Any chocolate lovers out there? (Full Version)

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mistermaster111 -> Any chocolate lovers out there? (12/14/2007 6:22:13 AM)

My sub loves chocolate, so I want to get her some for [GIFT GIVING WINTER HOLIDAY]. My problem is that it all tastes the same to me, but she's got a more sensitive taste for it. Can any of you reccommend a brand so that I can order some online? She uses words like "rich" and "smooth", if that's any help.



kyraofMists -> RE: Any chocolate lovers out there? (12/14/2007 6:47:21 AM)

What kind of chocolate?  Milk, white, dark, extra dark, black...

My personal preference is for black chocolate from Cote d'Or Mignonnettes Black of Black made in Belgium, and I am quite picky about that.  I find most other dark or black chocolates to be too bitter.

Knight's Kyra




mistermaster111 -> RE: Any chocolate lovers out there? (12/14/2007 7:03:23 AM)

It looks dark to me. Though I think she gets Dove bars too.



KatyLied -> RE: Any chocolate lovers out there? (12/14/2007 7:05:44 AM)

I like white chocolate.  But as we've discussed here, it's not really chocolate.




MsSonnetMarwood -> RE: Any chocolate lovers out there? (12/14/2007 7:33:53 AM)

Dove has either dark or milk chocolate - both are pretty good.   You could just go for Godiva truffles, which are widely available and reasonably good.   For bar chocolate, Valrhona is really wonderful.



samboct -> RE: Any chocolate lovers out there? (12/14/2007 7:57:17 AM)

Let me throw out a couple of pointers-

(and yes, I'm a chocoholic- I also bake with the stuff- and no, I don't give out recipes)

1) Price is no guide whatsoever.  Except maybe to how fancy the box will be.  Trader Joes has some very nice Belgian Bittersweet chocolate bars at $3/lb that I'll put up against Ghiradelli/Lindt etc at $10/lb- and Godiva at a lot more than that.  Trader Joes chocolate covered raisins, peanuts, peanut butter cups etc are an excellent value in general- but it doesn't come in snazzy packaging.  The snazzier packages often have lower quality goods at higher prices at that store.
2)  Ignore mass market chocolate such as Hershey's, Nestle, Cadbury, Tobler etc.
3)  Chocolate varies from country to country.  A Twix bar in the UK is actually quite edible, a US bar is not- hence Europeans have different experiences with their brands than we do.
4)  Often chocolatiers reputation outlasts their chocolate.  Godiva used to make a halfway decent milk chocolate that was pricey 20 years ago, the stuff today isn't close- and it's still pricey for a decent chocolate.  Lindt or Perugina is a better value- but here's the rub- the suppliers differ dramatically.  Chocolate doesn't age well so you're looking for freshness and preferably European manufacture, and I have no way to tell.  A good chunk of Callebaut is going to be cheaper and better though- and with apologies to Kyra- it'll be better than the Cote d'Or as well. 
5)  The current trend is single source chocolate from exotic locales in snazzy wrapping, or organic chocolates.  Don't touch the stuff, nothing I've had is much better than M + Ms- and some of it's a lot worse- bearing a distinct resemblance to cardboard.  While there may actually be some decent stuff out there- the garbage being sold far outweighs it- bad odds.
6)  For a nice present, I'd pick a good shop online.  You can get decent handmade chocolate starting at $15 a pound, some better stuff is closer to $25 a pound.  (These are things like turtles, truffles, or nut/chocolate blends.)  Don't bother going higher than that-odds are you'll get taken.  (Some French chocolates are just outtasight, but that was 15 years ago, and I was visiting.  Don't know if what's available mail order comes close- and it won't be cheap.)  Don't buy chocolate covered fruit online- chocolate covered strawberries are best done yourself.

As an online suggestion- try www.lazarschocolates.com  they're in Long Island, and although it's been a few years, they had some very nice chocolate when I was in their shop.  There may be cheaper and better out there, but I wouldn't know who to tell you to trust.

There's also a truffle shop in Boston's Prudential Center- get their own stuff (most of what they stock is reselling, and their own stuff was better) and that was on the $15/lb end of things- but I don't remember the name.  You might not do too badly just finding a local shop- part of the fun can be exploring.

Just remembered- a better option- try www.jacquestorres.com they're in NYC and they have dynamite chocolate reasonably priced- their milk chocolate is some of the best I've had.


Hope this helps

Sam



Gardenista -> RE: Any chocolate lovers out there? (12/14/2007 8:09:28 AM)

Dear samboct,

Due to the wonderful informative post detailing your chocolate expertise, you officially rock.

Anybody who devotes several paragraphs to their love of chocolate is just okay in my book. ;)




BBBTBW -> RE: Any chocolate lovers out there? (12/14/2007 8:10:22 AM)

You said she likes DOVE...Dove comes in a few different forms.  Why don't you get creative and make her a DOVE CHOCOLATE BASKET.  Milk and Dark.  Stick with what you know she likes.



pahunkboy -> RE: Any chocolate lovers out there? (12/14/2007 8:18:42 AM)

im drinking chocalate tourffle coffee. and you know what? i deserve it



sambamanslilgirl -> RE: Any chocolate lovers out there? (12/14/2007 8:19:36 AM)

every year i treat myself to a box of Godiva chocolates even though they are expensive depending on the box size i get.  recently, i've discovered Ethel's Chocolate Lounge (http://www.ethelschocolate.com/).  they have quite of a good collection and selection of chocolates.



samboct -> RE: Any chocolate lovers out there? (12/14/2007 8:25:10 AM)

Thanks Gardenista

After writing that- I had to get a nibble.  You know how it goes....

Sam



Lucylastic -> RE: Any chocolate lovers out there? (12/14/2007 8:28:26 AM)

I bow to sambocts knowledge:) wow gonna search some of that out, thanks

for myself, If someone buys me a bag of lindor truffles, they rule the world. But anything made by Lindt or Suchard(dark dark chocolate) works nicely. Im partial to english chocolate(galaxy and milky bar) and belgian white chocolate.
mmmmmmmm yum
Lucy



soultoshare -> RE: Any chocolate lovers out there? (12/14/2007 10:34:42 AM)

Godiva truffles.......mmmmmmmmm!!!!  Some wonderful co-workers bought me some, it took me over a month to eat them, they were so rich!  The only thing close was this shop in Buffalo, NY called the Sweet tooth.......don't know if they ship, but try googling them.  Also, Harry and David has some good stuff.....I love their Moose Crunch bars...i think that's what they call them...dark chocolate, popcorn, nuts..mmmmmmmmmm....I know H&D have a website.

Lucky her!



MsSonnetMarwood -> RE: Any chocolate lovers out there? (12/14/2007 11:08:29 AM)

quote:

ORIGINAL: samboct

Let me throw out a couple of pointers-

(and yes, I'm a chocoholic- I also bake with the stuff- and no, I don't give out recipes)

1) Price is no guide whatsoever.  Except maybe to how fancy the box will be.  Trader Joes has some very nice Belgian Bittersweet chocolate bars at $3/lb that I'll put up against Ghiradelli/Lindt etc at $10/lb- and Godiva at a lot more than that.  Trader Joes chocolate covered raisins, peanuts, peanut butter cups etc are an excellent value in general- but it doesn't come in snazzy packaging.  The snazzier packages often have lower quality goods at higher prices at that store.


For large bar chocolate, Trader Joe's Pounder Plus bars (either dark or bittersweet) is definately the way to go.  I bake a lot as well, and that's all I'll use, except for Valrhona which makes a dark chocolate mousse that is unparalleled.   Try rough chopping it as well to use in place of chocolate chips in cookies (and add a little Godiva chocolate liquor to the batter).   The scuttlebutt is that Callebaut actually makes the Trader Joe's bars, which explains the quality.   Regardless, for the price, it's definately the best to use for baking.  I just bought 10 bars to get me through holiday baking yesterday. mmmmmm...

quote:


2)  Ignore mass market chocolate such as Hershey's, Nestle, Cadbury, Tobler etc.


For sure, although Cadbury always has a soft spot in my heart.  See below :-)
quote:



3)  Chocolate varies from country to country.  A Twix bar in the UK is actually quite edible, a US bar is not- hence Europeans have different experiences with their brands than we do.


Keep in mind that regulations around milk pastuerization is different in Europe than the US, and that actually can make a marked difference in the chocolate.  When we were kids, my dad (who is English) used to go to Europe on business frequently, and was required to bring back Cadbury's, because what you could get in the US wasn't nearly as good.  I still try to buy imported Cadbury's products - even in the middle of a rural area, there are 2 places I can reliably get them.  You do have to watch the dates though.  

quote:


4)  Often chocolatiers reputation outlasts their chocolate.  Godiva used to make a halfway decent milk chocolate that was pricey 20 years ago, the stuff today isn't close- and it's still pricey for a decent chocolate.  Lindt or Perugina is a better value- but here's the rub- the suppliers differ dramatically.  Chocolate doesn't age well so you're looking for freshness and preferably European manufacture, and I have no way to tell.  A good chunk of Callebaut is going to be cheaper and better though- and with apologies to Kyra- it'll be better than the Cote d'Or as well. 


While I agree that most of Godiva's regular chocolates are more hype than substance, I do think really like their truffles.  Rocky Mountain are good too.  Buy TJ's ifn you want a chunk of Callebaut. 

quote:


5)  The current trend is single source chocolate from exotic locales in snazzy wrapping, or organic chocolates.  Don't touch the stuff, nothing I've had is much better than M + Ms- and some of it's a lot worse- bearing a distinct resemblance to cardboard.  While there may actually be some decent stuff out there- the garbage being sold far outweighs it- bad odds.


Mass market chocolate is still mass market chocolate, no matter what the origins  -  I haven't had much of the "single origin" type, but a Hershey bar to me is still a Hershey bar - I'm not going to bother with it.  

quote:


6)  For a nice present, I'd pick a good shop online.  You can get decent handmade chocolate starting at $15 a pound, some better stuff is closer to $25 a pound.  (These are things like turtles, truffles, or nut/chocolate blends.)  Don't bother going higher than that-odds are you'll get taken.  (Some French chocolates are just outtasight, but that was 15 years ago, and I was visiting.  Don't know if what's available mail order comes close- and it won't be cheap.)  Don't buy chocolate covered fruit online- chocolate covered strawberries are best done yourself.

Hope this helps

Sam


Sam, we're going to have to barter chocolate torte recipes sometime ;-)



ghitaPVH -> RE: Any chocolate lovers out there? (12/14/2007 11:14:49 AM)

I was gonna vote for lindt...

although honestly, I prefer to find some place that makes old fashioned fudge...so much better and more rich than the chocolate boxed candies....



proudsub -> RE: Any chocolate lovers out there? (12/14/2007 11:46:53 AM)

I like the Lindt 85% cocoa bars because they are very low in sugar without using artificial sweetners.[:)]



DomMeinCT -> RE: Any chocolate lovers out there? (12/14/2007 12:03:48 PM)

Ghiradelli chocolate is good quality, and easy to find in grocery stores:  http://www.ghirardelli.com/.  The dark chocolate squares with caramel are amazing.

Droste chocolates are a little harder to find, but also excellent.  Trader Joe's carries them.






JohnSteed1967 -> RE: Any chocolate lovers out there? (12/14/2007 5:01:03 PM)

quote:

ORIGINAL: kyraofMists

What kind of chocolate?  Milk, white, dark, extra dark, black...

My personal preference is for black chocolate from Cote d'Or Mignonnettes Black of Black made in Belgium,


Cote d'Or is the BEST stuff in the world that is Heroin in the form of Chocolate. I pefer the Milk though!



batshalom -> RE: Any chocolate lovers out there? (12/14/2007 6:04:05 PM)

You can never EVER go wrong with truffles by Joseph Schmidt.



MissMagnolia -> RE: Any chocolate lovers out there? (12/14/2007 6:09:18 PM)

If it isn't from Belgium, it's not excellent chocolate.

My name is Magnolia and I am a chocoholic.



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