I have one really decent chocolate store in my area. I can go there
and buy very high quality chocolate made with a belgian chocolate base
and pretty exotic flavors for about $28 per lb. However I am looking
for possibly better chocolate online.

Here's my requirement:
1. The candy must be of the quality one would get homemade- we're not
talking factory-made candy like Godiva, the Scharfenberger or Valrona I
can buy pre-made, etc. you know you can get some great pre-made
chocolate from Trader Joes for $5 per lb, don't need to mail order for
that.
2. The flavors or pieces must be something special
3. They can deliver by valentine's day (of course) if I order by
2/1/06

so what do any of you suggest?

thanks,

Don

at Mon, 30 Jan 2006 20:49:35 GMT in <1138654175.433795.29650
@g44g2000cwa.googlegroups.com>, wrote :

>I have one really decent chocolate store in my area. I can go there
>and buy very high quality chocolate made with a belgian chocolate base

Belgian chocolate = Callebaut, almost certainly.

>and pretty exotic flavors for about $28 per lb. However I am looking
>for possibly better chocolate online.

http://www.chocolatenecessities.com. I can personally vouch for the
excellence of their chocolates - among the best I've had anywhere for
chocolate confections. They use Callebaut so the flavour "signature" should
be close to what you've tried and liked before, too. I went down to their
facility and was impressed by the obvious care and attention to detail in
producing, storage, equipment - an operation that's been thought through
systematically with the best interests of the chocolate in mind.

BTW, consider not limiting yourself to unusual flavours. Part of the art of
a truly great chocolatier is his skill at basic pieces like a plain
chocolate truffle (i.e. the centre is just chocolate and cream - no unusual
flavourings), and if you imagine that all such chocolates are going to
taste the same whatever the manufacturer, you're in for a big surprise when
you find that a first-rate plain chocolate truffle will blow away even a
decent one - it's a revelation. A great truffle is so good that the
chocolate flavour stands on its own as "something special" without the need
for any other flavour in it.

--
Alex Rast

(remove d., .7, not, and .NOSPAM to reply)

I completely agree with you about the quality of standard flavors. My
wife grew up in a city with local candy shops on almost every block-
never seen it elsewhere- and I've had very good fruit creams from her
local places that I'd avoid in boxed candy. I asked around the office
and when people started saying "Godiva" I knew I had to back up and
look elsewhere. Treat "exotic" as shorthand for "special."

Don

On 30 Jan 2006 12:49:35 -0800, wrote:

>I have one really decent chocolate store in my area. I can go there
>and buy very high quality chocolate made with a belgian chocolate base
>and pretty exotic flavors for about $28 per lb. However I am looking
>for possibly better chocolate online.
>
>Here's my requirement:
>1. The candy must be of the quality one would get homemade- we're not
>talking factory-made candy like Godiva, the Scharfenberger or Valrona I
>can buy pre-made, etc. you know you can get some great pre-made
>chocolate from Trader Joes for $5 per lb, don't need to mail order for
>that.
>2. The flavors or pieces must be something special
>3. They can deliver by valentine's day (of course) if I order by
>2/1/06
>
>so what do any of you suggest?
>
>thanks,
>
>Don

Just How good do you want?
pierre herme www.pierreherme.com get "bonbon de chocolat garance"
exquisite! with flavor combinations that will knock your socks off!
the person who took my order spoke good english
la maison du chocolate www.lamaisonduchocolat.com/mdc/index.php
they have a store in new york never disappointing!
new to me is - cacao et chocolat www.cacaoetchocolat.com
i'm going through 'Imperiale chocolate hamper' right now and there
all driving me to order more!
those are my picks - they are all pricey - but great and Very
impressive to give.
and by the way these are what i got my wife for early V day
right now we both are really in love with pierre herme

Check out the latest issue of Consumer Reports. There's a special on
chocolates (with Valentine's Day coming soon). You don't always get
what you pay for. I think they rated over 20 brands.

I ordered online with Maison Du Chocolat and they lost my order.
Credit card wasn't charged. No email sent. All I had was the printout
of my confirmation page. Not funny. I called their NY number to
straighten it out, but I'm concerned about the international orders
now...

Don