What's the best chocolate?

[jeff]

Inspired by comments on the "My New Dog" about Toblerone: what's the best chocolate, and why?

My vote is 2-fold: when you can get it, Leonidas (Belgian?) Or, Nestles Almond. Okay, not so classy or fancy, but I like it. (I don't eat that much chocolate, but appreciate it when I do...)

[sabreur]

Lindt Excellence 70%, or if I'm feeling slightly masochistic, 85%.

MR

[Mr Epee]

No contest:

Fazer

Homepage

[Elemental]

Take a bar of Nestles dark chocolate and put it in the freezer for 1 or 2 hours.

Serve with glass of milk, preferably during winter, while indoors with the thermostat set to "toasty"

[swordwench]

I only cook with Valrhona and Scharfenberger (which I may not have spelled correctly). If it's not good enough to eat on its own, it's not good enough to cook with. There's also a little local chocolatier in New Hampshire - Swan - that's mighty tasty. Amazing dark bark chocolate. Addictive. Mmmmm... Dark chocolate...

[Epee_Pox]

The best milk chocolate is fresh See's.

The best high-end truffles are the ones by Godiva that I usually can't afford. (But I buy them anyway. Rent can wait.)

The best chocolate bar is a tie between the standard Hershey and Nestle bars, depending on the mouth feel you prefer at the moment (Nestle is smoother, Hershey is richer).

[jeff]

I forgot about See's; they're really good. I don't usually see them on the East coast, but I make a point of getting some when I go to California.

swordwench's comment applies to wine used in cooking: if you wouldn't drink it as-is, don't cook with it either.

[bmcfencer]

I'm terribly fond of cadbury fruit and nut bars, and those chocolate orange things.... If I could get it I'd prefer belgian chocolate. For my chocolate fix here I generally consume dove dark chocolate. It's not the best, but at 2 am it really hits the spot.

[needle]

Chocolate with alcohol - chocolate liquor bottles, cherries with cognac in chocolate, etc.
For plain chocolate - dark bitter only, no milk, thank you very much. Belgian preferred, dove is ok for everyday.

[Larrison]

I forgot about See's; they're really good. I don't usually see them on the East coast, but I make a point of getting some when I go to California. [ ... ]

Oh man.. if you like See's Candy, you've got to try Helen Grace. There are only about 6 stores (all in Southern California), and the stores specialize in chocolate. Think See's but as a smaller company, more focused on chocolate.

Now, Helen Grace makes the majority of their money doing specialty chocolate for fundraising organizations (school fundraisers mostly). But my experience is there is a world of difference between the stuff sold for fundraisers as chocolate and the fresh stuff that's sold in the stores.

[jeff]

Thanks, Larrison. I'll be in SoCal before end of year and will try to find them. And look! http://www.helengrace.com/

[parrythis]

             E
          L    S
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      S
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  N

Nestles makes the very best...

Chooooooooooooooclaaaaaaate.

OK, trivia time... Who can name the singer of the last word of the above jingle?

[cornflower]

Hershey's kisses.

Godiva truffles have a really rich taste/aftertaste that I don't really like.

[AndrastVitesse]

I perefer dark chocolate myself. I don't know the company, but my friend once brought me back this dark choclate from Germany. Pure bliss

[Mr Epee]

Apparently, quite a few of you enjoy eating wax.

[bmcfencer]

mmmmmmm.... wax.........

[ThatReallyHurt]

Big Turk! No, Bounty! No - Big Turk!

Why are you looking at me like that?

[Moonitic]

Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory
Hershey's Pot of Gold

Well, heck...just about any chocolate, but those are my two favorites that are relatively inexpensive, but still delicious.

[the doc]

for me, hershey's chocolate smells and tastes of vomit.

you can't beat the smell of a freshly opened bag of cadbury's dairy milk and a terry's plain chocoalte orange goes down a treat.

i am starting to get into cadbury's bourneville dark chocolate.

[Zilverzmurfen]

Marabou. Their milkchocolate is yummy!

They also make a dark chocolate -- Marabou 'Premium' 70% which is very delicious. (The 'Premium' line is produced in Belgium, another good chocolate-country. )

I laso like most Tobleones, and I'll second sabreurs choice on Lindt. Swiss chocolate is very nice...mmm...