François Payard is widely known as a pastry chef, but I was unimpressed by Payard’s chocolates. I enjoyed the Chagall, a praline wafer with excellent structure, good balance, and medium-mild flavors, although it was a bit slow to present flavors. I also liked the Gauguin, in which the cherry and chocolate flavors worked well together, and the Monet, with a strong cinnamon flavor. Most other pieces were okay but unremarkable. The Rodin disappointed because its initial interesting raspberry flavor faded too quickly.
After years in the test kitchen, Michael Recchiuti was ready to introduce Americans to real chocolate in 1997. With his wife, Jacky, he founded Recchiuti Confections. Their idea: when you introduce people to truly exquisite truffles and confections they will be won over instantly. Everyday, we strive to create the best chocolate experience possible, from handcrafting smooth ganaches infused with fresh herbs from California, to blending single-origin chocolates for one-of-a-kind tasting experiences. And just like our start 20 years ago, we never add preservatives.
If you think chocolate all tastes the same around the world, Kyya Chocolate in Springdale, Arkansas, will prove you wrong. This bean-to-bar chocolate shop makes a variety of single-origin dark chocolate treats, allowing customers to taste the subtle differences between offerings from Uganda, Ecuador, Madagascar, and beyond. There’s nothing artificial in this shop, just pure, beautiful flavors.
A list of the best chocolate brands from all over the world, ranked by chocoholics. The top chocolate companies make many of the best chocolate bars and candies that are favored by many around the world. Chocolate is the perfect treat when you're feeling down, hungry, celebrating, or... just about any afternoon. Recent studies have shown that chocolate is actually good for you too, as it's thought to lower stress and decrease the chance of heart attack, stroke, and diabetes. (Note: If you are, in fact, a chocoholic, it is best to just take those "scientific studies" at face value and skip the fine print.) 
If you’re looking for something completely different, consider these luxury champagne truffles from the famous British chocolatier Charbonnel et Walker. A small-batch chocolatier known for serving the Queen of England, they’re famous for specialty products including these milk chocolate truffles made with marc de champagne, a French brandy made from champagne grapes. Their strawberry coating adds a pleasing sweetness that counters the intensity of the brandy-flavored filling.

Simran Sethi is a journalist who believes food is always part of a bigger story. Named one of the “50 Most Influential Global Indians” by Vogue India and the environmental “messenger” by Vanity Fair, Simran has travelled to six continents for stories that have appeared in Smithsonian, The Wall Street Journal, Food & Wine, National Geographic Traveler, The Washington Post and The Guardian.  Her book–Bread, Wine, Chocolate: The Slow Loss of Foods We Love–was named one of the best food books of 2016 by Smithsonian. Her chocolate podcast–The Slow Melt–was named Best Food Podcast of 2017 by Saveur.
If you get a huge box of chocolates and can’t finish them in two weeks, you can store them in the refrigerator for up to 1 month. After that, the flavors of the creams and ganaches can turn stale. When storing chocolates in the refrigerator, take the same steps you would when refrigerating chocolate bars. Be sure to wrap the box very well in plastic wrap, and seal in a zip-top plastic bag. Prior to eating, let the chocolates come to room temperature before unwrapping to avoid any condensation.
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