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Monday, December 05, 2005
Holiday Chocolate Guide
A couple of readers of this blog have asked for recommendations on the subject of excellent chocolate. I don't want to disappoint them; plus, I do love talking about chocolate. So, I'm going to give my opinion on the best buys for chocolate. I'm calling it a "Holiday Chocolate Guide" because it's near the holidays--and who wouldn't love to receive a gift of chocolate?
I'm going to focus on mass-market chocolate. That means that you will be able to find these confections without too much hard work. Here they are: The best chocolate candies, ranked from best to worst. 1) Lindt Excellence Bar  This is, in my opinion, the best mass-market chocolate bar out there. Lindt, whose full name is "Chocoladefabriken Lindt & Sprungli," is a Swiss company that has been making some of the best chocolate in the world since the mid-1800's. In general, you can't go wrong with Lindt--however, I advise that you stay away from their "Lindor Truffles," which aren't as well made as the rest of the company's offerings. The Excellence Bar comes in three varieties: milk chocolate, 70% cocao and 85% cocao. I recommend that you steer clear of the milk chocolate and go with the 70% cocao. If you have serious chocolate conniseurs on your list, go ahead and give them the 85% cocao bar. But for most people, anything more than about 75% cacao tastes a little too bitter. (For the record, the percent refers to the ration of cocao to sugar in the candy. 70% cocao is therefore 7 parts cacao, 3 parts sugar. Obviously, the more sugar in the chocolate, the sweeter it will be. The cocao portion of the chocolate is made of up cocoa solids and cocoa butter, and this ratio is also variable. More cocoa butter makes for smoother chocolate, but more solids makes for a stronger chocolate taste. Different manufacturers will have different ratios.) 2. Dagoba Organic Dark 59% Bar  Dagoba is a new company, founded in 2001 and based in Oregon, and their chocolate has already won several awards. Dagoba is also easy on the conscience, as the beans are organically grown with a sensitivity to biodiversity. But this chocolate isn't noteworthy just because it's eco-friendly; Dagoba is excellent. It has a complex flavor--spicy and mellow at the same time, with a wonderful aftertaste. The bars are crisp and smooth to the touch as well. Dagoba makes a range of fantastic chocolate, and everything I've had from them is quality. I'm recommending the Dark 59% bar as a wonderful all-purpose gift. If you have a serious chocoloate lover on your list, consider giving my personal favorite, Dagoba's Eclipse bar, which boasts an amazing 87% cocoa content. But be warned that 87% cocoa isn't for the faint of heart--all but the most dedicated chocoloate lover will think it tastes like baking chocolate. Other note-worthy products from this company are the Lavander bar (Lavander and chocolate is a surprisingly refreshing combination), the Roseberry (made with raspberries and rosehips) and the Xocolatl (which is 74% cocao, chilies and nutmeg). 3. Godiva Gold Ballotin  Godiva is what most people think of when they think of fine chocolate, and for good reason. For a brief period in the 90's the quality slipped a little, and Godiva fell out of favor with Those Who Know Chocolate. Now, however, the company has gone back to making consistently excellent products, and it's OK to like Godiva again. Want to really impress your friends? Pronounce the name properly properly: Say it as "Go" (as in "Do not pass Go") and "Diva" (as in "Maria Callas"). Godiva is a Belgian company, and the Belgians have been making the best chocolate in the world for centuries. Godiva hand-makes most of their chocolate, and the result is full-flavored without being too heavy. Godiva makes everything from chocolate-dipped strawberries to hot cocoa. I recommend that you go with the iconic Gold Ballotin Box, or hand select assortment of truffles. The Godiva chocolate bars are also quite good. However, the chocolatier from Brussels really excells at truffles. The chocolate shells are crisp, the fillings are perfect, and the shapes are eye-catching. 4. Ghirardelli Dark Chocolate Bar  Dispite the foreign-sounding name, Ghirardelli is an American company. Founded in the late 1800's, Ghirardelli makes a big deal about using a different roasting process for their chocolate. I'm a little skeptical: I'm more interested in cocoa percentages than in roasting procedures, personally. And on that front the Ghirardelli Dark doesn't dissapoint, weighing in with a hefty 60% cocoa content. Not as much as some of the other bars mentioned above, but that's OK--the Ghirardelli Dark might be a better choice for the people on your list who like their chocolate a little sweeter. (By the way--Ghirardelli is actually owned by Lindt, but the facilities are separate, so the chocolate is noticably different.) I'm recommending the Dark Chocolate Bar, but the truth is that any of the candy that Ghirardelli makes is good. They also makes those lovely little individually-wrapped squares that you've probably seen at your local Border's--a box of these would make a nice present as well. Oh, and if you have any baking to do this holiday seasion, it is worth noting that the Ghirardelli 60% Cocoa Bittersweet chocolate chips are the best that you will find without going to a specialty store. 5. Neuhaus Classic Collection  Another Belgian company, Neuhaus was founded around the same time as Godiva, in 1857. Neuhaus is a little harder to find than the previously listed candies; it is available at Neiman-Marcus and Macy's. Much ado is made about Neuhaus--and those who like it will sing the praises of the green and gold boxes for hours. Personally, I find that Neuhaus leaves a small, but still noticable sticky aftertaste that I don't much like. Additionally, the choice of fillings is often old-fashioned. (By which I mean that 50% of the assortment will have hazelnut in it somewhere.) But even so, the chocolate is high-quality and satisfying. I would rather receive Godiva than Neuhaus, and since the two are priced similiarly, my recomendation would be to go with Godiva. However, there are many people who disagree with me, and if you have a chocoholic on your list who is looking for something different, Neuhaus might be the ticket. 6. Frango Spoonerbridge Cherry  I wasn't going to include Frango on my list, mostly because it isn't as widely available as the others: If you don't have a Marshall Field's near you, then you probably don't recognize this company. Frango was founded in 1918 in Seattle, but it was quickly purchased by Marshal Field's and moved to Chicago. Personally, I prefer dark chocolate bars and truffles, and this list reflects that. But this would be my number one pick for lovers of milk chocolate confections. Frango's recipe is a secret, so we can't talk about cocao content here. Frango's claim to fame is it's texture. The candies consist of a firm chocolate shell filled with a velvety chocolate filling--it is reminiscent of a very smooth fudge. The most popular flavor of Frango is mint; take my advice and skip it. Instead, go with the Spoonbridge Cherry. When it first was debuted, this candy was named after the Mackinac bridge in Michigan. Whatever the name, the candy in the blue box is good. Chocolate and cherries are a very common combination; Frango's version is a refreshing new take on the old classic. And, as a public service, I'm going to give a list of the worst chocolates out there. These are the chocolates to avoid, listed from worst to less bad: 1) Russel-Stover/Whitman's/Pangburn's  These are all the same companies, and the chocolate all tastes gritty. Additionally, the chocolate confections are usually overly sweet and leave a sticky aftertaste. 2) Brach's  Ugh. Consistently bad, greasy chocolate. Don't give this to anyone you love. If case you're interested, Brach's is owned by Barry Callebaut, a Swiss corporation that once made better chocolate than it does now. How the mighty have fallen. 3. Fannie May  This is the kind of chocolate you would eat if you wore pearls while you vacuumed and called your daughter "Kitten." This is the kind of chocolate you bring to a bridal shower in 1961. This is the kind of chocolate that you eat if you think that pizza is Italian food. If you like Ike, you'll love Fannie May. In other words, this company is a relic from another age, and it shows. Once (reportedly) a great candy maker, Fannie May's candies are overly sweet and overly fussy by today's standards. |
