My favorites, and I've tried them all, are Amano from Utah and Mirzam from Dubai.
Always nice to get a curated list - Thanks (the NYT should do this more often, and maybe more on other inet available treats). And while not American and impossibly hard to find, Friis-Holm, Denmark, truly remarkable. I prefer it to everything I've tried so far, including Amedei and Amaro. A question - Christian Constant, Paris, used to make a chocolate cup that looked like Reese's Peanut Butter, but, and OMG, filled with a banana puree - does anyone know of anywhere who makes this now ?
1
I'll add Maverick Chocolate in Cincinnati. Their Farenheit 513 is beautiful with just the right amount of heat. We live 100 miles away but when in Cincinnati we always stop in their store.
Chocolate Springs Cafe in Lenox, Mass. Amazing dark chocolate and “sweet” cafe to visit.
Acalli is amazing. I first tried on sale because I couldn't believe it was worth that much than others, but it is fantastic.
Not to miss if you are anywhere near Stuart, Florida is Castonovo Chocolate. Many of Denise Castronovo's creations are international award winners. As you stand at the counter you can see, and smell, the bean-to-bar process.
Castronovo Chocolate in Florida makes incredibly flavorful chocolate, many of the bars have rightfully won awards.
1
You missed Bixby & Co. of Rockland ME, producer of chocolates that not only come from beans, fruits & nuts that are ethically grown & non-GMO but also happen to tickle the tastebuds without overdoing the calories. Especially love their chocolate puffins, whose sales support the Audubon Society’s puffin restoration project.
3
My husband and I have a craft chocolate company in Seattle called Bellflower Chocolate Company. We learned most of what we know from Dandelion and source from Uncommon and Meridian. We do single-origin bars, but our flagship product is single-origin chocolate milk using Washington state jersey cow milk and a plant-based hazelnut milk variety made with Washington state hazelnuts. It's delicious if I do say so myself. http://www.bellflowerchocolate.com
We specifically don't do direct trade, leaving that to Emily and Gino, because flying all over the world to source our own beans would result in a huge carbon footprint. That said, another great maker not mentioned here is Charm School Chocolate in Baltimore. Washington state's Fresco is also good.
2
@ Melissa Clark: What is your impression of Trader Joe's Fair Trade chocolate bar?
1
You left out Seattle-based Theo Chocolate: organic, Fair Trade, non-GMO, "Fair for Life" (sustainably produced with benefits to communities of origin). It has few ingredients, no fillers, tastes great. And if you are in the Seattle area, you can go for a great tour of the facility with lots of info and free samples.
5
I love Theo’s and everything they stand for. The tour of their factory was fun. I just wished I liked their chocolates. I’ve tried a lot of their bars of different styles, and the flavor profile is just too bitter for me.
Another great one to try is Nuance from Fort Collins CO. They were just recently highlighted as having the largest selection of single origin bars available. They only sell in their local shop or from their online store at www.nuancechocolate.com - their Madagascar bar is amazing!
2
Leonidas Belgian Chocolates.
4
No mention of K'ul (formerly Bija), which is tragedy.
Endangered Species. Natural chocolate, not dutched. West African, Fairtrade. Try the 88 percent dark.
1
Lake Champlain Chocolate Co. in Burlington, VT.
It ain’t cheap and it is delicious.
4
@Boutros Al Kabir Their caramels are beyond awesome!
I'm an avid baker who orders her chocolate online, so I have tried many different brands. I was delighted to see that my two favorites rated a mention in this article.
Valrhona for absolutely everything: dark, milk, white, gianduja, and their Inspirations line (almond, strawberry, passion fruit, and I think they've just started to offer yuzu). If your budget allows for it, you just can't go wrong with Valrhona.
Guittard, but only for their higher-end ($12 - $14/ pound) dark and white chocolates. The dark chocolate is floral and lovely; both kinds melt beautifully. Their milk chocolate is too cloyingly sweet, though.
3
For the best milk chocolate you must try Milkboy Swiss Chocolates, especially their crunchy caramel with sea salt.
2
@Mandy
Thank you for sharing milk chocolate favorites.
I still remember the delicious Swiss made Frigor chocolates from my sojourn in Geneva many years ago.
1
I absolutely LOVE Dandelion Chocolate! Besides the Bars, the toffee is to die for! If you're in San Francisco, stop by their store... There is sooooo much goodness.
1
And Mitchell’s Chocolates, Cleveland Heights, Ohio!
Burdick's in Walpole, New Hampshirel The chocolate is ethically grown and exquisite. It is also a wonderful French Bistro where you just might see Ken Burns - lots of wonderful posters of his documentaries decorate the walls.
3
As NY's only chocolate sommelier, I must add a few to your list that is excellent but have overlooked a few pioneers and newcomers in the craft chocolate movement - Askinosie, Amano, Zokoko, Maverick, Patric, Marou, Maizam and Eclat.
13
@roxchoco Excellent additions to this list!
I have always found Trader Joe's 72% CACAO Dark Chocolate e Pound Plus Belgian chocolate bars to be excellent and a bargain. I wonder who their supplier is?
13
@Jim K Those huge bars are not Fair Trade. But they do sell small Fair Trade dark chocolate bars at the cash registers.
2
@Jim K Please beware of a "bargain." If it's cheap to you, that means the farmer is earning poverty wages. And if it were produced cheaply, it's not likely to be top quality anyway.
@Jim K Rumors are the big bars are made by Callebaut so high quality for a good price. Not sure how Callebaut is rated in terms of their ethics, sourcing, etc.
I'll let you in on a little secret: TJ carries Vahlrona at an exceptional price. There's a 72% and 81% bar near the cashier often near the bottom where no one sees it. The bars are around $2-$3 each, a steal. Also, the "Chocolate Lover's Chocolate" is I believe fair trade.
For people who live near an Aldi, their chocolate is excellent for a great price. Some are Fair Trade, others not.
BTW, I am spoiled. Living in NorCal, 4 of Melissa's favorites are near me. I live close enough to Guittard than some days, I can smell the chocolate in the air.
Feeling some hometown pride that Fruition made your list! Amazing chocolate, strong values, good people!
3
Dick Taylor was my go-to until I tasted Chokolá from Taos, NM. So great to read about all the local makers! Looking forward to trying them on my travels, but I always stock up at Chokolá when in Taos: the Ecuador Costa Esmerelda, Columbia Tumaco...and packaged in wrappers by local artists.
3
You’re missing the best chocolate in the world—Maverick out of Cincinnati. They’re winning so many awards for a reason! My personal favorite is the Prohibition bar, but their spicy 513 bar is fantastic too. Their lemon lavender white chocolate is addictive!
Everyone must look at many many more origin's, this is a short list of MC's personal choices based on what she's got nearby. Missing is Panama for example, a very old producer yet a newcomer in the Tree to Bar movement. Our company DOP Chocolate owns farms and ferments our own beans in Bocas del Toro and Guatemala.
See if you can find anything by Felchlin, Swiss chocolate. So lovely...now unavailable to me in portland,
2
@Beverly Burke Maybe here? https://www.chocosphere.com/default/brand/d-i/felchlin.html
Wildwood by The Chocolate Maker's Studio here in Portland is incredible, so too Xocolatl by David. And Woodblock Chocolate's small bars are perfect little gifts. Time for Melissa to make a journey west.
7
@MsMora - the Brown Butter by Xocolatl is AMAZING!
3
@YReader Absolutely agree with you. David has mastered the most swoon-worthy texture in all his chocolates.
@MsMora That's interesting. I had some Woodblock chocolate and I thought it was horrible--burned and bitter and with a chalky texture. My favorite small maker is Patric. His inclusion bars are amazing, especially the Browned Butter and the Oatmeal Cookie.
In Houston, Central Market grocery store has a "chocolate bar" where they grind beans from varying countries into bars of heaven. Watching the process is a pure delight for chocolate fiends such as myself. :-)
5
@Independent Observer I'll be in Houston next week. Thanks for the heads-up as to where to find some good chocolate!
2
@Nancy I hope you have a wonderful food experience while visiting. We might not be the most aesthetically pleasing city on this planet, but I like to think we make up for it in many other ways (food being chief among them).
Cheers.
There is plenty of great chocolate in Hawaii, I would say Lonohana or Manoa outcomplete Madre.
4
WAIT! Askinosie, pioneer of Direct Trade chocolate (read his book, it's fantastic.)
And no mention at all of the fabled Porcelana bean, once thought extinct, that tastes great no matter who is producing it. And Soma in Toronto, Hotel Chocolate in the UK, the lost and lamented Rogue, the always reliable Ritual in Utah, the Original Beans Porcelana which in addition to being delicious is reasonably priced, the heroes at Granada chocolate, the folks at Madecasse who make the entire bar in Madagascar... I could go on, but there's chocolate to be eaten.
Write. a follow-up!
7
@seth godin I was reading this and thinking "Soma needs to be on this list!" Glad to hear it mentioned. Cheers!
I'm so glad that Fruition appeared on this list! In my weekly commute from the Hudson Valley to the Finger Lakes, I pass their shop. I had initially assumed they couldn't be any good given their location in an unassuming mall. Think again: their chocolate is, hands down, the best I have ever had (and, as Ms. Clark notes, the dark milks are incredible). Each chocolate bar has so much individuality and flavor! And, FYI, prices are slightly cheaper at the I <3 NY rest stops than they are at the "factory" itself!
8
My favorite is Theo Chocolate in Seattle. You can take a tour of their factory in the Fremont neighborhood - exit thru the gift shop for the best sweet treats.
19
@Sam Theo has done a lot in terms of bringing attention to ethics in cacao sourcing. They've also done a lot in terms of making Seattle's Fremont neighborhood smell really good when they're conching huge batches!
2
And there is Zotter Chocolate as well. ;-)
www.zotterusa.com lots of fair traded, organic Bean-to-Bar options in the Labooko category, or the wonderful, filled hand-scooped bars.
1
So many incredible confections are on this list. My personal favorite is Immortal Mountain chocolate bars based out of a small farm in Virginia. It’s fair trade, beautiful packaging and unique favor combinations make it a go to.
1
Askinosie! From Springfield, MO. Incredible chocolate, and a beautiful story.
3
The author seems to have missed Wilbur Chocolate Bars, made in Lititz, PA. Wilbur was the first to license the Suchard process in the United StatesS. Many might say that it is the best chocolate manufactured in the this country and it competes well with European chocolate.
6
@Bill P.
I remember well my childhood when an aunt would give me a box of Wilbur Buds for Easter every year. Even back then I knew: there was nothing like it and nothing better!
3
Vicuña Chocolate in Peterborough, how could you miss that?
1
We were in Asheville recently.. French Broad Chocolates was a wonderful surprise on our visit. So much so that we recently ordered some of their bon bons and truffles for delivery. Hopefully they will be as delicious as when we had them in the shop.
It also pairs well with wine. Something we experienced at the Biltmore.
5