February 2008
Choicest chocolates
SWEET TREATS Candinas (left) and Norman Love were especially tasty.
Retailers predict robust chocolate sales for this Valentine’s Day, and if you wonder why, take a look at the calendar. When
February 14 falls on a Tuesday, Wednesday, or Thursday (as in 2008), sales of chocolate increase, says Susan Fussell, a spokeswoman
for the National Confectioners Association. When it lands on another day, lovebirds are more apt to dine out, see a show,
or take a vacation.
Our tests show that if you’re looking for the best treat for a sweet-loving sweetie, you might need to spend almost as much as for those other options. The top chocolates cost $42 to $97 per box of 12 to 26 ounces, and that’s before adding $8 to $35 for shipping. (Next-day delivery might be required because many of the candies have a short shelf life.) More than half of the chocolates that have made our list for the past two years have risen in price, anywhere from $1 to $16 a box. (Energy and dairy costs are among the culprits.) Many of the products are sold in boutiques; all are available online or by phone.
The good news is that the best super-premium chocolates (industry speak for those costing $24 or more per pound) are really, really good—extremely fresh, with smooth, even-melting chocolate; flavors of cream, butter, and vanilla; and fruit fillings and herbal infusions that taste like the real deal, not extracts or concentrates. They’re nothing like Whitman’s, Hershey’s, or Russell Stover chocolates, which typically sell for less than $10 a box. Those tended to have cloying sweetness; artificial flavors; a dry, chalky, or gritty texture; low chocolate flavor; or stale nuts.
Among newly tested products that made our cut: Nonnie’s, which is excellent, and Charles Chocolates and Theo, which are among the very good choices we’ve listed in the Ratings (available to subscribers). Three of the very good options are CR Best Buys.
CR’s take. There’s a box to delight most any chocoholic. Find out how your beloved feels about dark, milk, or white chocolate; nuts; and fillings such as passion fruit or chili pepper. Then use the descriptions in the Ratings (available to subscribers) to choose.
Our tests show that if you’re looking for the best treat for a sweet-loving sweetie, you might need to spend almost as much as for those other options. The top chocolates cost $42 to $97 per box of 12 to 26 ounces, and that’s before adding $8 to $35 for shipping. (Next-day delivery might be required because many of the candies have a short shelf life.) More than half of the chocolates that have made our list for the past two years have risen in price, anywhere from $1 to $16 a box. (Energy and dairy costs are among the culprits.) Many of the products are sold in boutiques; all are available online or by phone.
The good news is that the best super-premium chocolates (industry speak for those costing $24 or more per pound) are really, really good—extremely fresh, with smooth, even-melting chocolate; flavors of cream, butter, and vanilla; and fruit fillings and herbal infusions that taste like the real deal, not extracts or concentrates. They’re nothing like Whitman’s, Hershey’s, or Russell Stover chocolates, which typically sell for less than $10 a box. Those tended to have cloying sweetness; artificial flavors; a dry, chalky, or gritty texture; low chocolate flavor; or stale nuts.
Among newly tested products that made our cut: Nonnie’s, which is excellent, and Charles Chocolates and Theo, which are among the very good choices we’ve listed in the Ratings (available to subscribers). Three of the very good options are CR Best Buys.
CR’s take. There’s a box to delight most any chocoholic. Find out how your beloved feels about dark, milk, or white chocolate; nuts; and fillings such as passion fruit or chili pepper. Then use the descriptions in the Ratings (available to subscribers) to choose.
