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Recommendations
Excellent
1)
Martine's Assorted with Creams
www.martineschocolates.com
Ultra-Smooth
chocolates(dark, milk, and some white) with mostly traditional
filling, fresh cream and butter notes, and many textures and
flavors. Fresh, crunchy nuts. Each piece different. Fillings
include caramel, hazelnuts, and liqueur flavors. Shapes include
pianos, cameos, gift boxes, and painter's palettes.
Price......$54
Weight......16oz Price/serving...$4.76
(212)705-2347
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2)
La Maison du Chocolat Coffret Maison
www.lamaisonduchocolat.com
Ultra-smooth,
mostly dark chocolates with many chocolate-based fillings and
some unusual flavors(herbs, sweet brown spice). Fresh cream notes.
Traditional fillings include hazelnut, caramel, and liqueur flavors.
Web site has no privacy statement.
Price....$72
Weight...20oz Price/serving..$5.08
(800)988-5632
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3)
Candinas 36-Piece Box
www.candinas.com
Ultra-smooth
dark and milk chocolates with especially good hazelnut, caramel,
and liqueur-flavored centers. Fresh cream and butter notes.
Mostly traditional fillings. Somewhat limited variety(multiples
of each piece). Web site privacy statement not very detailed.
Price......$41
Weight.....16oz Price/serving..$3.58
(800)845-1554
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Very Good
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4)
Bernard Callebaut Copper Box Assortment
www.bernardcallebaut.com
Ultra-smooth
dark and milk chocolates with attributes of the excellent products.
Mostly traditional fillings. Real cream and butter notes. But
some variation in quality, and some pieces had a sour dairy flavor.
Shapes include seashells, flowers, and hearts.
Price....$36
Weight...16oz Price/serving.$3.17
(800)661-8367
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5)
Confections by Michael Recchiuti 16 Piece Assortment www.recchiutichocolates.com
Very
smooth, mostly dark chocolates with many unusual flavors(mint
and tea leaves, lavender). Each piece different. But some flavors(rose,
mint, lavender) overpowered the chocolate, and there were some
sour notes.
Price....$40
Weight....8oz.
Price/serving.$7.05
(800)500-3396
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6)
L.A. Burdick Full Assortment
www.burdickchocolate.com
Ultra-smooth,
mostly dark chocolates with some unusual flavors(honey, ginger).
Some centers too subtle to identify. Pieces are fairly small.
Shapes include whimsical signature chocolate mice. Web site has
no privacy statement.
Price......$42
Weight.....16oz Price/Serving..$2.91
(800)229-2419
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7)
Godiva Chocolatier Gold Ballotin
www.godiva.com
Dark,
milk, and some white chocolates with very smooth centers and many
textures and flavors. Each piece different. Mostly traditional
fillings. some pieces had runny centers. The fruit, coffee, and
hazelnut-toffee centers are especially well blended. But some
pieces more sweet than flavorful.
Price.....$33
Weight....16oz. Price/serving..$2.91
(800)946-3482
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8)
Leonidas Pralines General Assortment
www.leonidas-chocolate.com
A
CR Best Buy. Milk and dark chocolates(plus some white) with very
smooth centers, including many hazelnut combinations and liqueur
flavors. But some variation in quality box to box.
Price.....$24
Weight....16oz. Price/serving..$2.11
(800)900-2462
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9)
Teuscher Lake of Zurich Assorted Pralines & Truffes
www.teuscher.com
Dark
and milk chocolates with many textures and well-blended flavors.
Real cream notes and fresh, crunchy nuts. Each piece different.
Mostly traditional fillings with some sophisticated flavors(pistachio,
marzipan, liqueur). But some variation in quality. Web site as
not privacy statement.
Price.....$60
Weight....18oz. Price/serving..$4.66
(800)554-0924
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10)
Richard Donelly Chocolate Truffles and Assorted Chocolates www.donnellychocolates.com
Mostly
dark chocolates with some unusual bold flavors(hot pepper, rose,
cinnamon, lavender). But chocolate sometimes overpowers the
center or vice versa, and some variation in quality box to box.
Includes pieces in the shapes of hearts, leaves and roses, plus
truffles wrapped in foil.
Price.....$65
Weight....14oz. Price/serving..$6.55
(888)685-1871
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11)
See's Famous Old Time Candies Assorted Chocolates
www.sees.com
A
CR Best Buy. Milk and dark chocolates with notably fresh, crunchy
nuts. Each piece different. Includes well-blended toffees and
caramels with real butter flavor. But some pieces more sweet
than flavorful.
Price.....$12
Weight....16oz. Price/serving..$1.06
(800)477-8683
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Good
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12)
Neuchatel Assorted Chocolates & Truffles
www.neuchatelchocolates.com
Mild
flavored dark and milk(plus a few white) chocolates. Many truffles.
Some artificial flavors. No intact nuts. Web site has no privacy
statement.
Price.....$36
Weight....15oz. Price/serving..$3.36
(800)597-0759
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13)
Neuchatel Sugar Free Gift Box www.neuchatelchocolates.com
Dark-and
milk-chocolate truffles; fairly low in chocolate flavor but decent
for sugar-free chocolates. Only about five flavors. No nuts. Chalky
centers. Web site has no privacy statement.
Price.....$18
Weight....8oz. Price/serving..$3.32
(800)597-0759
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14)
Fannie May Colonial Assortment
www. fanniemay.com
Dark and milk chocolates; fairly low in chocolate flavor. A
mix of real and artificially flavored centers. Nut and toffee
pieces good, but some other centers cloyingly sweet. Known as
Fanny Farmer in some states; assortments by that name differ.
Price.....$17
Weight....16oz. Price/serving..$1.49
(800)333-3629
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15)
Russell Stover Assorted Chocolates
www.russellstover.com
More
milk than dark chocolates; both types low in chocolate flavor
and many cloyingly sweet. Mostly artificial flavors. Chalky centers.
Some stale nuts. Dry, gritty, coconut. Caramels and nougats hard
and sticky.
Price.....$8
Weight....16oz. Price/serving..$0.70
(800)477-8683
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16)
Lindt American Classics Premium Chocolate Assortment www.lindt.com
Dark
and milk chocolates; low in flavor overall. The chocolate is
better than the centers, which often had artificial flavors
and lardlike texture.
Price.....$25
Weight....16oz.
Price/serving..$2.20
(800)338-0839
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17)
Hershey's Pot of Gold Premium Assortment
www.hersheys.com
More
milk than dark chocolates; both types low in chocolate flavor.
Slightly waxy chocolate. Centers chalky and quite sweet, with
mostly artificial flavors. Some stale nuts. Almost half the box
is caramels and turtles.
Price.....$8
Weight....14 oz. Price/serving..$0.76
(800)281-7565
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