Best chocolate

Consumer Reports magazine: February 2012

If Whitman's or Russell Stover chocolates won't do for Valentine's Day (and our expert tasters found those merely so-so), you can opt for one of the excellent choices in the Ratings, culled from nearly three dozen products our experts tried. To describe them, these typically techie tasters resorted to words like "amazing," "artistic-looking," and "extraordinary."

They tend to have ultrasmooth chocolate and high-quality fillings that range from the usual (nuts, caramel) to the exotic (chili pepper, star anise). The downside: prices of $26 to $90 per box—$3 to $6.88 per ounce. You must buy most of the chocolates online unless there's a boutique nearby, and shipping cost us another $18 to $36 per box. Ouch. Below, we've listed tasty alternatives that are good values.

High price, it turns out, doesn't guarantee high quality. The priciest box, Richart Petits Collection Intense Ballotin, $8.38 per ounce and $23 for shipping, isn't among our recommended chocolates. Some of its pieces, tasters said, seem made for shock value (soapy, floral, and basil flavors?), and its chocolate coatings are chalky.

A big name doesn't ensure high quality, either. Hershey's Pot of Gold Premium, Lindt Classics, Whitman's Sampler and its pricier Soho, Russell Stover Assorted Fine Chocolates and Private Reserve, and Fannie May Fine Chocolates Assorted all have flaws that left them no better than good overall. Among the minuses in one or more: little chocolate flavor, artificial flavors, too-sweet fillings, and waxy or chalky chocolate. Ranked last and just fair overall, was Maggie Lyon Assorted Chocolates Everyday Collection, $1.44 per ounce. Its pieces are chalky, gritty, or hard.

Bottom line. Any chocolates in the Ratings would make a very special gift. Some are more conventional than others. (Christopher Elbow, shown above, is especially far from mainstream.) To find a seller, do a Web search on the company's name. Many have toll-free phone numbers. And in case you or your honey needs incentive to consume these works of art, know that their shelf life is as short as one week (for Woodhouse). Most keep for about 10 days to three weeks.

Good values you might find in stores

These chocolates taste very good and are good values. Godiva, Ferrero, and See's are sold in stores, so you might be able to avoid shipping charges. (Leonidas has 15 stores.) In order of taste:

Godiva Gold Ballotin 36- piece, $2.74/ounce (shown). Mostly traditional fillings such as hazelnut and caramel; milky milk chocolate; quite sweet.

Ferrero Collection Fine Assorted Confections, $1.25/ounce. Flavorful milk, white, and dark chocolate truffles; limited assortment but well done, with interesting textures.

Leonidas Chocolate General Assortment, $2.25/ounce. Smooth centers, with many hazelnut and liqueur flavors, but quality varied piece to piece.

See's Assorted Chocolates, $1.06/ounce. Fresh, crunchy nut pieces, well-blended toffees and caramels. Some pieces are more sweet than flavorful.