Chocolate is personal, and that’s something to keep in mind when giving an edible gift. Delivered gift wrapped with your personal message. At about $130 a pound, the La Maison du Chocolat Coffret Maison Dark set (29 pieces) is pretty expensive chocolate, but it’s some of the best we’ve ever tasted. But we don’t find the flavors in this assortment quite as nuanced as those in our main pick, and the packaging and presentation, although pretty, don’t offer the same visual impact. The end result is something that isn’t as shelf stable as Russell Stover or other drugstore candies. Chocolate is something made from a bean, to give to someone that then creates a bonbon, or a confection, or a candy. The perfect present for friends, family and loved ones. In our most recent tasting, the chocolates came across as too sweet and the flavors seemed a little heavy-handed. In the world of premier chocolate, it's an artful combination of the best chocolates presented in a unique and elegant gift box. Chocolates are the most common gifting option at Christmas, but you will need the best Christmas gift baskets for Christmas events. Effervescence Giftbox. Pure flavors, silky-smooth ganache, and precisely tempered chocolate make these bonbons some of the best we’ve tasted. Buy online now. Look at a chocolatier’s website to find a list of local retailers. While this chocolate got three strikes, it also received one third-place vote. With one first-place nod and one third-place vote, it didn’t make a big impression with our first panel of tasters. If you’re looking for a truly special box of luxurious chocolates to gift someone, you can’t go wrong with the Recchiuti Confections Black Box (16 pieces). The assortment may be a nostalgic standby for devotees, but it can’t compete with the more boutique chocolates out there. L.A. Burdick ($45 for 37 pieces, medium-size wood box) was well received, with three second-place votes and only one strike. Best Packaging: Gift Tree. When storing chocolates in the refrigerator, take the same steps you would when refrigerating chocolate bars. You can purchase smaller boxes in Maison du Chocolat stores, but that doesn’t help if you’re not in New York, Paris, or other larger cities where the shops can be found. Vosges (about $50 for 16 pieces) is famous for round truffles with exotic, unexpected combinations such as wasabi with black sesame and even Taleggio cheese with walnuts. Chocolate Boxes. She’s a total food snob, and she was totally won over.”, Annam Swanson, Wirecutter’s managing editor, told us, “I bought the Black Box for my boyfriend for Christmas ... and wow, were we impressed! The one thing it had going for it, though, was that it didn’t get any last-place votes. Recchiuti is based in San Francisco but ships throughout the US via FedEx. We at Cacao and Cardamom present the best and Best Gourmet Chocolate Gift Baskets in the city of Houston and everywhere throughout the USA as we absolutely know and comprehend that chocolate isn't just the nourishment for the Gods yet it is one of our staple culinary necessities too. Aside from my personal affinity for bonbons and truffles, I tasted many different brands when they crossed my desk while I was working as a food editor at Martha Stewart. If you can find some of the favorably rated chocolates in our lineup at a local gourmet market or specialty store, you can save on shipping, which can be upwards of $15 per order. Jacques Torres’s (about $27 for 12 pieces) pralines, ganaches, and caramels came in a pretty box. The packaging, reminiscent of brown pebbled leather, is understated and innocuous enough to give for professional reasons. When a confectioner makes the conscious decision to make high-quality chocolates, they forgo preservatives and artificial flavors and use natural fruit, nuts, butters, spices and herbs. None of the other assortments are presented in such a cohesive package, and we found the Recchiuti’s key of chocolates much easier to decipher than those included with the other brands. The chocolates were on the sweeter side, and everything we tasted had a slight burnt flavor. The Recchiuti Confections Black Box (16 pieces) assortment contains the best mixture of classic and more exotic flavors, and the bonbons aren’t too sweet. This was especially apparent when compared with our previous pick, Christopher Elbow, whose perfume-y flavors almost knock you over. We didn’t think these would make a great choice for a gift; instead, they’d work better set out at a dinner party while guests are lingering over coffee. If you buy an Advent calendar now, half the fun will be catching up on the days you missed. Sadly, the factory mixed up our order, and it didn’t reach us in time for our tasting. This box also has the most unique selection visually, with chocolates of varying sizes and shapes, and the sleek packaging is more eye-catching than any other box we tried. I use Olive & Cocoa exclusively for my gift giving throughout the year." With perfectly executed flavors and an eye-popping array of shapes and textures, this Recchiuti assortment was our tasters’ top choice, beating out an array of new and old-world boutique chocolates. Also, we only minister and specialty the carefully assembled choice of chocolates in the assorted scope of truffles, nibs, bonbons, bars, and that's only the tip of the iceberg. An iconic chocolate gift, featuring ganaches and pralinés in dark and milk chocolate covered with a perforated plaque "Happy Holidays" in dark chocolate. While every chocolate in the Recchiuti box pleasantly surprised us, the Maison du Chocolat pieces, although excellent, aren’t as adventurous. The flavors, though, are more traditional than our main pick’s. Barnett's Chocolate Cookies Gift Basket, Gourmet Christmas Holiday Corporate Food Gifts in Elegant Box, Thanksgiving, Halloween, Birthday or Get Well Baskets Idea for Men & Women, 12 Unique Flavors 4.2 out of 5 stars 4,141 Your best bet is to buy as close to your gifting day as possible. The Litter-Robot III Open Air is the least bad, but we don't recommend one. Although these chocolates are impressively smooth and slightly less sweet than the Michel Cluizel pieces, the overall flavor profile doesn’t provide the same sensory adventure as our main pick. John and Kira’s chocolates ($35 for 15 pieces) were big on flavor but ultimately pretty boring. ... High fashion meets luxury chocolates! Considering increasing temperatures in summer, Click Here to read our Shipping and Freshness Policy before checking out. The packaging is beautiful and modern, with the logo embossed in tonal black on black. With perfectly executed flavors and an eye-popping array of shapes and textures, this Recchiuti assortment was our tasters’ top choice, beating … Leonidas Belgian Chocolates, 35 Luxury Chocolates, Assorted Gift Box, Confirm Your Chocolate Preferences 4.5 out of 5 stars 240 £25.99 £ 25 . The flavors are subtle enough to let the chocolate shine. This gift basket not only contains a bottle of 2009 Dom Perignon but also some sweet and savory treats such as Godiva chocolate and … Some have intricate patterns, while others look like little sculptures. ‘Chocolates’ are all kinds of things that happen to use chocolate in the ingredients, but they also have marzipan, toffee, nuts, or fruit.” Because of these additions, the shelf life of a quality box of chocolates is (generally) much shorter than that of a bar.