What's your favorite chocolate, and why?

[robie]

I'm seeing a link between your "best I ever had" threads and the price of said items. That and the "newfoodie" moniker lead me to believe that you're getting caught up in associating cost with quality. While that is frequently true in the world in general, it's quite often not at all true in the food world. It's cool that you're excited about food and food quality but you need to ask yourself if these are really the best things you've ever had or just the most expensive. And I'm not suggesting they're not the best you've had, they may very well be, just be sure you're not buying into what other people tell you is the best. You might miss out on something you really like because it wasn't the most expensive option.

Too bad Noka went out of business.

Edited September 26, 2014 by robie (log)

[ChocoMom]

Scharffen Berger's Nibby Bar---when I really want some texture AND flavor;

 

Felchlin....any type, any time....it's like chocolate-butter heaven!

 

Hershey bar with Almonds... only when I'm sad, missing my Dad and Mom.    I know its a far cry from the quality brands we can get now, but here's why:

 

Daddy used to smuggle the giant-sized bars home from school in his briefcase. We'd eat them while I helped him check papers, hiding it from my Mom. Daddy and I would just snicker like little kids- while hiding it from her.  This went on for years and years.....never told my Mom- as it was our secret.   Mom would've have stopped all that sugar consumption dead in its tracks.  She found out our secret the day of my Dad's funeral, and the resulting look on her face was priceless.  When Mom died 2 years later, my brother and I found her freezer jamb-packed with chocolate bars. We were stunned.  Brings a smile to my face every time I think about it!

[DTBarton]

I like all this guy's chocolate but the one with orange peel is my favorite.

 

http://www.amazon.com/Michel-Cluizel-Chocolate-Bar-Candied/dp/B004YZFJGC/ref=sr_1_7?ie=UTF8&qid=1414609629&sr=8-7&keywords=michel+cluizel

[ChefPip]

Where I live there isn't a lot of fancy European chocolate available.  Lindt, Lindor, Cadbury, Ghirardelli,,Toblerone, are what is most commonly available as candy bars.  The Dark Chocolate appeals most to me.  Hershey Special is usually the most common but I've tried the Lindt 70% and even higher % content cocoa but the 70% is about as strong as I like it.

 

I'm not too much on milk chocolate.  

 

During the holiday season I see lots of euro chocolate boxes which are wrapped in colorful foil and claim to be from Germany, France, Swiss, etc but when I read the production origin I find it was made in Canada or Poland.

 

So my usual is the Hershey Special as it's everywhere around here considering I'm not that far from Hershey, Pa.

[CatPoet]

I normaly rather posh with my chocolate  but  I  found  Karl Fazer Winter Edition, it is dark chocolate, apples, hazelnuts and crisp and I have fallen in love with it

Edited November 3, 2014 by CatPoet (log)

[Naftal]

Hello- Does anyone else love chocolate and chili flavored bars? I cannot be the only one who loves that and real Mexican Hot Chocolate. BTW, I recently discovered Rolo

[CatPoet]

Naftal:;  I have gone of  chocolate and chilli combination,   I am lactose intolerant so I can only eat  dark and I cant have   citrus fruit, so for  about 2 years  if I didn't track to the speciality shops  I could only get plain, mint or chilli which made me tired of it  and it even at speciality stores it was hard to find  dark chocolate with nuts.  

 

So no I am not a fan of chilli and chocolate. 

 

And I love   Mexican  chocolate , so long it doesn't have chili.

[ChocoMom]

HI Naftal:

 

Yes, I fell in love with a Dagoba bar containing chili pepper some years ago...the taste sensation was amazing!  I do love the Nibby bar though from Scharffen Berger. 

 

It's chocolate and then chocolate again in a more basic form.    Who could resist?   

 

As for Rolo's....Wanna have some fun?  Lay some traditional bowtie-like pretzels on a baking sheet lined with parchment. Set a Rolo in the middle of each pretzel and warm in the oven just enough to melt it, then let them cool.  Betcha can't eat just one!   :+)

[Franci]

I love the 100% criollo from Francois Pralus. You need to like very dark chocolate.

[Katie Meadow]

My newest favorite splurge is Poco Dolce, made in San Francisco. They make what they call chocolate tiles in a variety of flavors. I tend to like my chocolate unfussy, without additional flavorings, so I go for the plain dark chocolate tiles with sea salt. I can't recall offhand the percentage of cocoa, but it's somewhere around 70 I think. I have no idea what kind of distribution they have outside of the bay area. Really delicious.

[Matt L]

Where I live there isn't a lot of fancy European chocolate available.  Lindt, Lindor, Cadbury, Ghirardelli,,Toblerone, are what is most commonly available as candy bars.  The Dark Chocolate appeals most to me.  Hershey Special is usually the most common but I've tried the Lindt 70% and even higher % content cocoa but the 70% is about as strong as I like it.

 

I'm not too much on milk chocolate.  

 

During the holiday season I see lots of euro chocolate boxes which are wrapped in colorful foil and claim to be from Germany, France, Swiss, etc but when I read the production origin I find it was made in Canada or Poland.

 

So my usual is the Hershey Special as it's everywhere around here considering I'm not that far from Hershey, Pa.

[js78Gw4e5]

I love black, bitter chocolate. He should not be sweet and that's his charm. Especially well suited to green tea for my taste.

[Tri2Cook]

4 hours ago, Nicolai said:

Naaahh. Chocolate is so last century. Marron Glace is making a come back.........

 

Do I win anything  

The Incorrect Statement of the Year award, maybe.  

[GlorifiedRice]

I really love Lilys sugarfree Original...

[MSRadell]

My wife and I both love Lake Champlain chocolate, particularly the 54% dark. Whole Foods stocks several different varieties of the Bars but we normally buy it direct from the manufacturer in 1 ounce pieces, we don't devour it quite so fast that way.

[joiei]

I am very fond of Askinoise Chocolates out of Springfield, MO.  They are considered chocolate makers instead of chocolatiers.  They take the raw bean and produce chocolate bars.  Shawn and his crew do some very interesting flavors besides his single origins.  I think he is the only company that imports and labels kokoa beans  from the Philippines.  Their shop is incredibly fun, you can smell the chocolate walking up to the front door. Here is how to reach them.

[gulfporter]

While cacao trees are native to Mexico for many years the most popular and easy-to-find chocolate was Nestles milk chocolate.   Ugh!!

 

More recently there are Mexican companies specializing in dark chocolates (thought most still market milk chocolate here since this is what most MXNs are used to).  

 

Our fave is ki'Xocalatl from Chiapas which starts with a very nice 72% chocolate with some very interesting flavors, including pink peppercorn.  I have seen these bars for sale in the US but cannot remember where.

 

This past week were in Puerto Vallarta and found dark bars of Choco Museo at a shop with the same name. They are handmade in PV using organic beans from Chiapas.  Best chili flavored chocolate we've ever tasted.  

 

[Tom112]

Pascha - its organic, fair trade, non-GMO dark chocolate.

 

[pastrygirl]

Felchlin Sao Palme 60% because it makes me money!  It's a well-rounded semisweet couverture at a decent price that goes with a lot of other flavors, and what I use most of in my chocolate business.

[Plonrn]

Ghirardelli