Chocolate research, or maybe just self-indulgence

[redbird]

I have a $90 windfall from the company super bowl pool (which was as random as a raffle ticket), and various people have suggested I spend it on chocolate.

The question then became, What kind of chocolate?

We are not actually short of chocolate, but it seems like it might be fun to spend it on new and different chocolate. New to me, that is. The current stock is Green and Black dark, cherry, and Maya Gold; Cote d'Or Noir de Noir; and a bar of milk chocolate with dried tomatoes that I ought to open already.

I'm looking for recommendations: either things I can reasonably pick up in my normal travels (which basically means New York City, and Cambridge, Somerville, or Arlington, Mass., or possibly downtown Madison or bits of Montreal) or that the company will ship to me. This can be anything from the small net-based business to a commercial bar I haven't tried yet.

If I follow your recommendation, I'm going to try to find a way to give you a share, so if it's something you don't eat yourself but think I would like (e.g., your ex-roommate's favorite), say so.

I tend to prefer dark chocolate, but will consider milk (white "chocolate" doesn't count).

I have a few dislikes that limit things. I don't like coffee or mint. I don't want peanut butter, almonds, or whole hazelnuts (I do like walnuts and pecans). And I don't want anything that is filled with actual liqueur, or that tastes more of alcohol than chocolate, but liqueurs as flavorings can be good.

I can and will eat dairy, but if something is completely non-dairy, that has advantages, so please say so.

Comments

[jesse_the_k]

If you haven't already, do give Divine bars a try. After a grueling tasting binge of ten super-darks, it's my favorite. Fair trade, coop from field to vendor. Quite creamy, with nice fruity notes. Can't speak to their truffles.

And when it comes to truffles, freshness matters. We're blessed by local Gail Ambrosius*. Her truffles are ... well, they're so intense (and generously sized) that I usually share one with a friend. Her cinnamon/cayenne truffles are amazing: one doesn't taste individual flavors, but a exciting marriage. Just thinking about her salty chocolate-covered caramels makes me drool a little. Gail is also the de facto official WisCon chocolatier—any honored guest gets a box of her truffles. I haven't tried her bars but I bet they're also tasty.

Finally, there's a new player in town, TerraSource chocolates. They're somewhere between milk** and dark, and they come in very pretty shapes. Tea-flavor chocolates don't do much for me. The cranberry walnut is delicious, and should be a mandatory replacement for fruitcake everywhere.

Writing this post has encouraged me to do some more research. Oh dear!

*Yes, that's her real name.
** they are all vegan

[firecat]

In my not particularly informed opinion, this is the best chocolate ever. They are based in Santa Cruz and they ship.

http://www.donnellychocolates.com/

It's not clear to me whether their dark chocolate is dairy-free, but they seem to have non-dairy options for truffle fillings.

[voidampersand]

My favorite chocolatier is Candinas in Madison. They make small truffles that are creative and interesting but not "edgy". To me they represent the perfection of chocolate as both an art form and a comfort food. The factory is about 10 miles away from the center of town. The last time I was at WisCon, a couple of years ago, they had a small store right on the Capitol Square.

Donnelly is really good. I really like his Chinese 5-spice chocolate bark, chipotle chocolate bark, and dark chocolates filled with intense ginger syrup. A lot of bold flavors.

I can also second the recommendation for Tcho made over on your LJ. They make different kinds of dark chocolate where each kind emphasizes a different component of the chocolate flavor profile. In other words, they take chocolate geekiness to a whole new level. But their product is good quality and it is worth tasting the different flavors to see what they're like.

[wild_irises]

Coming late.

In November, pokershaman and I toured Theo, in Seattle, the only organic chocolate company in the U.S. They ship.

[txanne.livejournal.com]

Montreal! You know about Juliette et Chocolat, right? And there's another artisanal chocolate maker there that papersky pointed me to: they make dark chocolate with Earl Grey tea in. I thought I'd died and gone to heaven. Naturally, I've forgotten their name.

[redbird]

I think I tried to go there once but it was Saturday night and there was a long line and there were too many of us.

But I do need to get back to Suite 88 next time I'm anywhere nearby.

[txanne.livejournal.com]

Oh my goodness, a reason to go to Montreal. Whatever will you do? :-)

[r-ness.livejournal.com]

I was just going to put in a word for Juliette et Chocolat, too. We went on a Sunday early afternoon last time and there was no real wait.

[sbisson.livejournal.com]

Get some Tcho. It's really good stuff from SF (and available in Whole Foods and big Starbuck. The idea is to treat chocolate beans like good grapes...

[athenais.livejournal.com]

I second this, having been to their tasting room recently. It's all dark chocolate and all of it is yummy.

[treadpath.livejournal.com]

Our favorite is Eclat Chocolate (www.eclatchocolate.com). His (Chocolatier Christopher Curtin) caramels (especially the ginger caramels) are the best we've ever had. They're bite-sized round things, usually with a tiny bit of sea salt sprinkled on top. The filling is liquid, not chewy, caramel, and the best thing about them is that, ultimately, it is all about the chocolate. The caramel complements the flavor of the chocolate without overpowering it--the chocolate isn't just a shell to hold the filling. We generally like the caramels best (the ginger, calvados, pear, and regular) and also the vanilla truffle and the champagne truffle. I generally prefer milk chocolate. Tamsin and Mark prefer dark, and also recommend the truffles. I like the hot chocolate sticks, the single-origin mendiants are also delicious. The guy who makes them is insanely interesting too; we always end up having interesting conversations with him when we go into the shop, on subjects from the chemistry of chocolate to politics to travel and fairly traded food.

Oh, and if he's still offering the rose caramels that he created special for Valentine's Day, those are amazing! :)

[saoba.livejournal.com]

A local to me, small batch gourmet chocolate maker. I'm partial to his truffles but they're all good. And he ships.


http://www.burstschocolates.com/

[saoba.livejournal.com]

Jumping back in to add- http://polidorichocolates.com/

A friend's startup- I'm partial to the Seven Deadly Sins Truffles.

[jenett]

Browsing in Cardullo's in Harvard Square might be fun - they have all sorts of interesting chocolates. (A care package from a friend there had several, including one that was dark chocolate, plums, and bacon, which was fabulous - she also sent a cherry marizpan chocolate thing. Both were from a German chocolate maker whose name I unfortunately forget.)

[nancylebov.livejournal.com]

So that's where Polidori ended up. Their chocolates are wonderful, and so are their marshmallows.

I just discovered Antoine Amrani (http://www.antoineamrani.com/)-- small truffles, very nice, and a little sweet-- I can enjoy very dark chocolates, but occasionally it's nice to not be challenged to prove what an up-to-the-challenge-of-bitter adult I am.

John and Kira's Chocolates (http://www.johnandkiras.com)-- their dark chocolate ladybugs are very intense. I've heard good things about their stuffed figs.

And Vosges (www.VosgesChocolate.com) is very nice, especially their bacon chocolate bars. They also make flying pigs, but I haven't tried them.

[elusis.livejournal.com]

I highly recommend trying some of the Vosges bars (http://www.vosgeschocolate.com/category/exotic_candy_bars). I'm particularly fond of the Red Fire Bar, and the Oaxaca is also good but lacks the cinnamon. I did not think the wasabi bar lived up to its promise, but the coconut curry did.

I have not had the one with cardamom, walnuts, and dried plums but I certainly intend to.

And of course there is the bacon bar, which you will almost certainly like if you like that sort of thing (I have had it in the dark version which is always my choice anyhow.)

[elusis.livejournal.com]

I can also recommend local folks Charles Chocolates (http://www.charleschocolates.com/online-store/). I had a tour of their place in Emeryville, which sadly it seems they've discontinued, having moved into SF (rats). I can attest that their tea-infused chocolates really do taste of the respective teas, and their fleur de sel caramels are quite nice as are their orange and lemon marzipan and the ginger and honey lavender truffles.

[ashnistrike.livejournal.com]

If you can afford the boxed collections, the Vosges truffles are even better quality than the bars. This is because they aren't intended to last on the shelf; they suggest eating them within ten days, and you mostly can't get them a la carte outside of Illinois. My favorites are the candied violet, the curry (Naga), and the Taleggio Cheese from the Italian box.

Vosges differs from other spiced chocolates in the sheer quality of the chocolate. I do not know what dread bargains they've made, but clearly some dark magic is afoot.

[daharyn.livejournal.com]

It would be a hike for you (as it was for me) but there are two vendors at the Brooklyn Flea: nunu chocolates (http://www.nunuchocolates.com/) (also with Atlantic Ave storefront) and Fine & Raw (http://www.fineandraw.com/), which has a most intriguing flavor (and is dairy-free, I believe). In both cases I have gravitated towards the raspberry items, since I'm a big fruit+chocolate person; both were quite good. I believe the latter also sells to stores in Manhattan, which might make it easier to find.

[mjlayman.livejournal.com]

Chocolaterie Wanders (http://www.chocolateriewanders.com/) is about a mile from me. When they first opened a couple years ago, I got a box to see how they were, and they're very good. The husband is from Germany and they both have a lot of formal training.

I like the chocolates enough that I frequently use them for gifts, although I still get them for myself sometimes.

They've been featured (http://www.chocolateriewanders.com/in_the_news.php) in a lot of publications.

[rushthatspeaks.livejournal.com]

L.A. Burdick's is on Brattle Street in Harvard Square, and I have never had anything from them that wasn't brilliant; I particularly recommend the cocoa mixes, the chocolate mice, and anything flavored with honey. They also have a very good line in chocolate-dipped fruit, although that is more fruit-centered than chocolate.

[adrian-turtle.livejournal.com]

I second the recommendation for Burdick's, though I no longer eat their stuff myself. They do a lot of fancy truffles, which means buttercream, and often liqueurs. They make hot chocolate that is more intensely chocolately than Suite 88 (which seemed to emphasize richness more than chocolate, yet many people tasted it and spoke of being overwhelmed by how much chocolate was in every sip.) If you'd like to go there some weekend, I'd be happy to take you.

[dcseain.livejournal.com]

Hi, nancylebov referred me to this post. May i recommend the single-bean varietal series from Chocolates El Rey (http://www.chocolateselrey.com/)? I think they're a real treat, and they make one of the very few white chocolates i'm willing to ingest other than to be polite.