Candy Snob's Holiday Gift Guide

The Gift for the Kid in All of Us

Ultimate Dark Advent Calendar
All the excitement of childhood Christmases captured in seriously good dark chocolate. Also available in Milk Chocolateand Truffles.

A Rather Great Candy Gift for the Holidays

Rather Large Cracker
Spectacularly crammed with 40 chocolates just waiting to tumble out! Filled with a balanced selection of 40 chocolates to suit absolutely everyone. And including 12 Holiday hats and jokes, full chocolate menu indicating those chocolates with and without alcohol. Cracker measures a staggering 25in across.

Pure Liquid Happiness for the Holidays

Winter Liquid Chocolat
No...not THAT kind of liquid...chocolate! Easy-to-melt flakes of chocolate for a drinking chocolate like no other, brimming with deeply authentic and warming cocoa flavors.

What's In the Box!

Mahogany Chocolate Box
The Holy Grail of Pure Gourmet Chocolate.Take someone?s breath away with this dazzling assortment of 45 supreme hand-made French chocolates that sit in a beautifully decorated mahogany box. True to its name the sinfully delicious morsels that grace the interior of this case shall not remain there for long. As the eye-catching exterior and alluring aroma of each desirable creation begs to linger in your mouth you will quickly discover what makes our master chocolatiers world-renowned. This amazing collection is a testament to their genius and unbridled passion for the fine art of chocolate.

A Candy Gift for the Hipster in Your Life

Trendy Steel Colored Chocolate Box With Velcro Lock
Great chocolate and great stye, the perfect holiday candy gift combo. This sleek shimmering metallic colored box is a dazzling selection of 29 handmade French to-die-for chocolate confections. An epic temptation as all these divine chocolates were created by small artisan chocolate makers virtuosos of their craft. Each masterpiece will seduce your senses with an array of alluring aromas incomparable flavors and tempting textures. You can even select each and every chocolate for the ultimate personalized bliss.

Richart Balsamic Petit Richart Collection
Michel RICHART creates chocolates that are designed to develop and pursue the "Art of Tasting". While his chocolates seduce the eye, they are no less a revelation and complete pleasure for the palate. Flavors from the seven aromatic families are presented in a systematic way, which make this both a delicious and educational experience.

Feed your chocolate addiction - Free Shipping on TCHO Chocolate

Amazon's offering free shipping on any of the chocolate a day items from TCHO.

TCHO-A-DAY is a new product from TCHO, packaged in convenient 8 gram bars in easy-to-open clear jars. If you eat 10 pieces though, like I do, it defeats the purpose. But it is so good. They come in 30-, 60-and 90-daycontainers

• Premium, dark, decadent, craft chocolate from San Francisco's only chocolate manufacturer


• Assortment of "Chocolatey," "Fruity," "Nutty," and "Citrus" chocolate


• No nuts in "Nutty" or fruit in "Fruity" just the inherent flavors of our carefully selected cacao beans


• Dairy-free, gluten-free, nut-free, vegan and all natural.

Check out TCHO products

The Purist's Library - Seven Single Estate & Origin Chocolates

The Purist's Library

Seven different, carefully selected bars taken from Hotel Chocolat's Purist range of single estate and origin chocolates. Perfect if you'd like to browse through the world of exciting chocolate made with some of the most sought after cocoa, including pure dark chocolates, high cocoa milks and extreme adventure recipes.

70-Piece Chocolate Collection in Steel Colored Box

Trendy Steel Colored Chocolate Box With Velcro Lock (70 pieces)

70 remarkably divine chocolates all hand crafted by award winning master chocolatiers virtuosos of their craft. Each masterpiece will seduce your senses with an array of alluring aromas incomparable flavors and tempting textures. You can even select each and every chocolate for the ultimate personalized assortment.

And it has a cool steel colored box, something you don't see every day with chocolates.

Chocolates Inspired by Latin Philosophers

CIOCCOlatini are chocolates representing the most famous Latin philosophers, each one with a particular spice. The product won the Chocolate & Design Contest 2007.

From Playdesign via NOTCOT

The Caramellow - Aptly named fusion chocolate

The Caramellow is one of the more beautiful and interesting pieces we've seen in awhile. Made up of mellow caramel chocolate and premium milk chocolate, with baby caramel chocolate buttons and florentine squares pressed into the top, as well as a sprinkling of crunchy crushed cinder toffee. And this bad boy is a 1 pound slab - 10" x 6"!

CandySnob's Holiday Gift Guide

FOR THE MOST CARAMELICIOUS PERSON YOU KNOW
Gingerbread Caramels
These smell and taste like gingerbread but they have the smooth, creamy texture that could only come from the world's finest caramels. Made exclusively with the butter from the AOC-designated Charentes- Poiteau region of France, they simply melt in your mouth.

DEAN & DELUCA Butter Caramels
A DEAN & DELUCA EXCLUSIVE. These caramels are made with rich butter from the AOC-designated Charentes-Poiteau region and are so smooth and creamy they melt in your mouth. Flavors include Chocolate, Coffee, Hazelnut and Vanilla.
via Dean and Deluca

FOR THE TORTURED SOULS WHO CAN'T DECIDE BETWEEN MALLO CUPS AND VALOMILK
Mallo Cups
Whipped marshmallow creme center engulfed by a delicious comibination of rich milk chocolate and coconut. 24 per box.

Valomilk
Valomilk; the original "Flowing Center" candy cup. Each package has two milk chocolate cups with a marsh-mallow center weighing a total of 2.2 ounces. A box of 24 packages
via I Love Mallo Cups

FOR THE ADVENTURER
Vosges Mo's Bacon Bar
Breathe...engage your five senses, close your eyes and inhale deeply. Be in the present moment, notice the color of the chocolate, the glossy shine. Rub your thumb over the chocolate bar to release the aromas of smoked applewood bacon flirting with deep milk chocolate. Snap off just a tiny piece and place it in your mouth, let the lust of salt and sweet coat your tongue. applewood smoked bacon + Alder wood smoked salt + deep milk chocolate, 41% cacao.
via Vosges Chocolate

CHOCOLATE FOR CONNOISSEURS IN HOT WEATHER
Backpacker's Pocket Paté- "Weatherproof Chocolate"
Shrink wrapped blocks of gourmet artisan chocolate. Deliciously convenient! This Original ChocolateSmith Creation is convenient, portable, and essentially weatherproof. Backpacker Pocket Pates are the perfect item to take with you on your next outdoor adventure! To eat, simply slice a wedge, peel off the wax and enjoy! All items are Handmade & Hand Dipped. Colors will vary. AVAILABLE FIVE FLAVORS: DARK CHOCOLATE, RASPBERRY, SUNSET ORANGE, NUTS & BERRIES, & PEANUT BUTTER BROWNIE.
via The ChocolateSmith

FOR WINE LOVERS
Sonoma County Winegrape Chocolates
16 Premium Chocolate Truffles Infused with wine grapes from Sonoma County's finest grape growing regions. Assortment: Russian River Pinot Noir Truffle, Alexander Valley Cabernet Sauvignon Truffle, Knights Valley Merlot Truffle, Chalk Hill Chardonnay Truffle.
via Sonoma Wine Grape Commission

FOR THOSE WHO WISH THEY WEREN'T IN SNOWY WEATHER
Mauna Loa Macadamia Nut Gifts
Who wouldn't want a ticket to Hawaii in the middle of winter? If a plane ticket to the Big Island isn't in the gift budget this year, you might consider the next best thing... macadamia nut candies. It won't satisfy that sand-between-the-toes craving, but it will make the recipient feel warm and fuzzy inside. Choose from an assortment of baskets and boxes including milk chocolate covered macadamias, milk chocolate toffee covered macadamias, coffee glazed macadamias, dark chocolate covered macadamias and more!

FOR THOSE IN SNOWY WEATHER... THE PERFECT HOT CHOCOLATE
Taza Chocolate Mexicano Cinnamon
Our take on the infamous Ibarra disc, this is the simplest, most delicious chocolate you'll ever taste. Made only with our Mexican stone mills (molinos), this chocolate contains only three ingredients: roasted cocoa beans, cane sugar, and cinnamon stick. Whip up a rich, authentic taza de chocolate mexicano, or eat it as is!
via Taza Chocolate

Plush Puffs Gourmet Marshmallows
You can't have truly sinful and satisfying hot chocolate without the perfect marshmallow, floating in your mug and melting in all its gooey glory. Plush Puffs are available in yummy flavors like Vanilla Bean, Caramel Swirl and Peppi Mint. And so you don't feel too guilty about the indulgence, they're made from all natural ingredients.

FOR THE CALORIE CONSCIOUS
Dylan's Candy Bar Re-Treat
Get your candy fix with out taking a bite. Dylan's Candy Bar has a fun new line of body products at Sephora, all with your sweet tooth in mind. Finally, apply directly to hips with no weight gain.

Ococoa Peanut Butter Cups Take It Up A Notch

I don't know if it is right to even call them peanut butter cups. They look more like truffles in denseness and richness. Not to mention the gourmet flavors - Cashew Apricot, Marzipan Truffle, Almond Cherry, and Classic Peanut Butter.

Check out the cups at Ococoa

Heads up from NOTCOT

Monbana Chocolate Thin Cube

Monbana, a French chocolatier, recently has launched Le Cube à chocolat de Monbana. Its is a reusable cube shaped receptacle that holds different flavored chocolate thins. No more spreading your thins on a plate, trying to fan them into a nice presentation.

I'd tell you more about Monbana, but the website's in French. So anyone who wants to tell CandySnob readers more, let me know.

From TheDieline.com

The Five Most Expensive Chocolates in the World

Knipschildt's Chocopologie - $2,600 per pound
$250 dark chocolate truffle with French black truffle

Noka Vintages Collection - $854 per pound
A compilation of the finest dark chocolates obtained from selective plantations in Venezuela, Côte d'Ivoire, Trinidad and Ecuador.

Delfee© - $504 per pound
Made by applying real 24K edible flakes of gold to each praline by hand.

Richart © - $120 per pound
Made up of 70% Criollo cocoa from Venezuela, which is considered to be the best quality of chocolate in the world.

Godiva "G" Collection - $117 per pound
Comprised of various ingredients and flavors like Palet d'Or, Tasmanian honey and Mexican Hot Chocolate.

From Thrifter

ChocolateSmith Sampler Pack Has Arrived!

I'm very excited, my ChocolateSmith items have arrived. Thank you in advance to the folks at the Santa Fe based artisan chocolate company. I saw this company on Food Network's Road Tasted with the Neelys, and had to check them out.

Aside from the great flavor combinations, what struck me about these folks is that they called their chocolates "pate" - because they use cheese wax to cover their chocolates. Besides being a brilliant shipping move (my stuff arrived seemingly unscathed in 100 degree AZ heat), the wax itself serves as beautiful, one of a kind artwork. Wait until you see the photos of this stuff!

Stay tuned...

In the meantime you can check them out here.

Review: Green & Black's Organic, Bite-sized Milk Chocolate

We picked up a bag of Green & Black's Organic Milk Chocolates the other day and were very pleased by the experience. The bag is filled with individually wrapped, bite-sized pieces of milk chocolate that Green & Black's calls "Intense," which is a very accurate description. All the ingredients are organic: raw cane sugar, whole milk powder, chocolate liquor, cocoa butter, soy lecithin and vanilla extract.

Each piece is a little bigger than a quarter, with a nice G&B imprint on top. It is the perfect size - a little bite that packs a big punch to quash your milk chocolate craving. The flavor is more complex than most milk chocolates. You definitely get a caramel flavor which is delightful. But you also get an occasional hint of sour, which isn't off putting, but instead adds depth. It has amazing mouthfeel - its so creamy that it is almost sticky, the kind of stickiness you'd get with a thinner peanut butter. But of course much smoother and creamier.

CandySnob loves these little morsels of goodness. The perfect little treat during the day.

Check out Green & Black's Organic Chocolate goodies here.

Askinosie Chocolate Packaging circa WWII

We covered Askinosie Chocolate back in April, and have now seen some cool packaging for this innovative, artsan chocolate maker. An army ration feel circa WWII to their packaging. Very cool.

From Dieline

Candy Review: Theo Special Limited Edition, 91% Cacao

Monday we reviewed the Theo Madagascar, 65% Cacao, and felt that it left a little to be desired. But we still think Theo has a good thing going, so we're not even close to writing them off. So we tried the Special Limited Edition bar with 91, yes that's right, 91% Venezuelan cacao.

To give you an idea how fragrant this bar is, literally the second I opened the package, my wife who was sitting on the opposite side of our couch, could smell its dark chocolately goodness.

Visually, Theo bars are quite simple in their design, so there's actually nothing to report - it looks exactly the same as the Madagascar bar, except maybe a hair darker.

This bar is not for the faint of heart. Nor is it for non-dark chocolate LOVERS. Even for dark chocolate LIKERS, of which I consider myself one, it is pretty strong and bitter. This isn't a bar I would choose to eat on a regular basis. But if you want your chocolate to be as dark as possible, this is for you. I personally found it a little too bitter. However, for as strong as the flavor was, it still didn't have the depth or complexity of flavor I would have expected.

Texture-wise, it was very similar to the last Theo bar I had. I'm sure this dry, crumbly texture has to do in large part with the high cacao content (in this case there isn't much else in there). Surprisingly, even with far less cacao, this bar had better mouthfeel than the Madagascar bar.

CandySnob's opinion of Theo chocolates after two tries? Love the process, love that they are an ethical company. But less impressed with the actual end product, but still hold out hope.

Buy Theo Chocolate Here