Consumables > Chocolate
October 29th, 2021
Chocolate is a great gift, for several reasons:
You must spend more than you usually would. Most people would never spend £20 on a 150g bar of chocolate for themselves; that’s needlessly extravagant. Receiving a £20 bar is a treat: you can savour a few squares over several nights.
You could also pick up 2 kilos of chocolate for £20 in the supermarket. It wouldn’t be bad chocolate! But now your gift is a burden. It could take months to get through; the recipient’s palate will be bored by bar four. And it’s unremarkable: they could have bought it themselves. So focus on the luxury end: quality over quantity.
Chocolate can easily come with a story, too. Maybe it’s made with local ingredients, or has won awards, or uses unusual ingredients. Your city might have a notable chocolatier. It’s not essential, but it helps.
Try to make sure the chocolate uses fairtrade cocoa - but fortunately, that tends to be standard at the luxury end of the market.
Toronto’s SoMA is a reliable source of my gifts. This map of Toronto is embossed on straightforward but high-quality chocolate - ideal for those with unadventurous palates - with a nice local theme. They also make bars flavoured with icewine (a Canadian specialty), and an unusual cookie-like chocolate made with just cocoa and sugar.
Another source for local chocolates was CXBO, who made very pretty geometric chocolates with unusual flavours. They seem to have temporarily suspended sales, but you might find them in third-party shops.
The last time I visited London, I picked out some chocolates from Paul A Young as a gift for a chocolate lover back home. They got a lukewarm reception on receipt, probably because they’re not visually exciting. But Paul’s legit: it’s high-quality chocolate with interesting flavour combinations. A few days later I got a much more enthusiastic message, saying how much she’d enjoyed them.
I once received a gift of Malagos chocolate from someone returning from the Philippines. I have an unrefined palate; I think this is the only chocolate I’ve eaten that lived up to the tasting notes on the back.
If you’re in the UK, The Guardian’s Notes on Chocolate series is worth checking out. It’s a solid source of unusual chocolate recommendations; you’re sure to find something appropriate for your recipient. (It’s worth a look outside the UK, too, but finding the products abroad can be a challenge.)