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Survey: What Is Your Favorite Chocolate?

2008_01_27-ChocolateBars.jpg

All right, we saved this question for last, at the very end of Chocolate Week. What kind of chocolate do you reach for when you want your pure chocolate fix?

We are partial to Scharffen Berger's fruity flavors and also to their milk chocolate, which has explosions of flavor and sweet creaminess - it's quite unlike cheap milk chocolate. We also adore chocolate with whole hazelnuts and the dark nuttiness of really good gianduia from Torino.

Valhrona, Ghirardelli, Scharffen Berger, single-origin small batch chocolate, Lindt, El Rey, Callebaut - there are many good chocolates that can be easily found these days. Do you prefer yours straight up, or mixed in with other good stuff like nuts or caramel?

Comment away - we are always looking for good suggestions...

Comments (37)

I love
Endangered Species 88% Extreme Dark Chocolate
. I only need 1-2 small squares to satisfy my craving.

posted by wesaturtle on 2008-01-27 16:08:46
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hmmmm...I really prefer the plain and simple dark chocolate bars ( Noir 70% usually does the trick)
I rarely eat a bar with something added, but I've always liked Noir Orange for somehow... :-)

posted by centauri on 2008-01-27 16:18:25
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Dolfin is my favourite brand. I especially like the dark chocolate with green aniseed and the dark chocolate with pink peppercorn bars.

posted by angorian on 2008-01-27 16:57:12
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Something that says "fair-trade" on it.

posted by nupur on 2008-01-27 17:06:23
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I'm partial to the Lindt 70%. It's smooth bodied and is low on sweetness.

posted by Comicgeek on 2008-01-27 17:07:15
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For plain and simple dark, I would choose Noir 70%... but I am so so addicted to Dagoba Organic's lavendar bar - dark chococolate, blueberry, and lavender = heavenly combo.

posted by CDR on 2008-01-27 17:09:40
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I too am a sucker for the Endangered Species Extreme Dark. I also enjoy some of the darker varieties of Green & Black's chocolate as well.

posted by jojippitydrum on 2008-01-27 17:09:53
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Green and Black's Maya Gold -- it takes chocolate to a whole new level, and it's one of the rare bars that I really like but don't want to hoover down all in one go.

posted by h_vane on 2008-01-27 18:28:53
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I love Green and Black's 85% Dark Chocolate. It's really rich without being bitter which seems hard to find in chocolate with higher cocoa content.

posted by Lightsomelemon on 2008-01-27 18:48:36
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Chocolove Orange is my standby, but recently I was turned on to Vosges Bacon Bar. Mmmmm...bacony chocolate.

posted by catlike on 2008-01-27 19:32:42
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This is a hard question because I like so many! Mostly I go for Dagoba's Eclipse 87% or Dolfin Noir 88%

posted by Sassy in SF on 2008-01-27 19:36:29
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I love, nay, am in love with the Lake Champlain 5 Star bar. My favorite bars are the Peanut, and the Hazelnut. They're pricey, but so amazing. The peanut one is like a reeses peanut butter cup, but smoother, more sophisticated. And the hazelnut bar has this fudge, mousse like chocolate inside with hazelnut and feuilltine, all wrapped in milk chocolate. Steve Almond featured them in his book Candy Freak, which was how I was introduced to these lovely bars.

http://www.lakechamplainchocolates.com/Chocolate/Five-Star-Chocolate-Bar.aspx

posted by snoopystar on 2008-01-27 19:41:23
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I'm a Vosges fan, and probably will be for many years to come. Their bars, drinking chocolates, truffles, and caramels are all wonderful and unique.

While I am preferential to dark I will consume milk chocolate on occasion- especially if it's Chuao's earl-gray bar.

Also enjoyable is the dark chocolate absinthe bar from Venchi.

posted by Ether Maiden on 2008-01-27 19:59:31
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DeBrand Fine Chocolates----any of the dark chocolate creations!

posted by JEP on 2008-01-27 20:21:58
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I got turned on to Santander Chocolate from a brownie taste test published by Gourment a couple of years ago (they'd never heard of it, and it rated 2nd in their test for best chocolate to bake brownies with) and now I keep an eye out for it...it's hard to find!
A shame, really, because it's inexpensive, socially responsible, and delicious. And they make a 70% with columbian coffee nibs that's out of this world.

posted by budino on 2008-01-27 20:54:56
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Dagoba and Vosges are my very favorite.

posted by whatwouldruthdo on 2008-01-27 21:34:26
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I also love Dagoba's lavender dark chocolate. Right behind it are Scharffen Berger 70% and Dagoba Conacado 73%.

posted by bubble on 2008-01-27 21:43:22
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mmm man, for xmas my cousin brought me this chocolate from italia - with peperoncino. the kick at the end is neato! :)

posted by kdkaboom on 2008-01-27 22:35:53
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Maybe I don't get out much, but I've always been a Dove milk chocolate fan. It's the creamiest, smoothest chocolate and their shape makes them seem even more smooth.

posted by themonkrat on 2008-01-28 00:02:34
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Day-to-day - Green & Black Almond, for gifts - Paul Young http://www.payoung.net/

posted by Lesley - London on 2008-01-28 08:52:44
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I'm with you themonkrat! I don't get out much apparently either. Dove is fine with me for snacking or chopping for cookies. I do like Lindt also, but that's about the extent of my experiences. I can see there's more to be tried.

posted by Shell on 2008-01-28 09:05:52
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It's all about the Dagoba, most especially the Xocolatl.

posted by moiety on 2008-01-28 09:20:02
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I love some Target Choxie! While I agree the quality differs; I think it's great. The molded truffles are a bit of a let down, but you won't be disappointed in any of their bars, or flakey rolled truffles! The coconut almond dark chocolate bar is Heavenly!

posted by Nathan Aaron on 2008-01-28 09:57:18
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Dagoba is pretty darn awesome, though our day-to-day chocolate is Divine 70% Dark.

posted by Eliza on 2008-01-28 10:38:55
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I tend to try as many different chocolate bars as I can to taste, so there's a steady rotation that runs through my house. It can take between a day to a week to finish a bar ... depending on the day or week! I recently tried the bars from BonBonBars, and they were fantastic! The last candy bar I had was a Theo 3400 Phinney bar, Bread and Chocolate, and it had a smooth, even taste that made the bar especially addictive. Dagoba bars are a constant in my house, and Lake Champlain chocolate, though they're less accessible here. There are three different but fabulous chocolatiers at my local farmers market who I also patronize regularly. But for a quick and totally satisfying fix, I just throw in a few Guittard semisweet chocolate chips with some cashews or toasted almonds, and I'm in heaven! Dangit, I need to leave shorter comments in these posts.

posted by OneWallKitchen on 2008-01-28 10:46:15
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I'm a dark chocolate fanatic who eats chocolate everyday. My faves are the Lindt excellence dark chocolate (so smooooth!), Ghirandelli Dark Espresso, and Valrhona Le Noir. But for everyday eating, you just can't beat the Trader Joe dark chocolate mini bars, which are repackaged Callebaut. Whole Food's dark chocolate is great too but can't beat the price of TJ's. TJ's chocolate selection in general is great.

posted by timmy jr. on 2008-01-28 10:51:29
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Callebaut.

But my favourite thing is to melt it in hot milk and make hot chocolate. (the hot chocolate here in Europe is out of this world... so far, the very best hot chocolate -- and pot of tea! -- has been at Café Louvre in Prague, of all places. Einstein and Kafka used to hang out there...).

I am a Belgian chocolate lover, and would prefer to have a couple of Manons -- which make me swoon -- instead of squares from a chocolate bar. Just not that big on bars. My husband introduced me to Manons, which are shockingly covered in white chocolate in most of their variations. Now, whenever we go anywhere near Belgium, we cannot leave with a few kilos of them...

Speaking of shocking, at 4 pm kids here usually eat bread and chocolate -- usually a bar with hazelnuts in one hand, and a slice of bread in the other. It's the only thing they seem to snack on, and only at 4 pm.

posted by monika1 on 2008-01-28 11:05:45
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Green & Black's dark chocolate. I always have a bar of it in the house, which I eat very slowly (just a couple of squares at a time).

posted by Nougat on 2008-01-28 11:25:46
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The Whole Foods house brand is amazing and delicious, and super affordable. Also, sadly, currently off the shelves because of a mislabeling recall. I can't wait for it to be back!!

posted by surplusj on 2008-01-28 12:58:17
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I must say that I don't understand the fuss people make over Vosges chocolate. In my opinion, the flavour isn't any better or noticeably different from other high quality chocolate and the price is ridiculous!

I'm just afraid that other bars will move from the $4.50 range to the $9.50 range because Vosges seems to be popular, at least in the online foodie world. Starbucks certainly had that effect on coffee prices.

posted by angorian on 2008-01-28 14:05:11
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monika1 you should introduce your kids to nutella sandwiches, a favortie snack of mine.

posted by vertigo on 2008-01-28 16:49:35
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Hi Monika1 - there are a lot of countries in Europe - your unspecified "here" is clearly not Greece, Wales or France... better known for other beverages and diets. Prague then are we talking about?

posted by Lesley - London on 2008-01-28 17:08:23
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Hershey's!!!

posted by Keisha Kornbread on 2008-01-28 17:24:51
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Lesley- London:

Switzerland...Geneva.

Vertigo, alas my daughter is allergic to nuts, so when they bring out the nutella at Montessori, she gets a piece of bread with jam :-(

posted by monika1 on 2008-01-28 17:37:43
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I absolutely love Vosges Mo's Bacon Bar, combining two of my favourite tastes in the world.

But for the pure taste and joy of chocolate, I'd have to say Bernachon chocolate was the best I've ever tasted. Too bad getting it requires a trip to Paris, to the sweet tooth's heaven known as A l'Etoile d'Or (not that I need a reason to go back to Paris).

posted by gregory on 2008-01-28 19:21:43
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Gregory -- thank you so much for the head's up on Bernachon! We are always looking for things to do and discover in Lyon, and they are a real Lyon specialty!

posted by monika1 on 2008-01-29 08:24:15
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Maison du Chocolat esp. the rocher type.

For a plain everyday chocolate bar, any dark chocolate from Valhrona or Lindt.

posted by jbris on 2008-01-29 17:20:39
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