I would at least buy Doves Darks. They come in little packages of wrapped squares. They are pretty darned good. It's for your health, right?

MMMMMM, chocolate.

Cheers,
Michelle

I guess you can't have anything in the middle of the chocolate? Dark chocolate Milky Ways are wonderful and they make them in the mini version. How about a dark chocolate covered pretzel. The pretzel in the middle can't hurt you.

I feel you pain!

DH knows not to get between me and my Dark Chocolate. Dove Dark Chocolates are worthy and two is my limit a day. Easy to transport for afternoon snack. If I want to splurge then let's talk about good European ones, and I had an excellent russian one all acquired from whole foods. Valrhona is my staple for Brownies. I'm afraid Hershey's just doesn't compare to these. Those that don't like dark chocolate just don't understand...it's like a good bottle of wine you can't skimp or you'll be hanging with the Night Train crowd. ;-)

Good chocolate is like good wine. Don't buy the cheap stuff. I would definitely think you are worth the good stuff, Pete. Mmmmmm.....chocolate!
Kath-

Hey Pete, I picked up a bag of Hershey's Extra Dark Assortment, 1 x 2s, 60% cacao at Costco last week....I don't find them any sacrifice at all :)

In fact, generous soul that I am, I hid them in the kitchen towel drawer....

Hershey's? That doesn't even count as chocolate. I like the Dove dark chocolate. There are a couple of good local places in Wisconsin too where I can get really good chocolate. There's a place in Oshkosh called Hughes Chocolates that makes the best chocolate filled easter eggs. There's also a gourmet place in Verona called Candidas that is rated well in Consumer Reports. They're good (and they ship) but I still think Hughes is better.

It's almost Valentine's day - you might suggest that even guys appreciate a box on chocolates on Vday.

Do go to world market, but look for the tablets of dark chocolate from around the world: Chile, Guatemala, Colombia, Ecuador, Ivory Coast, Belgium, France, Russia, many choices! As mentioned above, the percentage of cacao should be on the label: 55%, 60%, 70, 80, even 90%. It's fun to take one square of each to compare the richness, the bitterness, the fullness of each bite. Nice with some red wine for valentine's day. You'd be surprised how moderate the calorie count is without all the sugar a la Hershey's.

Hershey's is marketing their own brand of "high-end" chocolate under the brand Cacao Reserve.

I'm fortunate to have a pretty good chocolate shop here. And I really like Ghirardelli's dark squares with mint. ButI could not live without Hershey's milk chocolate, especially Kisses.

Here is a link that might be useful: Hershey's Cacao Reserve

Tell the boss that you must have somthing better as Hershey bars have less of the beneficial cocoa and more sugar than say Lindt's 70% or 99% bars

Chocolate, one of the best things in life.

Carla

How wonderful to see that people really do understand that not everything brown and waxy is chocolate. I remember that as a kid, I was so disappointed in the fact that Americans called it chocolate if thats what the label said, regardless of what it was.

Chocolate is made from cocoa beans that are fermented and then warmed and ground until they are a smooth paste. The longer the paste is stirred, or conched, the smoother the resulting chocolate, because the crystals within get smaller and smaller. You add a little bit of sugar, keep it conching, and you get good stuff.

But the fat is valuable on its own. So some manufacturers take out part or even all (!!!) of the fat and replace it with palm kernel oil or something. That's like taking butter out of your cookie and replacing with Crisco. Who would eat that? Look at most of the candy bars in drugstores and see what they are made of. Anything that contains more than four or five ingredients - cocoa based butter and solids, sugar, and maybe dry milk or flavoring, plus nuts, fruit, etc., should be avoided IMO. Lethicin in small amounts is tolerable, but the cheapies use it because it makes the chocolate smoother without all the extra work.

For what it's worth - Jacques Torres just leaves the conching wheel on non-stop. Going and going and going . . .

So the Milky Ways don't do it. The only chocolate on those is the coating, and that's largely wax. Mars does make better chocolates - they are just more money. And I think they own Dove now too.

Hersheys is coming out with better stuff, but their basic stuff is not qualified as chocolate IMO. Same with Nestle - they own most of the chocolate mfgs in the world, but their crunch bars, etc., are not really chocolate.

And why substitute? You only live once.

Better news for Pete - Mars funds lots of, or maybe most of, the research into the beneficial effects of chocolate. But to their credit, they don't interfere with the researchers. At any rate, because there is some evidence that there are some beneficial compounds in chocolate, they simply increased those in the Dove line. And made no claims and garnered no publicity for it. So if in fact the research is correct, you're doing good with Dove.

One of my friends brought back chocolates from Amsterdam that had various sorts of tea added to them: green tea, bergamot, orange. Those were the best things ever. If you doubt it, try popping a chocolate in your mouth and taking a swig of hot tea. The chocolate melts, the flavors mingle...

(Dreamy Sigh!)

Happy Valentines Day!
Michelle

Now I'm goign crazy trying to imagine bergamot in chocolate woooowza...love good dark chocolate covered orange peel. I know a woman who used to make it and she gave me the recipe wow what a whole lot of trouble that is!

Dark chocolate is one of my favorite things in life also. DW loves to bring home the real strong stuff. I have found that I no longer like basic chocolate like Hershey's kisses. It just tastes funny now.

Kinda like when you follow a pint of Guinness with Coors Light.

Louis XV's mistress made him eat chocolate every night .....you can guess why. Tell the boss that. I think you are worth the best you can get!

"Now I'm goign crazy trying to imagine bergamot in chocolate woooowza"

Go over to Jacques Torres and get the Earl Grey Tea truffle. Awesome. He's over on King near Varick.

I do love chocolate, and sugar. I know that everyone here will disagree with me, but .....I don't think wine and chocolate are good for us. Those are huge industries that can accumulate information that will take years to refute. I think both products are addicting, and when I allowed myself a small amount, I became obsessive, and only thought about when my next allowance would come. Once piece a day would turn into one piece a day, and one bar a week. The week would begin with Friday being the one bar day, but then another day would become more worthy. Still I had a right to Friday. Before too long I was eating a huge Milky Way everyday.

I gave them up 2 years ago, and that means I gave up the obsession.

I am saying that I have abnormal attitudes, not that you are all wrong. Sometimes I feel like there are small industries everywhere that are out to get us.

Sammy

Xocai healthy dark chocolate does not have the extra sugar and fillers most chocolates do. This is a chocolate that is actually GOOD for you. It is not a candy, it is a health food. One that you can feel good about eating.

This 70% dark chocolate product has the only patented cold pressed technology, making it the highest antioxidant dark chocolate available.
During processing almost all of the fat and sugar typically found in the other chocolate products is eliminated. Besides the natural antioxidants, a full spectrum of additional antioxidants including blueberries, concord grapes and nature's "complete food" the Acai berry is added. The product is the most potent antioxidant delivery system available.

THE PRODUCT

1. A rich dark Belgian chocolate nugget equal in antioxidant value to one half pound of spinach.
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4. A meal replacement protein bar containing 10 g. of protein and 6 g. of fiber.
5. The newest product is a Body by Xocolate weight loss program.
6. No added sugar, dairy, caffeine free and diabetic friendly.

Godiva and belgian chocolates are my first true loves... DH, the flying furballs, Max the Moo and Ted the Bear are all poor seconds...

I am loving this thread!
I confess, although I love chocolate, or what I have always thought was chocolate, I had no idea of the cultish following there appears to be for finer chocolates! I am in awe of all of you chocolate experts! You guys really know how to live!

Allison

Hershey is not good enough for you...

Being a baker by trade, I say go with Valrhona or Callebaut for dark chocolate nibbling, and you can get them in bite-sized pieces, perfect for that little bit a day. You can various percentages of "darkness", and there's no, repeat, no comparison. Also consider Pralus, Grand Cru, Pernigotti, etc.

The website below is also an AWsome resource for lots of other great specialty things for any cooks out there.

Here is a link that might be useful: Try Chefshop.com

I love really good chocolate and can totally live without virtually all chocolate you can buy in normal stores. To me they are almost not the same food category. European darks with a high cocoa content are the best! I do not do milk chocolate with the rare exception of very expensive filled chocolates (IF I like the filling). Well, and I'll eat bite sized Snickers when I'm desperate for sugar. LOL.

Pete, Hershey's is NOT good enough for you. Stand up for your rights, man! If your access to sinful pleasures is slowly contracting (know the feeling), you need to make every sin count. Go European. I am sure the Rose Forummers would be glad to chip in on a 2 lb box of Godiva dark to make a point to your DW.

Or, you could tell her she has a choice between the expensive dark chocolate or your cute little garden pet.