Best Chocolate in the World

If you think that defining the best chocolate in the world only amounts to a personal opinion, then you haven’t tasted much chocolate.  There are a number of experts who have, however. People want to know: What is the best chocolate? What is the best dark chocolate? Which chocolate candy bars are the best? Are there really “gourmet” chocolates or “gourmet” chocolate gifts? Milk chocolate candy versus white chocolate candy – what are they and what is the difference? They really do want to know: What is the best chocolate in the world?  This website should provide the answer.

Pure Chocolate

If you love pure chocolate, you might feel that the higher the percentage of chocolate liquor, the better the chocolate product. So the “best chocolate in the world” would be determined by how much real chocolate is in the chocolate truffle or chocolate bar. Look on the label to see how much sugar is added, or if there are any added vegetable fats, replacing the beautiful cocoa butter.

–Valrhona Chocolate: Valrhona is, well, Chocolate! All of the Valrhona products carry a totally high dose of chocolate liquor (solids). You want the real, pure thing, this is where you get it!
–Amedei Chocolate: Ah, the war of the chocolates- Amedei Versus Valrhona. There are many who believe that Amedei is more cultured chocolate than Valrhona. The two chocolate bars that come up over and over as among the best chocolate are Amedei Porcelana and Amedei Chuao (limited number produced).
–Callebaut: Wow! This Belgian chocolate rates very high, regardless of the product: Milk chocolate, dark chocolate, extremely dark chocolate, or white chocolate. And, their percentage of cacao and/or milk in their chocolate is very high. Besides having chocolate candy bars, they offer many chocolates for cooking.

Chocolate Art

Others might see chocolate giving and receiving and enjoyment as coming from a more overall experience. The “best chocolate in the world” might then be considered one that not only has exceptional taste, but is also packaged beautifully, or presented well, or is actually chocolate art! –Olde Naples Chocolate: Small chocolate shop in Naples, Florida that offers fantastic concoctions in chocolate. (See our page on Gourmet Chocolate Gifts to the left for lots of ideas and information!) -3 Sisters Chocolates: The chocolates they make are delicious as well as creative. Take a look at their chocolate shoes! –Romanticos Chocolate: Every chocolate presentation is an experience – beautiful and creative. –Naturally Gifted NY: What they can do with chocolate! Visiting their online store is a treat in and of itself! They also have fantastic chocolate shoes.

Fine Chocolates

Then there’s the exclusivity consideration. If buying your chocolate from a small chocolate shop would lend credibility to your chocolate tasting experience, then the “best chocolate in the world” would be found in small chocolate shops located all across the world (but sold in the U.S.).  Belgian chocolate is a good example. Belgians pride themselves on being a nation of true chocoholics. (Although the Swiss consume the most chocolate in the world – a little over 22 pounds per year per person.)  Many Belgian chocolates come from very small, exclusive chocolate shops. –Burdick Chocolate: Consistently high ratings for this wonderful American chocolatier! –Moonstruck Chocolates: Each piece is a handmade work of art. Moonstruck Chocolates uses top notch ingredients, and creatively puts together wonderful assortments of chocolate! –Jacques Torres Chocolates: This gentleman walks his talk (and he does a lot of talking about chocolate – recipes, television appearances, etc.). Each piece is a miniature work of art, and tastes wonderful at that! –Gearharts Chocolates: Named in Chocolatier Magazine’s “Top 20 Artisan Chocolatiers”, Gearharts Chocolates is a small, exclusive chocolate shop that can boast big on flavor and purity of products.

 Chocolate Orange/ Spiced Chocolates

Is “adventuresome” a word that you would use to describe what you may think is the “best chocolate in the world” ? Almost every good chocolatier is getting more adventuresome with chocolates than ever before. They infuse chocolates with spices such as paprika, star anise, or coconut. They add edible flowers such as violets in their chocolates. They mix the chocolate with things like rye, or sesame. Here are some of the top rated chocolatiers offering exotic chocolate: –Vosges Haut Chocolat: There’s something to be said about a chocolatier that manages to rank highly pretty consistently even while serving up very unusual chocolates. Vosges does this over and over. –Elbow Chocolates: Let’s see: How about their Bananas Foster chocolate, which has a center that is caramel and bananas fired with rum? Or their Orange Pekoe Tea chocolate – milk chocolate ganache infused with floral orange scented tea… Or, or, or – every one is a unique chocolate!

Expensive Chocolate

Perhaps price is a consideration to be weighed when looking for the “best chocolate in the world.” And, in fact, in sifting through nearly 50 chocolate reviews and chocolate taste tests, the higher priced chocolates, many of which are sold by small independent chocolate companies, often do better in the reviews than the larger, more mass marketed chocolates such as Ghirardelli, which is actually owned by Lindt, a huge chocolatier, or Godiva, which used to be owned by Campbell’s Soup Company and now a Turkish company. Here are some chocolatiers that have gasp value when it comes to expensive chocolates: –Richart: French!  There are plenty of votes for Richart, but the prevailing thought is that the chocolate complements the inside (ganache) of the chocolate truffle, not the other way around.  Their roasted chocolate truffles, and fruity chocolate truffles are standouts! –Noka Chocolate: All that glitters isn’t gold – it’s Noka Chocolate. Some of the most expensive chocolates in the world, they’re actually an American chocolatier (started by a couple of accountants turned chocolatiers), based in Texas. –Knipschildt Chocolatier: (Chocopologie).  Indeed, expensive.  But, they’re good – really good!

Famous Chocolate

On the other hand, the “best chocolate in the world” may be just the opposite for you – something easy to get, tastes decent, isn’t pricey, but not cheap either, and has a recognizable brand name. In that case, here are some suggestions for you: –Fannie May Chocolates: Overall, Fannie May Chocolates gets more consistently high reviews from chocolate taste tests than any other bulk chocolate company. –See’s Candies (Interesting note: Sees is owned by Berkshire Hathaway.) Actually, not bad chocolate reviews for a bulk chocolate producer – some give See’s Candies higher ratings than Ghirardelli! –Lindt: If you buy, try the hazelnut, amaretto, or peanut butter truffles, or the Chocolat Lindt Excellence bar.) –Ghirardelli: If you buy, buy the Ghirardelli Dark Chocolate. –Hershey’s Chocolate: Yes, it’s on the list because many reviewers compare most of Hershey’s products at a level only slightly lower than either Lindt or Ghirardelli (same company). That being the case, if you enjoy a decent piece of chocolate everyday and don’t want to spend lots of money, go with Hershey’s chocolate. Your best bet is the Hershey’s Special Dark Chocolate.

You should now have a better idea of what is “the best chocolate in the world.” There are many chocolate companies that we have not mentioned, but each chocolate shop we have listed here will provide you or the person you are gifting with a fantastic chocolate experience!

What makes chocolate, chocolate? Read the article to the left for details if you’d like a quick education on “How Is Chocolate Made” before you buy .