What is fancy chocolate??

[pierogigirl]

I mean chocolate from a local chocolate shop, so not a brand per se.

[meanie]

Something you buy from a chocolate or candy shop that they make there. I would even count the holiday gift boxed chocolates you can get in the big box stores - like a pyramid of truffles or something.

[loira]

Local to me: Rogers Chocolates, Chocolaterie Bernard Callebaut (the better of the 2 IMO)

International: Lindt, other brands of Swiss or Belgian chocolate

[Patsy Baloney]

I think stuff like mint melt aways, turtles, the mixed chocolate boxes with caramels, truffles, etc. are fancy. I get them at our local shop for Christmas. They also pour shapes and make special bark for holidays that I like to give. Who doesn’t love to eat Santa’s face?

[VillainV]

I’d even call See’s Chocolates and Godiva “fancy” for the purposes of holiday gifts. Or those artisan chocolate bars you get at fancy grocery stores like Whole Foods, made of organic free-trade chocolate or whatever.

[tacokick]

Dec 8, 2023 18:49:03 GMT -5 mofongo said:

I don’t even know if we have those here!
ETA: I’m googling now, definitely nothing I’ve ever heard of, which seems odd.

Has anybody seen those crystal gems candies, they look so good to me!

I think your equivalent would be pralines.

[tacokick]

We have a local candy store we go to for every holiday and give that as gifts. They are super popular and make their own chocolates. It’s very reasonably priced too.

Vosges comes to mind when I think fancy chocolate.

[ProfessorArtNerd]

Leisure peas??

[momin2013]

I think Pot of Gold is fancy but what do I know?

[orangello]

Vosges is a fancy chocolate to me! I only get them from work vendors with expense accounts

[MixedBerryJam]

Dec 8, 2023 18:41:13 GMT -5 pierogigirl said:

I mean chocolate from a local chocolate shop, so not a brand per se.

This is me, too. I have no idea is “good” commercially-produced chocolate is other than OP’s broad definition, but I know objectively this is the best chocolate and fudge out there, and they ship (but they have more variety in store, if you’re near Occoquan, VA.) Tell them the old lady with the streaks sent you.

nazbro.square.site/

[Nonny]

[circa1978]

There is a local shop we go to called Bissingers. I generally consider it on the nicer side. (ETA: I think they did recently sell out to a cheaper chain, Chocolate, Chocolate, Chocolate, which also has a factory here).  When I lived in Florida, people were all about Norman Love.

[sandandsea]

I think Fannie may, sees, Godiva, rocher, and the other “chocolate shops” can count as good chocolate gifts. But really fancy would be from a local chocolatier or not franchised/big brand name. Like today I had an event from work with chocolate tasting. They shipped me a box from Italy that went through customs and I felt it was fancy.

[circa1978]

Oh, I really like Trader Joe's cheap cherry cordials. Not nice, but I treat myself every year.

[fryjack2]

Patchi. So so good.

patchi.com/us/en

[chickadee77]

Norman Love.

[starburst604]

If I’m going for “nice” chocolates I hit the local candy/chocolate store, and it is really delicious, even to my Hershey loving kid. But I have gone to fancy expensive chocolatiers and spent a ton on chocolates that tasted gross to me.

[gardengal]

For me, it’s chocolate I’m not going to buy myself unless it’s a Treat Yo’Self Day.

Sometimes that’s bars from WF. Sometimes it’s Laderach.

[underwaterrhymes]

Not fancy by most people’s standards, but we geek out over Macy’s Frango mint chocolates.

[livinitup]

Fancy chocolate is something other people buy from chocolate places that come in mini white paper bags. I love when they say try this! My favorite surprise was a really good piece of chocolate with huge crystals of salt on top. I could have kissed her on the mouth it was so good.

I do love a truffle, too. Milk chocolate shell with a soft center. Even a white chocolate truffle … but that is very controversial.

[mich1]

We have a local handmade chocolate shop in town. Those are what I consider fancy chocolates. This chocolatier has been making chocolates for 50+ years, and I’m terrified he is going to retire soon. He has already cut down his hours to part time.

[sent]

Leonidas and Neuhaus are two brands from Belgium that have a presence in the US/Canada. I've been to a Leonidas store somewhere outside Chicago. I usually buy a box of Neuhaus online every year during Black Friday but they also have stores in NYC.

One year, a doctor in the Toronto area was complaining that a referring office gave his office a tiny box of chocolates. This was apparently a downgrade from the previous year when they had received a giant fluffy basket of stuff like pretzels and popcorn. I was like "um, those are Leonidas, that's actually expensive chocolate." He didn't seem to appreciate that.

[jewel]

There’s a chocolate festival at Ghirardelli square in SF every September, if you want to do some official research 😁

One of my favorite chocolate companies, which I did actually find at the chocolate festival, sold the most delicious tea-infused fancy chocolate bars. They seem to have gone out of business in the past couple of years though. So sad! There are lots of other tea-infused chocolates, though. It’s a great idea.

Otherwise, I either go to local candy shops that make their own fancy stuff, or one that sells really unique, nostalgic, and candy from around the world.

[stemmie]

For me it's the stuff from the local chocolatier-- he's from France so he's fancy. I bought a couple boxes yesterday so I could pick what went into them-- all dark for one friend and a mix w/o nuts for another. Next week it'll be all pre-made assortments. I went with the "case candy" which is $30/lb. He also sells a "small batch" chocolate that can be just sort of weird with unique locally sourced ingredients that's $2.50/piece.

A friend loves this stuff. My niece bought DH some last Christmas and it was lovely.
teuscher.com/

That said, I am pretty happy with those massive bars at Trader Joe's and would kill for a Fannie May Trinidad.

[wise_rita]

Andes mints. I said what I said!

[thebreakfastclub]

I couldn't tell you where my nearest local chocolate store is for all the money in the world.

Fancy to me is whatever looks the nicest at Target lol.

[fivechickens]

Dec 8, 2023 22:01:56 GMT -5 underwaterrhymes said:

Not fancy by most people’s standards, but we geek out over Macy’s Frango mint chocolates.

Those are so good.

I got my coworkers Lindt chocolate at Target. Fancy AF.

[jinkies]

Agree that by "fancy" I just mean from a local chocolate shop as opposed to, like, a six pack of Hershey bars LOL.

If anyone tries to give me $20 worth of Andes mints in a gift exchange, they better sleep with one eye open. Blech.

[lostrn]

Personally I love the Lindt truffles but this is what I think of as fancy. My mother in law got truffles from here as favors at our wedding.

www.lakechamplainchocolates.com/