thicker.

Garrison has other novelties, but the toffee was best. The Ultimate Nougat Bar suggested something I would like to see chocolatiers try—remaking classic candy bars with fine ingredients. Unfortunately, the Nougat Bar fell short. It felt too empty of flavor, and the first three ingredients do not impress (dried egg whites, sugar, and potato starch).

Garrison’s pieces generally were not a good showcase for chocolate; it played only a minor role in most pieces. While ordering, I was put off by the lengthy legal terms. I would rather a chocolatier tell me more about their products than about how all shipping problems will work against the customer, and the seller does not want to be bothered with anything like ensuring their product is delivered well.

Type: Fine. Price: $75/lb. in 2007. Shipping: $27. Chart: Map. Conclusion: Too expensive, not a good showcase for chocolate.

• Orders: Web.
• Store: 815 Hope Street / Providence, RI 02906. 1-401-490-2740.

Ghirardelli Chocolate Company

Type: Below Standard. Price: $13/lb. in 2004. Chart: Individual wrappings. Conclusion: Do the tourist thing once and move on.

• Ghirardelli products are sold in many stores, including baking products in grocery stores.
• Tourist attraction: Ghirardelli Square / 900 North Point Street, #52 / San Francisco, CA 94109. 1-415-359-9335.
• Office: 1111 139^th Avenue / San Leandro, CA 94578-2631. 1-510-483-6970.

Ginger Elizabeth chocolates. (Big image.)

Ginger Elizabeth Chocolates

I would have liked more salt in the Fleur de Sel Caramel and stronger peppermint in the Fresh Peppermint, but overall I was very pleased with the selection. Ginger Elizabeth’s prices are in line with the super premium market.

Type: Fine. Price: $88/lb. in 2013. Shipping: $18. Chart: Color. Conclusion: Very nice, a must in Sacramento.

• Orders: Web.
• Store: 1801 L Street, Suite 60 / Sacramento, CA 95811. 1-916-706-1738.

Godiva

Before some holidays, Godiva offers its G collection. The G collection is made by Norman Love Confections, and its pieces are similar to Norman Love’s. I did find some of the G pieces stronger and tastier than those I purchased directly from Norman Love. However, the G collection cost $138/lb. (in 2006), so I do not recommend it.

I tried a few pieces of Godiva’s Platinum Collection, around $52/lb. in 2006, and some of the pieces were nice, but I recommend staying with Godiva’s regular assorted chocolates. The V.S. Comtesse and the Mokalata had a nice velvety chocolate. The Iconique was a soft milk chocolate with hazelnut giving it a slight bite. The Razabelle was a chewy raspberry caramel that would have been nicer if the raspberry were more pervasive and longer lasting. The Cœur was a nice hazelnut paste. The Nocturne had dark chocolate lost in the other ingredients. One frustration with Godiva’s Platinum Collection was that I could barely read the 4.5-point type describing the pieces in the brochure that came with them.

Type: Fine. Price: $44/lb. in the US in 2009, €18/lb. in Bruxelles in 2003. Chart: Color. Conclusion: Unreliable, overpriced.

• Godiva has stores in many malls, or order on the web.
• Store: Grand Place 22 / 1000 Bruxelles / Belgium. +32 (02) 511-2537.

Granite State Candy Shoppe

Type: Standard. Conclusion: If you are already in downtown Concord, maybe stop in once to see if it is to your taste.

• Orders: Web.
• Store: 13 Warren Street / Concord, NH 03301. 1-603-225-2591.
  • From Main Street, turn west onto Pleasant. Turn right at first signal, onto North State Street. Warren is the first right, or seek parking along North State Street.

Harbor Candy Shop

Type: Fine. Price: $13/lb. to $25/lb. in 2001. Conclusion: A must if you are on Route 1 in Maine, but edged out by Byrne & Carlson in Portsmouth.

• Orders: 1-800-331-5856 or web or P.O. Box 2064 / Ogunquit, ME 03907.
• Store: 248 Main Street / Ogunquit, ME. 1-207-646-8078.
  • The store can be very difficult to get to due to beach traffic. Follow first sign to parking and walk to central intersection of Shore, Beach, and Main/Route 1, then go north on Route 1 a few buildings. (The town is pleasant to walk.)

Harbor Sweets

Harbor Sweets are carried in various specialty stores in 17 states, especially Massachusetts. For store information, contact customer service by email to swee@ne800.com or phone at 1-800-234-4860. Some of their chocolates are sold under the brand name Dark Horse Chocolates.

Type: Fine. Conclusion: Buy from Harbor Sweets once in a long while.

• Orders: 1-800-243-2115 or web.
• Store: 85 Leavitt Street / Salem, MA 01970-5546. 1-978-745-7648.
  • The store at the factory is very small, not worth a long drive. You can get there by following Route 114 in all its turns until you reach Leavitt Street, then follow Leavitt several blocks. I recommend using a map to help determine when you are approaching Leavitt Street.
  • Tuesday-Friday 8:30-4:30, Saturday 9-3.

Hédiard

Hédiard’s chocolate bars were less satisfying than their chocolate pieces. The Chocolate Noir Aux fruits secs (bitter chocolate with fruit and nuts) was unsatisfying and strangely empty of chocolate flavor.

Type: Fine. Price: €37/lb. in 2003. Conclusion: One of the better stores in Paris.

• Store: 21 Place de la Madeleine / 75008 Paris / France. +33 (0) 1 43 12 88 88.
• See web site for other store locations.

Intemperantia

I tried Intemperantia’s petite truffles and French Pavers. The truffles are nice; they have good texture and good flavor. The milk chocolate truffle is particularly strong for a milk chocolate, and the alcohol truffles have a nice flavor without too much alcohol. Unfortunately, even the largest package, 72 truffles, amounts to $57/lb. plus shipping, and the truffles are not worth that much. The Pavers are bitter and not unpleasantly so, and they grow on you. Intemperantia offers shipping by Postal Service (less expensive than FedEx and UPS).

Type: Fine. Price: $57/lb. in 2002. Conclusion: Too expensive and sent spam.

• Orders: http://www.intemperantia.com or 1-800-982-0088.
• 15324 Antioch Street / Pacific Palisades, CA 90272.

Jacky Pédro

One piece had a very good blend of hazelnut and almond with a fine crunchy texture. The marzipan was very good; Jacky Pédro brought out the flavor well. He must have sense of humor and self-confidence to label one of his products Le Crottin du Pin. To avoid spoiling your appetite, I will not translate the name, but the piece is a cocoa meringue with a chocolate cream filling. It was nice and very unusual and just a bit bitter. I also strayed from chocolate and tried the Patés de Fruits, which were very good.

Jacky Pédro is just down the street from Glatigny, which was closed during my visit, but I am told you should visit Glatigny while you are in Alençon.

Type: Fine. Price: €29/lb. in 2003. Conclusion: A treasure.

• Store: 39 Grande Rue / 61000 Alençon / France. +33 (0) 2 33 26 00 47.

Jacques Torres chocolates. (Big image.)

Jacques Torres Chocolate

The Pistachio Marzipan and Bandol Breeze (apricot pâte de fruit and marzipan) were too weak for my taste, but most of Jacques Torres’ pieces had both good non-chocolate and chocolate flavors. The Golden Espresso was another very good piece. Mom’s Chocolate Peanut Brittle did not quite work for me, but Grandma’s Chocolate Peanut Butter Crunch was excellent, with a great roasted peanuts flavor and complementing chocolate. In spite of my few quibbles I, most of Torres’ pieces are done to near perfection, and I would class Torres with Burdick. Both are near the same quality. Burdick uses a bit more exotic flavors while Torres takes familiar flavors to great heights.

Type: Fine. Price: $68/lb. in 2011. Chart: Color. Conclusion: Superb chocolate.

• Orders: Web or 1-718-875-9772 or web.
• Store: 66 Water Street / Brooklyn, NY 11201. 1-718-875-9772.
• Store: 285 Amsterdam Aveue / New York, NY 10023. 1-212-787-3256.
• Store: Chocolate Haven / 350 Hudson Street / New York, NY 10014. 1-212-414-2462.

Jean-Paul Hévin Chocolatier

Chocolate Apéritifs au Fromage is chocolate-covered cheese. That was an unusual combination, new to me. The flavors are balanced and modest, but the cheese prevails. The Boîte Gourmande contains plain square wafers of chocolate, Florentins (chocolate cookies, square wafers covered with a honey and nut confection), mendiants (chocolate disks topped with nuts and dried fruit), and chocolate sticks containing candied orange peel. All are good. These are little chocolate delicacies, to be savored. The dried fruit arrived still fresh and full of flavor.

Les Truffes Natures Boîte is a box of truffles. I find most truffles uninteresting and am not attracted to these. However, this is an excellent price for truffles of this type, so I recommend them to those who like truffles.

Two of the boxes contained less than the advertised amounts. The Fromage was 126 grams instead of the 140 claimed, and the Gourmande was 188 instead of 200. My prices per pound are based on the lower amounts. The Truffes was over, 211 grams instead of 200.

Type: Fine. Price: See above. Conclusion: A must in Paris. Shipping is too expensive.

• Orders: Web.
• Stores: Paris, Tokyo, and Hiroshima. Details are here.

K Chocolatier truffles. (Big image.)

K Chocolatier

I also tasted the K Ginger, K Pomegranates, and K Pecan Krisps. While nice, they are not as notable as the truffles.

Type: Fine. Price: $99/lb. in 2012. Conclusion: Worth a try once.

• Orders: 1-310-248-2626.
• Store: 9606 Little Santa Monica Boulevard / Beverly Hills, CA 90210. 1-310-248-2626.
• Store: 3835 Cross Creek Road / Malibu, CA 90265. 1-310-317-0400.
• Store: 19 East 69^th Street / New York, NY 10021. 1-212-861-2111.

Kee’s Chocolates. (Big image.)

Kee’s Chocolates

Type: Fine. Price: $111/lb. in 2012. Chart: Web. Conclusion: Too expensive.

• Store: 80 Thompson Street / New York, NY 10012. 1-212-334-3284.
• Store: 452 Fifth Avenue (inside HSBC) / New York, NY 10018. 1-212-525-6099.

Knipschildt Chocolatier

On the other hand, the pieces from Whole Foods Market were not as impressive. The Elizabeth, Antoinette, and Madeleine were good. The Jeanett had a strong mint flavor that overpowered its white chocolate. The Sophie is marzipan with lemon, which is interesting. I wanted more marzipan, but it was good. Not everything worked. The Valentina is a chewy caramel with lavender. Lavender is aromatic, but that was distracting, and it did not contribute a pleasing flavor. The Patricia certainly had chili but was weak on tangerine. These were fine for grocery store chocolates, but lackluster for the price, $51/lb. The box has drawings illustrating the pieces, but I was unable to match several pieces to the drawings.

Type: Fine. Price: Depends on source. Chart: Drawings (not useful). Conclusion: Purchase directly or from a chocolate store.

• Orders: Web.
• Store: Watts Plaza / 4 New Canaan Avenue / Norwalk, CT. 1-203-435-0895.

Lake Champlain Chocolates

Type: Straddling Fine and Standard. Price: $15-50/lb. in 2007. Shipping: $13. Conclusion: Buy once in a while.

• Orders: 1-800-465-5909 or web.
• Also see web site for retailers in your area.

Lenôtre chocolates. (Big image.)

Lenôtre

The Pistache was very good as a pistachio piece but only a good chocolate. The Surprise Caramel is good and left a nice aftertaste. There are some nice hazelnut pieces.

Type: Fine. Price: €38/lb. in 2003. $58/lb. at Las Vegas in 2004. Conclusion: Good Paris choice for delicate flavors.

• Store: 44 Rue d’Antenil / 75016 Paris / France. +33 (0) 1 45 24 52 52.
• Store: 15 Boulevard de Courcelles / 75008 Paris / France. +33 (0) 1 45 63 87 63. At Villiers station.
• Store: Paris Las Vegas (Bally’s) / 3655 Las Vegas Boulevard South / Las Vegas, NV 89109. 1-702-946-7000.
• See web site for more stores in Paris and worldwide.

Leonidas

Type: Fine. Price: $33/lb. in 2008. €6.2/lb. in 2003 in Bruxelles. Conclusion: Purchase occasionally.

• Web.
• Store: 230 Park Avenue / New York, NY 10169. 1-212-661-4820 and 1-800-603-7320.
• Store: 3 Hanover Square / New York, NY 10004. 1-212-422-9600.
• Store: Rue au Beurre 34 / 1000 Bruxelles / Belgium. +32 (02) 512-8737.
• Check phone books and web site for other stores.

Li-Lac Chocolates

Type: Fine. Price: $39/lb. to 48/lb. in 2004. Conclusion: Stop by when in New York and mail order occasionally.

• Orders: Web or 1-866-898-2462.
• Store: 40 Eighth Avenue (at Jane Street) / New York, NY 10014. 1-212-242-7374.
• Store: Grand Central Terminal / 324 Market Hall / New York, NY 10017. 1-212-370-4866.

Lindt & Sprüngli

Type: Fine declining to Standard. Conclusion: No longer worthwhile.

• Lindt has stores in many New Hampshire and Massachusetts malls.
• This distributor takes orders on-line.
• Factory: One Fine Chocolate Place / Stratham, NH 03885. 1-603-778-8100.
  • Weekdays 9-6, Saturday 9-5.
  • Take Route 95 into New Hampshire. Just at the tollbooths is exit 2, for Route 101. Take 101 west to Route 111. Turn right from exit ramp and take first left. You will pass Hewlett-Packard on the left. Continue to Lindt & Sprüngli at the back.
• Store: Appletree Mall / Route 102 / Londonderry, NH.
  • Monday to Saturday 9-9, Sunday 11-6.
• Public wholesaler: Pearl’s Candy and Nuts / 309 South Broadway / Salem, NH. 1-603-893-9100.
  • Pearl’s has Lindt’s small wrapped truffles at much better prices than retail—$18 for 96 of Lindt’s small wrapped truffles (2.5 pounds). To get there, take I-93 exit 1, go past the mall to the big intersection with South Broadway (Route 28). Turn right and look for Pearl’s in a little plaza on the left where the road changes from divided to undivided.
  • Monday to Wednesday 10-6, Thursday and Friday 10-8, Saturday 10-5.

Maison du Chocolat chocolates. (Big image.)

La Maison du Chocolat

Type: Fine. Price: $112/lb. in US in 2012, varies widely by box selection, cheaper in France. Conclusion: Good in France.

• Orders: Web.
• Store: 1018 Madison Avenue / New York, NY 10021. 1-212-744-7117.
• Store: Carrousel du Louvre / 99 Rue de Rivoli / 75001 Paris / France. +33 (0) 1 42 97 13 50.
• See web site for additional stores.

La Maison du Chocolat Artisanal

It was very warm when I visited Bruxelles, and Maison was the only store in Bruxelles considerate enough of their customer to suggest protecting chocolates from the heat of the day.

Type: Fine. Price: €13/lb. in 2006 in Bruxelles. Conclusion: My favorite shop in Bruxelles.

• Orders: Web.
• Store: Rue Marché-aux-Herbes 67 (a.k.a. Grasmarkt 67) / 1000 Bruxelles / Belgium. +32 (02) 513 78 92.

MarieBelle chocolates. (Big image.)

MarieBelle

MarieBelle’s chocolates have fun designs, but the flavors did almost nothing for me. The Swiss chocolate is a thin shell around the fillings and contributed little to the taste. Good ingredients were used, and the flavors, when I could detect them, were well done. However, even pieces I would expect to have prominent flavors, like the Pineapple or Mandarin, were weak. The Spices piece was good, and the Hazelnut Praline was good except for the slightness of the flavor. I could not recommend these at half the price, let alone the $100/lb. charged.

I also tried the cheaper Croquettes au Chocolat, chocolate given a crunchy texture with buttery European cookies, but they also did almost nothing for me.

MarieBelle sent unsolicited commercial email. Their shipping policy is bad. They pick the shipper and require expensive overnight delivery, charge $32 for less than two pounds, and deny responsibility if you do not stay home to receive the package. The web site does not offer a choice of pieces. My 25-piece box contained duplicates, so that only 14 flavors of the 27 depicted on the chart were in the box.

Warning: I gave MarieBelle a unique email address. Sometime later, I received phishing email sent to that address.

Type: Fine. Price: Chocolates $100/lb., croquettes $37/lb. in 2006. Shipping: $32. Chart: Color. Conclusion: Overpriced and underflavored.

• Orders: Web.
• Store: 484 Broome Street / New York, NY 10013. 1-212-925-6999.
• Store: Lunettes et Chocolat / 25 Prince Street / New York, NY 10012. 1-212-925-8800 or 1-866-925-8800.
• (Corporate name Maribel’s Sweets, Inc.)

La Marquise de Sévigné

Type: Fine. Price: €30/lb. in 2003. Conclusion: Just average for fine Paris chocolate.

• Store: 32 Place de la Madeleine / 75008 Paris / France. +33 (0) 1 42 65 19 47.

Martine’s Chocolates. (Big image.)

Martine’s Chocolates

Glitches detracted from Martine’s service. My apartment number was not put in the shipping address, even though it was confirmed by telephone, so FedEx could not deliver the package, a waste of the shipping fee. (The number might have been written on the top layer, which is torn off, and not copied through to the shipping label beneath.) After I ordered, Martine’s called me to say there was a 50¢ price increase for one of the pieces. I would have suggested honoring the price on their order form, not wasting a phone call, and sending a new form noting the change for future orders. These could be one-time glitches that would not stop me from ordering again.

Type: Fine. Price: $48/lb. preselected, $61/lb. your choice in 2005. Chart: Black and white images. Conclusion: Quite good, preselected is good value.

• Orders: Call either store.
• Orders: Download order form from web site and fax to 1-212-744-3604.
• Store: 400 East 82^nd Street / New York, NY 10028. 1-212-744-6289.
• Store: 6^th Floor, Bloomingdale’s / 1000 Third Avenue / New York, NY. 1-212-705-2347.

Mary Chocolatier

A dark-chocolate hazelnut piece had a light but definite hazelnut flavor. Another piece had yellow marzipan in milk chocolate, but it did not taste like marzipan. I do not know what they were trying for, and it did not do anything for me.

Mary loses points for not labeling the chocolates in their display case or having a brochure, and the person who served me appeared reluctant to describe pieces or help me select according to my tastes.

Type: Fine. Price: €20/lb. in 2003 in Bruxelles. Conclusion: Required stop in Bruxelles.

• Store: Rue Royale 73 / 1000 Bruxelles / Belgium. +32 (02) 217 4500. Near Congress Column.
• 60 East 42^nd Street, Suite 3405 / New York, NY 10165. 1-212-922-0347.
• Orders: www.marychoc.com or www.mary.be.

Epicurean Truffle Assortment.

B.T. McElrath Chocolatier

Type: Fine. Price: $76/lb. in 2011. Chart: Color. Conclusion: Very nice.

• Orders: Web or 1-612-331-8800.
• Address: 2010 East Hennepin Avenue, No. 9 / Minneapolis, MN 55413.
• See web site for list of retailers.

Melt

As with many premium chocolatiers, because of the price I can only recommend sampling a few pieces.

Type: Fine. Price: £54/lb. in 2009. Conclusion: Very nice but very expensive.

• Orders: Web.
• Store: 59 Ledbury Road / Notting Hill / London W11 2AA / United Kingdom. +44 (020) 7727 5030.

Mendocino Chocolate Company

Type: Standard with Fine influence. Conclusion: Mail order once in a long while.

• Orders: Web or email to chocmakr@mendocino-chocolate.com or 1-800-722-1107.
• Store: 10483 Lansing Street / Mendocino, CA. 1-707-937-1107.
• Store: 542 North Main Street (Highway 1) / Fort Bragg, CA. 1-707-964-8800.

Michael Recchiuti

The lemon in the Lemon Verbena seems like an indirect flavor; it is not strong, and it supports the chocolate. The Sesame Nougat is a great piece, a novel combination. Recchiuti’s pieces generally have strong flavors accompanied well. The visual designs are great too.

The hazelnut praline bar is superb, maybe better than my previous favorite, Lake Champlain’s 5-Star Chocolate Bar. I will have to try them side-by-side someday. Some of Recchiuti’s other items did not appeal to me. For example, the brownie dissolves in your mouth wonderfully and was neither too sweet nor too bitter, but it did not have a strong flavor. Similarly, the chocolate-nut bars did not move me.

Select your chocolates from the display case, because the boxed chocolates cost much more than a la carte. Also, my a la carte pieces were full weight, but the box was very slightly underweight (a few percent).

Type: Fine. Price: A la carte $48/lb., boxed $88/lb. in 2004. Chart: Good drawings. Conclusion: Superb.

• Orders: Web or 1-800-500-3396 or 1-415-826-2868.
• Store: Recchiuti Confections / One Ferry Building, #30 / San Francisco, CA 94111. 1-415-834-9494.
• Retailer: Formaggio Kitchen / 244 Huron Avenue / Cambridge, MA 02138-1328.
• See web site for other retail partners.

Michel Cluizel chocolates. (Big image.)

Michel Cluizel

Type: Fine. Price: New York: $80/lb. in 2012. Conclusion: Prefer the Paris store.

• Attraction: Chocolatrium / Avenue de conches / 27240 Damville / France. +33 (0) 2 32 35 20 75.
• Factory: Avenue de conches / 27240 Damville / France. +33 (0) 2 32 35 60 00.
• Store: 584 Fifth Avenue / New York, NY 10036. 1-646-415-9126.
• Store: Chocolat Michel Cluizel / 201 Rue Saint-Honoré / 75001 Paris / France. +33 (0) 1 42 44 11 66. North of the Louvre.
• Retailer: Noble Ingredients / 1602 Hylton Road / Pennsauken, NJ 08110. 1-856-486-9292.

Moonstruck chocolates. (Big image.)

Moonstruck Chocolatier

Moonstruck ought to be better for the price they are charging. However, if you do sample Moonstruck, I recommend trying an assortment spread across Moonstruck’s varied pieces.

Type: Fine. Price: $64/lb. in 2008. Chart: Color. Conclusion: Presentation good but does not stand out in taste.

• Orders: Web and 1-800-557-6666.
• Store: 608 Southwest Alder Street / Portland, OR 97205. 1-503-241-0955.
• See web site for Moonstruck cafés.

Munson’s Chocolates

Type: High end of Standard. Conclusion: Good place to get buttercrunch.

• Orders: Web and 1-888-686-7667.
• See web site for a list of their dozen or so locations in Connecticut.

Neuhaus chocolates. (Big image.)

Neuhaus

Prices might vary by outlet. The $61/lb. I paid at Macy’s in San Francisco in 2008 was too much, but the €17/lb. I paid in Bruxelles in 2003 was a good deal. I do not recommend an expensive Neuhaus box as a gift, but, if you select your preferred pieces at a counter at a good price, Neuhaus is okay.

Type: Fine. Price: $61/lb. in 2008. Chart: Color. Conclusion: Okay when convenient and reasonably priced.

• Store: 922 Madison Avenue / New York, NY 10021. 1-212-861-2800.
• Store: Saks Fifth Avenue, 8^th Floor / 611 Fifth Avenue / New York, NY 10022. 1-212-940-2891.
• Store: ABC, 888 Broadway / New York, NY 10003. 1-212-254-7400.
• Store: 460 Grand Central Terminal / 42^nd Street / New York, NY 10017. 1-212-972-3740.
• Store: 2151 Broadway/ New York, NY 10023. 1-212-712-2112.
• Store: 410 University Street / Seattle, WA 98101 / 1-206-340-1747.
• Store: Pacific Place / 600 Pine Street / Seattle, WA 98101. 1-206-340-1747
• Store: International Plaza, Suite 277 / 2223 North West Shore Boulevard / Tampa, FL 33607. 1-813-354-0010.
• Store: Grand Place 27 / 1000 Bruxelles / Belgium.
• Store: Gallerie de La Reine / 1000 Bruxelles / Belgium. +32 (02) 512-6359.

Nirvana Chocolates

Type: Fine. Conclusion: Mail order once in a long while.

• Orders: Web or email to indulge@nirvanachocolates.com or 1-877-INDULGE (1-877-463-8543, toll-free, Monday to Friday 9-5 Eastern time).

Norman Love Confections

Norman Love box.	Opened box. (Big image.)

However, it is the chocolate that counts here. Norman Love falls short. Although the pieces were visually great, quite polished, and perfectly executed, they did not use chocolate well. Perhaps a third had a good chocolate presence. There were quite good non-chocolate flavors, including peanut butter, pistachio, lime, and pumpkin. The Peanut Butter & Jelly was very good but not good enough to justify putting them in an expensive confection.

The assortment comes with three each of 12 random flavors, unless you enter a particular request when ordering. There were a few pieces I could not match to the chart. My order arrived with cold packs and lots of insulation.

Type: Fine. Price: $86/lb. in 2006. Shipping: $18. Chart: Yes. Conclusion: Beautiful gift but not for chocolate lovers.

• Orders: Web.
• Store: 11380 Lindbergh Boulevard / Fort Myers, FL 33913. 1-239-561-7215.

Notter School & Chocolate Studio

Notter has classes both for professional chefs and for amateurs. See their web site for more information on classes for cakes, chocolate, cookies, breads, and more.

Type: Fine. Price: $39/lb. in 2004. Chart: No. Conclusion: Orlando’s best.

• Store: 8204 Crystal Clear Lane, Suite 1600 / Orlando, FL 32809. 1-407-240-9057.
  • Heading south on US 17-92, cross Sand Lake Road and turn left into access road for Florida Mall. Take first left into plaza facing 17-92.

Francois Payard chocolates. (Big image.)

Payard

Type: Fine. Price: $54/lb. in 2012. Chart: Color. Conclusion: Skip the chocolates.

• Orders: Web.
• Alternate web site: Web.
• Store: 116 West Houston Street / New York, NY 10012. 1-212-995-0888.
• Store: 210 Murray Street / New York, NY 10282. 1-212-566-8300.
• Store: 1 West 58^th Street / New York, NY 10019. 1-212-986-9241.
• See web site for locations in Las Vegas, Japan, and Korea.

Pierre Hermé

The Corso was the most novel piece, combining olive oil, salt, and chocolate. I was skeptical, but the olive oil was presented nicely and worked well with the chocolate. My sensations of the Pietra alternated between the chocolate and hazelnut flavors; they were balanced nicely. Generally, Hermé’s pieces had good chocolate and nice flavors, although I did not agree with all of the balances. I did not taste the caramel or salt very much in the Makassar, and the raspberry in the Ispahan could have been stronger.

Overall, it was a very nice assortment, and the price is good for this quality of chocolates, so I recommend Pierre Hermé strongly. They have shops in Paris and Tokyo and appear to ship only in Europe.

Pierre Hermé provides a full-color chart. It is on a large sheet I was tempted to frame and hang on a wall. Because it is so large, it is cumbersome to use for identifying the chocolates in your box.

Type: Fine. Price: €48/lb. in 2010. Chart: Color. Conclusion: One of the best in Paris.

• Store: 72 Rue Bonaparte / 75006 Paris / France. +33 (0) 1 43 54 47 77.
• Store: 185 Vaugirard/ 75006 Paris / France. +33 (0) 1 47 83 89 96.
• See web site for more stores.

Pierre Marcolini

At Fortnum & Mason in London, I tried another piece by Pierre Marcolini, the Gianduja Citron, and it was good, a nice blend of hazelnut and lemon.

Type: Fine. Price: €23/lb. in 2003 in Bruxelles. Conclusion: Cross the street to Wittamer.

• Orders: Web.
• Store: Place du Grand Sablon 39 / 1000 Bruxelles / Belgium. +32 (02) 514 12 06.
• Additional stores in Antwerpen, Bruxelles, Knokke, Liege, Namur.
• Email: les.chocolates.de.liris@skynet.be.

Planète Chocolat

A hazelnut piece was good and would be okay for the price on its own, but most other pieces, although good quality, left me unmoved. A few pieces are composed well, with good blends of mostly mild flavors.

Type: Fine. Price: €16/lb. in 2003 in Bruxelles. Conclusion: Uneven collection.

• Store: Rue du Lombard 24 / 1000 Bruxelles / Belgium. +32 (02) 511 07 55.
• Email: planetechocolat@skynet.be.

Regis Chocolatier

However, Regis’ collection of chocolate pieces is erratic. I liked some, and I disliked some. Some were nice, some were good, and some were "just chocolate." This is not what I expect from fine chocolate. Overall, the flavors were moderate strength.

Type: Fine. Price: €41/lb. in 2010. Chart: No. Conclusion: Paris has better.

• Store: 89 Rue de Passy / 75016 Paris / France. +33 (0) 1 45 27 70 00.
• Web.

Fruity in pink, Roasted in brown. (Big image.)

Richart

Richart has improved over the years and makes a nice presentation in the store and in the box. Their chocolates are nice but are far from worth the extraordinary price. I purchased a 25-piece box mixed with Fruity and Roasted pieces. The prepared boxes in the store were all Fruity, all Roasted, or all Balsamic, so each has a uniform color, unlike my mixture to the right. Other design elements in the store are nice, such as a shelf display using a lot of white with a little bright color, different in each column of boxes.

Some of the Fruity pieces were excellent, particularly the Mango Passionfruit ganache. The fruit flavor was nicely bittersweet and strong with a good peak, complemented by slightly bitter chocolate. The Lime ganache, Raspberry ganache, and Red Berry bouquet coulis were also quite good with strong fruit flavors. The Orange Zest coulis was very interesting. I had the sensation of flavor in the upper palate versus on the tongue. The Apricot coulis flopped, though; it was weak and not sweet enough for me.

The Roasted pieces were not bad but certainly not the fine works they should be at this price. The caramel in the Caramel coulis was strong, but the Smooth roasted hazelnut praliné was only moderate. I recommend sampling both the Roasted and the Fruity chocolates in the order suggested in the accompanying pamphlet. It does enhance the flavors.

The chocolate in these pieces was subdued. Mostly, I prefer a balance between chocolate and other flavors. In Richart’s pieces, chocolate does not contribute enough for me. Since it was weak, I tasted the chocolate by itself first before biting into a couple of pieces. The chocolate was slightly bitter without a lot of flavor. That is perhaps not unusual for French chocolate (and I prefer Belgian), but, at this price, I want chocolate to knock me over.

I recommend Burdick Chocolate as a better gift and more pleasing to the palate. If you try Richart, sample the larger pieces. The Petits are too small to be appreciated.

Type: Fine. Price: $127/lb. in 2005. Chart: Color. Conclusion: Makes an impressive gift but massively overpriced.

• Orders and information: Web, web, or 1-800-742-4278.
• Limited selection at Gastronomie 491 / 491 Columbus Avenue / New York, NY 10024.
• See web site for stores in Paris and Lyon, including one across the street from Bernachon.

Saratoga Chocolates. (Big image.)

Saratoga Chocolates

In addition, the price is quite high even for Fine chocolates. People who like plain bitter chocolate might try Saratoga Chocolates, but I cannot recommend it.

Type: Fine. Price: $61/lb. in 2006. Chart: Color. Conclusion: Not recommended.

• Orders: Web.
• Store: 14572-B Big Basin Way / Saratoga, CA 95070. 1-408-872-1431.

Schakolad Chocolate Factory

Type: Fine. Price: $25/lb. in 2004. Chart: Color. Conclusion: Okay for the price.

• Store: 480 North Orlando Avenue, #131 (Winter Park Village) / Winter Park, FL 32789. 1-407-677-4114.
• Orders: Web.
• See web site for more stores in the United States, Bahamas, and Israel.

Schoggi Imported Swiss Chocolates

Yerba Buena Lane is a pedestrian-only street, so a GPS or mapping software might balk at leading you there. If so, aim for 760 Market Street.

Type: Fine. Price: $68/lb. in 2008. Conclusion: Possible indulgence, but choose individual pieces.

• Store: 87 Yerba Buena Lane (near 760 Market Street) / San Francisco, CA 94103. 1-415-243-4444.
• Nascent web site has only contact information, no images or ordering.

See’s Candies

(I own stock in See’s parent company, Berkshire Hathaway.)

Type: Standard. Price: $17.50/lb. in 2013. Conclusion: Choose See’s over Ghirardelli when bringing back a gift from a San Francisco trip.

• See web site for orders and stores. Stores are primarily in the western United States, with a few retailers elsewhere.

Seven Sisters Sweet Shop

Type: Standard. Conclusion: Order from occasionally.

• Orders: Web or call toll-free 1-877-585-7835.
• Store: 8711 East Pinnacle Peak / Scottsdale, AZ 85255. 1-480-585-6103.

Stowaway Sweets

Type: Standard with a suggestion of Fine. Conclusion: Good but not easily accessible. Worth mail ordering the pieces above.

• Orders: 1-800-432-0304.
• Store: 154 Atlantic Avenue / Marblehead, MA 01945. 1-781-631-0303.
  • Stowaway is not near a major highway, and the route to them is complicated. The easiest description is to take Route 128 to the exit for Route 129 near Route 1 and Saugus, not the more western exit near I-93 and Woburn. Then watch for Route 129 signs and follow all the turns to Marblehead. When you get to Marblehead, Route 129 is Atlantic Avenue, and Stowaway is on the right shortly after Ocean Avenue.

Swan Chocolates

Swan’s chocolates straddle the Standard and Fine types. They are the best of the Standard type, and some cross into Fine.

Type: See above. Price: $26/lb. in 2003. Conclusion: Recommended.

• Orders: 1-800-490-7926.
• Store: 501 Daniel Webster Highway / Merrimack, NH 03054. 1-603-423-5950.

Sweet On Vermont Artisan Confections

May 2013: Sweet on Vermont never shippped a web order I placed. They answered an initial email I sent about it and promised to ship but did not ship or answer the next two messages I sent.

Type: Fine. Conclusion: (Prior to service problem) Recommended for yourself or a gift.

• Orders: Web or 1-800-862-5814.
• Mail: 48 Sky Drive / Burlington, VT 05401.

The Fourteener. (Big image.)

Telluride Truffle

By and large, the truffles are nice. In the Class 5, the chocolate led, and the raspberry was a good partner. The Black Diamond made good use of chocolate. The Rocky Top had a mild pleasant coffee flavor. The Powder Day was a good firm white chocolate. Mostly the strengths were medium, although the hazelnut was weak in the milk chocolate Mud Season.

The truffles are packaged in a row, as in the above image (which unfortunately does not convey the triangular shapes well), in a triangular box. A mild drawback is that the box unfolds and opens flat, which is not convenient for holding the remaining truffles until you can eat them. I recommend trying Telluride once. The price is a bit high, although the reasonable shipping price partly compensates for that.

Type: Fine. Price: $59/lb. in 2006. Shipping: $9. Chart: Color. Conclusion: Entertaining, a bit overpriced.

• Orders: Web or 1-866-543-0108.
• Store: 101 Elkhorn Court / Telluride, CO 81435. 1-970-728-9565.

Teuscher

My 2005 purchase in San Francisco was slightly underweight. The chocolate felt powdery to me. The Ground Orange Gianduja was good, with orange pervading the piece, and the Hazelnut Gianduja was okay. However, the Marzipan and Honey Crunch were lackluster, and the Buttercrunch Chip was a bit dry. The weight of my 2006 Palo Alto purchase was correct. The White Gianduja was pretty good, medium-strength hazelnut flavor with some crunch.

Type: Fine. Price: $66/lb. in 2006. Conclusion: Okay for Swiss fans. For others, their high quality is not as high as their price. Use Burdick instead.

• Store: 230 Newbury Street / Boston, MA. 1-617-536-1922. Web.
• Store: 307 Sutter Street / San Francisco, CA 94108. 1-415-834-0850.
• Store: Stanford Shopping Center / Palo Alto, CA 94304. 1-650-384-0916.
• See web site for other stores around the world.

Tom and Sally’s Handmade Chocolates

Guided factory tours are offered for a small fee at 10 and 2 except Sundays.

Type: Both Fine and Standard. Price: $38/lb. in 2004. Chart: No. Conclusion: Try it when passing by.

• Orders: 1-800-827-0800 or email to tom@tomandsallys.com.
• Store: 485 West River Road (Route 30) / Brattleboro, VT 05302. 1-802-254-4200.
  • Monday to Saturday 10-5, Sunday in peak season.

The Truffle Shop

Among the non-alcoholic truffles, the Black Forest has a wonderful cherry flavor, and the raspberry cream is a strong puree of fresh raspberries. The peanut butter is weaker. The filling is like a dense whipped cream with a light peanut butter flavor. A thicker center might be better, and the chopped peanut decorations interfere with the flavor.

I delayed sampling The Truffle Shop because the prices and shipping costs are so high, amounting to $7 per 1.3-ounce truffle when six truffles are ordered. The amaretto truffle may have been worth the experience once in a lifetime, but I have to say the rest are overpriced. The $25.50 cost for six truffles includes wonderful packaging: a nice gift wrap on the box, individually wrapped truffles in hand-assembled cups and wraps and rings. The presentation is exquisite. The $15.95 shipping paid for two-day FedEx, styrofoam packaging, and an unnecessary gel refrigerant in January, with no cheaper option available.

Still, you can customize an order to pick the best flavors, so you might want to try The Truffle Shop once.

Type: Fine. Price: $51/lb. in 2002. Conclusion: Experience once, give as a gift once.

• Orders: Web or 1-800-366-3538.
• Store: 408 Broad Street / Nevada City, CA 95959. 1-530-265-3539.

Valentino chocolates. (Big image.)

Valentino Chocolatier

A few pieces have a little alcohol. The Amaretto was nice, just a touch of alcohol flavor, and the amaretto flavor was nice, mild to medium in strength, and worked well with the chocolate.

Although a color chart was provided, I was unable to identify some pieces, and there seemed to be some mismatches. For example, the piece I matched to the Montreal picture, which should have orange ganache, tasted of hazelnut.

Type: Fine. Price: $38/lb. in 2006. Chart: Color. Conclusion: Okay.

• Orders: Web.
• Store: 81 Fortune Drive, #115 / Irvine, CA 92618. 1-949-788-0668.

Buttercrunch and peanut butter cups. (Big image.)

Varsano’s Chocolates

In any other city, Varsano’s would be a regular stop, but of course there is so much competition in New York City that Varsano’s will have difficulty being noticed, especially with the nearby Li-Lac Chocolates.

Type: Standard. Price: Chocolates $21/lb., truffles $25/lb. in 2006. Conclusion: Worth a visit, and one of the best marzipans available.

• Orders: 1-800-414-4718.
• Store: 179 West 4^th Street / New York, NY 10014. 1-212-352-1171.

Vosges Exotic Truffles. (Big image.)

Vosges Haut-Chocolat

The Xocatyl is a milk chocolate truffle with vanilla and an interesting texture, just a bit of friction in a smooth filling.

I cannot recommend Vosges, largely due to the extravagant pricing. Additionally, several boxes I purchased in 2006 were greatly underweight (13.1 ounces versus 16). The discrepancy in 2012 was much smaller but still measurable.

Type: Fine. Price: $95/lb. in 2012. Conclusion: Too mild and overpriced.

• Orders: Web or 1-888-301-9866.
• Store: The Shops at North Bridge / 520 North Michigan Avenue / Chicago, IL 60611. 1-312-644-9450.
• Store: The Peninsula Hotel / 108 East Superior / Chicago, IL 60611. 1-312-355-9858.

Wittamer

Wittamer also has a café at Place du Grand Sablon 12.

Type: Fine. Price: €21/lb. in 2003 in Bruxelles. Conclusion: Very good.

• Store: Place du Grand Sablon 6 / 1000 Bruxelles / Belgium. +32 (02) 512-3742.
• Web.

Woodhouse Chocolate. (Big image.)

Woodhouse Chocolate

The Raspberry Chambord had a very nice flavor in a very light mousse. The Pistachio is a novel blend of pistachio and gianduja (hazelnut chocolate) and was quite good.

The Quatre Epices was well balanced blend of four spices. Wild Cherry had a nice piquant cherry flavor the first time I tried it but was milder on a later occasion. The Praline Noisette was good with a sharp hazelnut flavor, and the Mocha Cream was good, but some of the other gianduja pieces were mild or weak. The Honey had mild flavors with not much honey shining through. The cinnamon of the Cinnamon Toast was present but stood alone, not partnering well with the chocolate.

The toffee was sweet even for my sweet tooth but good.

Type: Fine. Price: $85/lb. in 2008, toffee $61/lb. Chart: Color. Conclusion: Very good.

• Orders: Web or 1-800-966-3468.
• Store: 1367 Main Street / Saint Helena, CA 94574. 1-800-966-3468

XOX truffles. (Big image.)

XOX Truffles

These truffles are bite-size, so you can get 20 truffles in just 4 ounces, allowing you to sample every variety. They are generally very good, with strong chocolate flavors and nice blends. The packaging is simple; the truffles are in a single plastic bag in a box.

I definitely recommend XOX Truffles at the in-store price, but the online price is only for fans.

Type: Fine. Price: $40/lb. (in store), $80/lb. (online) in 2008. Shipping: $20. Chart: No. Conclusion: Quite good.

• Web.
• Store: 754 Columbus Avenue / San Francisco, CA 94133. 1-415-421-4814.

© Copyright 1996 by Eric Postpischil.