after Paris, what chocolate?
 

We were in Paris for a month..heavenly...in a newly renovated Citadines Saint Germain hotel.. Now we are back in the US and I have bought all kinds of chocolate...Perugina, Valhrona, etc. and they all taste waxy to me...interesting as we used to like them.

Can anyone recommend any? ...maybe online. We like dark..and it's supposed to be better for you.

Thanks..

Purists and Francophiles will doubt it, but we have discovered a marvelous dark chocolate bar made in Poland. And only $1 for a big bar. You would never guess where it is sold: Walgreen's.

Michel Cluizel is widely available in the US...

Try La Maison du Chocolat. I usually get the boxes. Not too sure about the bars.

Perugina is Italian, if you are looking for the best
Swiss and Belgian would be my choice.

Trader Joe's has good dark chocolate healthily made. But probably not the very upscale choc most want. But i love it and my French friends did too when they were here.

USNR, what is the brand of the Polish chocolate found at Walgreens? Might be worth a try.

Polish chocolate found at Walgreen's may be the most mouth-watering chocolate around but folks it seem rather pay ten times as much for some high-falutin brand that say 'Yeh i got this Polish chocolate at Walgreens!' it seems at least.

I knew you would all have ideas....sorry no Walgreens here in San Diego..wish I had the name of the chocolate there.

I will look for Michel Cuizel ..

I really like Lindt chocs. They are Swiss.

Neuhaus is an excellent Belgian chocolate and can be purchased online at:
http://www.neuhauschocolateshop.com

If you are in the NY area there is a store on Broadway at 75th.

Yup, know just what you're saying. Now that I live in Switzerland I will never be able to swallow a bit of Hershey's Special Dark again. Maison du Chocolat that someone else mentioned has a store in NYC and ships. Their truffles are heavenly. And Lindt has a really new wonderful dark chili chocolate that I am afraid I am totally addicted to.

Godiva chocolate.

And won't I have fun testing all these...! For a while I thought I was a tad crazy thinking they tasted like wax, but it seems I have company..thanks..

Order online from: http://www.chocolat-durand.com/

beaupeep - saw an interview with a world renown chocolate expert who is paid to evalauate cacao by "nosing" for the large manufacturer. Asked to describe various chocolate, she used terms that we would generally hear when describing wine.
When it came to Hershey's milk chocolate she replied, "baby vomit". If you have a bar handy, smell it. I think she is spot on.

At Walgreen's: Regal Dynasty European Chocolate. Many flavors, with and w/o nuts.

This is discouraging:

http://www.walgreens.com/store/produ...id=prod2612173

Anyone see it in the brick-and-mortar stores?

Best wishes,

Rex

Best chocs are Belges

Leonidas
Jeff de Brugges

I read a book about chocolate tasters and they do use the same kind of language that wine experts do! And the most famous chocolate sniffer in France according to this book was a young woman so I wonder if it was the same one you saw.

When I am in the US next week I will sniff a Hershey bar, they don't sell it here in Lausanne (nor would I buy it if they did!).

Sorry I don't have the brand here, but I have also been trying a dark chocolate/chili bar (not Lindt's) and it is excellent. This has to be one of my favorite taste combos ever. I always have the problem of chocolate being too sweet, but I found I didn't like 99% dark chocolate either (which Lindt sells).

There may be some good Polish chocolate bars, but I have tried some from central/eastern Europe, including Poland, that are sold at local delis and they were quite terrible by my standards. So I'd be interested in the specific brand name for the Polish bar mentioned above.

I'll agree with Belgian chocolate being the best - until the next best comes along. :)

Can't get really great Belgian chocolate here in the States. I've tried. USDA doesn't allow it, something about it not being "up to standard" - what low standard is this?

It's the same with a lot of great European products, like proscuitto or speck. The stuff that's allowed in is usually not as good-tasting.

Back to chocolate: I used to like Italian BACIs. Haven't had one recently.

Trader Joe's sells a French chocolate bar called "Valrhona". The dark chocolate one is 85% cocoa.

"Up to standard" is gov-speak for "Hershey's lobbyists have paid us tons of money to deny any good chocolate entrance unless they pay too."

Definitely Godiva Chocolate. Bought some in Brussels - sorry I didn't buy a tonne.

P

It is kind of obvious but you MUST see the per centage of cacao on the wrapper for it to be beneficial dark chocolate. I buy between 70-85% and Lindt bars are easy to find in Canada even in Walmart. Have tried 90 but couldn't manage it.

Yes, you can get Belgian chocolate here in the U.S. - Pierre Marcolini. Has a store on Park Avenue and 58th (I think) streets. Very expensive.

Lindt is very good - comes in bars and you can get it at supermarkets - at least here in NY you can (it's Swiss).

I haven't tried their chocolate (definitely intend to...), but here's an interesting <i>Salon</i> article on the <b>Grenada Chocolate Co.</b> - and the general state of artisinal chocolates:
http://tinyurl.com/3auwfg

&quot;Can't get really great Belgian chocolate here in the States.'
If you are not far from the border,
come over to Canada and stock up
you can get Lintdt ( any drugstore)
Godiva
Leoinidas
Baci ( Perugina)
and more ...

Hello Loisco--

I think there is a SD Walgreen's on Midway Drive (Point Loma area?).

An update on the elusive Walgreen's chocolate bar. I bought Regal Dynasty European Chocolate at my local SF Bay area Walgreen's yesterday. Two bars for $2.00 or $1.19 each. I bought the dark chocolate. Milk chocolate and milk chocolate with peanuts were also available.

This, IMHO, is not a quality chocolate. It's a bit waxy and too sweet. To me, it just doesn't have the &quot;mouth feel&quot; of good European chocolate. There's nothing on the package to indicate the cocoa percentage, and sugar is listed as the primary ingredient, followed by cocoa mass and cocoa butter.

To each her own, but I won't buy this again. I'd be interested to hear the comments of anyone else who's tried it.

Haven't tried that Polish stuff Betsey, but I too went through the &quot;now what?&quot; stage after having my first taste of chocolate in Europe. I don't like the Trader Joe's. I can't abide by Lindt. Leonidas, a favorite of friends, tastes terribly sweet to me. In the beginning, the Droste 72% Pastilles were the closest I could come.

Since then, I have discovered Jacques Torres. He ships and there are stores in NYC. It is only a rare treat for me. I think it is one of the better chocolates available in this country right now.

And there is Vosges, the first chocolatier to make me think past plain dark chocolate. The Vosges Naga bar, milk chocolate (a previously horrendous idea to me) with coconut and chili. I never wanted any bits of anything in my chocolate until someone turned me on to this stuff. It is amazing and somewhat readily available.

Then, there is this little place in the Berkshires that really make me think France. It is called Chocolate Springs. This guy absolutely knows what he's doing.

I have also ordered disks, wafers and chunks from The Baker's Catalog. They sell some high end chocolates for baking, but if you like your chocolate pure it is a good way to sample different brands and flavors.

Sorry 'bout that extra &quot;e&quot; Betsy...

Scharffen Berger is absolutely the best (but don't get Trader Joe's version ... it's lesser).

http://www.artisanconfection.com/sto...harffenberger/