A Detailed Guide to the Best Chocolates from Around the World

Although I’ve always loved chocolate, it wasn’t until after a recent trip to Europe that I began to appreciate the diversity of flavor that comes from sampling regional varieties of the sweet stuff. After that trip, I pursued my passion for international chocolate and by now, it has become something of a hobby. This brief guide will help you in your own quest to finding the perfect chocolate as well as give you a few ideas for putting together an international “sampler” of global chocolates for a friend. As an American, you are probably familiar with such imported brands as Ritter Sport (from Germany) and Toblerone (Switzerland). If you’ve never tried foreign chocolates like these, you may want to give these brands a try, just to get started. Believe it or not, I know people that only like American chocolate (such as Nestle and Hershey’s) because they find European and foreign chocolate “funny-tasting”. When it comes to the smaller foreign chocolate makers especially, this different taste is a result of more careful blending of ingredients and often the cocoa content is higher which, particularly with foreign dark chocolate, leads a distinctive, bitter taste. All of the chocolate companies I have listed here offer both milk and dark chocolate and I have tried to give you personal advice based on what I’ve tried from the following chocolate producers. I should be able to offer you some well-rounded advice in selecting chocolate since I am a lover of both milk and dark varieties equally. Now then, down to business…Here are my top international picks… Although most people think of Swiss chocolate as the finest, I must disagree. My choice for the best chocolate is Belgium, which has French, German, Austrian, and Swiss influences in its recipes, making it a more balanced and enjoyable treat. While I can’t remember the names of the of the local manufacturers I ran across in small Belgian towns, I can tell you some of the brands that are best and are available online.Belgium’s Dolfin Chocolate is by the far the finest, highest-quality chocolate in Europe (from my experience). While I am sorry to say this is the only company I have listed that you can’t order online with, it would be worth your while to send them an e-mail regarding ordering and U.S. shipping information. They are famous for their simple chocolate bars not only because of their exquisite quality, but also because of their unique ingredients. For example, when I first tried Dolfin chocolates, I only had a small bar of their regular milk chocolate, which is rich, full-bodied, and not without a certain bitter pungency that can be easily smelled, but not tasted. After this first regular bar, I built up my courage to try some of their more unique blends such as “Milk Chocolate with Cinnamon from Ceylon” and my favorite, “Dark Chocolate with Earl Grey Tea”. While these may sound a bit odd, there is nothing strange about the taste and the Early Grey Tea was perfectly balanced with the bitterness of their special dark chocolate. Among Europeans, Dolfin’s highest demand is for their 88% cocoa bars, which even for me were a little too much to handle. If you love black chocolate with a kick, this is your number one spot for it. I highly suggest Dolfin to any chocolate lover—if for no other reason than to try their unique flavors and blends (others include Milk Chocolate with Ground Coffee and Dark Chocolate with Mint Leaves) With their unique blends and flavors I would recommend putting a few of the interesting bars in a gift basket for your favorite chocolate lover. Aside from the quality of the product, they come in beautifully designed silver and white wrappers and are almost too pretty to unwrap. I will warn you up front that this is by no means a cheap gift, so make sure you have a good grasp on the currency exchange before you buy. Another reason I am so in love with Belgian chocolates above all others is because these folk have perfected the art of the pralinen. For those of you who aren’t sure what a pralinen (also spelled praline) is, they are nothing like the American confection that contains the sugar glaze and nuts, Belgian pralines are what I can only compare to Whitman’s sampler chocolates—molded chocolates with fillings, but this description doesn’t do justice to the difference between the factory-made chocolate sampler pieces and the actual pralines made in Belgium. Belgian pralines are almost an art form, with intricate molds and attention to detail. One of the most important aspects about pralines is that they are not factory made—they are carefully “constructed” by the confectioner who fills them most often with ganache, light cream, or my favorite nutty, nougat-like nut-praline. Belgian chocolate makers and confectioners take their pralines very seriously and Belgian customers are very choosy about whom they buy from and the quality of the treat. Praline assortments make excellent gifts since there are a variety to choose from and for such a gift, try the Belgian company, Del Rey. This famous chocolate procurer offers the widest assortment of pralines I have come across and their chocolate quality is wonderful. The first Del Rey experience I had was with white chocolate and although it isn’t my favorite, I had cause to rethink my feelings about white. After that, I ordered a small assortment box and was thrilled at the freshness with which it came to my door. Aside from the white chocolate, I haven’t had their pure bars of any other type, but I am certain they are of the same quality as the delicious outer shell of my pralines, thus are likely to be a worthwhile purchase. Although this is another big ticket chocolate option (up to $50 for a medium-sized collection of about 16 chocolates), I think you will be satisfied nonetheless—and you’ll never be able to look at Whitman’s Samplers the same way again. For a less expensive Belgian praline, I suggest Guylian’s. I must admit that their chocolate isn’t as fine and melt-in-your-mouth prefect as Del Rey’s, but it is still an excellent company to run a few “praline experiments” with—just to see which ones are the best. I highly suggest anything from Guylian’s that contains their hazelnuts, which taste like they’ve been roasted in cinnamon or cloves, but I can’t be sure. Their traditional hazelnut pralines come in a light chocolate mousse-like coating and are a sure bet for those who have “a thing” for hazelnuts (which aren’t quite so common in the U.S.). Aside from Belgium, Austria is home to some amazing chocolate makers as well. My favorite Austrian company, Demel, is what I can only term as the “Tiffany’s” of chocolate. This is some of the most elegantly packaged and marketed chocolate in Europe, and also, the richest, most delightful substance I have ever savored. Demel Chocolate has a gorgeous website where you look at the place’s beautiful ornate storefronts as well as view some of the historical information about the company (which got its start in the late 1700’s). Even if you’re not out to spend a load of money on chocolate (and it doesn’t take long to do that at Demel), I do recommend a look at their webpage. Whenever I do, I feel the way I do when I gaze into the window of a luxury jewelry shop. If you are looking to buy a gift from Demel, I would recommend the “Baton Bambous” which come in a collectible art nouveau styled box. They are a hazelnut sticks that are dipped in their exquisite chocolate—again, a hazelnut-lover’s dream. I’m not sure which I like best, the box or the chocolate, but this is one of their offerings that you’ll be able to afford ($24.00—a rough conversion from 19.50 Euro).  If you are buying “gifts” for yourself and the love the taste of pure fine chocolate, I have a very simple suggestion: buy one (or twelve) of their bars of milk chocolate. Nothing can compare to this chocolate. It is creamy, melty, and slightly nutty with just the tiniest hint of cinnamon and will transport you directly to choco-heaven, I guarantee it. My second favorite Austrian chocolate maker is Hauswirth. This is the perfect company to buy seasonal treats from and they have excellent prices and minimal foreign shipping charges. This company puts a lot of time into their festive and intricate foil wrappers and are just as fun to look at as to eat. Also, if you are a lover of chocolate and orange combinations, this is the place for you: Hauswirth offers delicious, beautifully wrapped chocolate-covered orange slices, which are the best I’ve ever had. These are a delicacy harder to find in the U.S. and like I said, ordering from Hauswirth is quite easy. They tend have great deals on bulk chocolates for the holidays and be sure to check with them after the major days to see if you can get an even better deal. For another fine chocolate experience, I would suggest the Domori chocolatiers. This is an Italian company that specializes in organic chocolate. For those who aren’t clear on how chocolate can be organic, it’s quite simple—it’s the same as with organic foods at your local natural foods store: no chemical fertilizers and no pesticides are used. Although I haven’t been able to taste a real difference in the organic as opposed to the regular, I feel better knowing that there isn’t any unnatural substance mucking up the taste of the chocolate (let alone my insides). Domori takes great pride in their organic status and offers a wide variety of these chocolates using cacao beans from the Dominican Republic and natural cane sugar as well. They all themselves the “Cacao Cult” and absolutely scientific about their products. While I have tried their organic dark chocolate, I found the acidity to be a bit high for my taste, although for the dark chocolate aficionados, this is some of the finest dark chocolate in the world. The company is very conscious about that they do and even if you aren’t looking to purchase any of their products, they have a great website that explains the ins-and-outs of natural-process chocolate making and you’ll come away with a greater appreciation of the effort the effort that goes into a bar of chocolate, from the plant to the mold. If you are looking for a Spanish specialty, search no further than Lopez Echeto. While I am not certain of their actual bars of chocolate, I am quite fond their “piedras”. These Spanish delights have a toasted almond that is covered in a ball of dark chocolate and then rolled in cocoa. They are a little larger than golf balls and are a very rich treat that is nearly impossible to eat in one sitting. Lopez Echeto is the most famous piedras maker in Spain and if you love almonds, this is something you must try. Since I’m one the subject of Latin delicacies and chocolate, let’s cross the ocean and head to Venezuela, where Latin America’s finest chocolate maker El Rey (no connection similar-sounding Del Rey) is based. This company uses locally grown beans and their chocolate has a more bitter, heartier taste than other smoother European varieties. What is most remarkable about this chocolate is how well you can taste the actual raw substance—the beans. While delicious, this is not anything like U.S. chocolate as it tastes less refined (although this is isn’t a negative aspect, just a difference in processing). El Rey also offers a unique treat that gets down to the heart of chocolate—Roasted Cacao Nibs. These are highly potent snacks that let you taste the natural base of chocolate. While they don’t necessarily taste like the chocolate we’re used to, they do have an interesting flavor. Some people chew this by the teaspoonful for a snack with a kick and it also useful in cooking certain dishes and desserts. El Rey offers 8 oz. Bags for $10.95 and although that may sound like a lot—there isn’t anywhere I can think of in the States to get them and besides, you can be the first person on your block to snack on cacao (if you can handle it, that is) and keep in mind that just a little goes a long way. There is something about getting chocolate from makers that have the beans grown locally but often, countries that produce the beans ship them off to larger, more developed nations for processing. Buying from El Rey supports an entire local economy and although this might not be of primary concern in your quest for good chocolate, it is something to think about. So now, we’ll skip over to the Middle East (why do you look surprised—people everywhere love chocolate). Israel isn’t usually someplace you’d think of when you hear “chocolate” but there is a small company called Momentum that makes kosher chocolate that they ship all over the world. My friend Sandy had some of this chocolate and it was just great—not as high quality as some of the companies I’ve mentioned recently, but many mass-produced American chocolates couldn’t hold a candle to Momentum. While you may be able to find kosher chocolates where you shop, these Israeli chocolates can be shipped in bright colorful cellophane packages right to your (or a friend’s) door. This company also offers other confectionary and Jewish eats and it’s fun to look at their English-language website. The only criticism I have of any international chocolate I’ve tried is the Japanese brand Meiji. I haven’t had enough experience with Chinese or Japanese chocolate to recommend a better product, but Meiji tastes a bit like raw sugar dipped in molasses. It is sickeningly sweet and disregards any of the natural taste of the bean. Even though I am not a fan of the taste, it is interesting and fun to try the chocolate of other cultures, not only to see if it’s good or not, but just to take part in the global love of the treat, so it’s worth trying, just to pick up the difference in processing and refining. While I am still on the lookout for a quality Asian chocolate, I also continue sampling brands that I haven’t mentioned here. I can’t tell you what a great idea it is to make gift baskets for your friends with chocolates they’ve never tried before and while it may sometimes make an expensive gift, it is always worth it when you see that special smile that comes over someone’s face at the prospect of chocolate.