What is the best form of chocolate?

[still life]

Chocolate, easily the god of all flavours, and available in so many sweet, sweet form factors.

One question remains: which is best?

I'm rather attached to this new cabury's caramel whip stuff, but the best so far is Haigh's chocolate speckles from the shop in The Strand (Sydney).

what do you think?

[babygirlz]

the one with white chocolate and smarties omg! melted chocolate on body parts has to be the absolute best.

[DOGG]

Most chocolates are actually a combination of fat & sugar with very little actual chocolate.

I like the taste of Dove.

[Sagacious]

THe best chocolate is not available in Australia.

What is regarded as the best chocolate is the chocolate with the highest cocao butter content which melts at about 36degrees C (human body temperature) is considered to delicate for Australia's harsh climactic conditions hence we have chocolate with a higher proportion of cocao solids (or cocao mass). It's a climate thing.

Lindt chocolates and some Belgian chocolates are absolutely divine they literally melt in the mouth the moment they go in.

The whole temperature thing gives rise to an interesting trivia fact regarding chocolate.

INTERESTING FACT

Cocao butter has a medical name...Theabroma (?sp?)

Theabroma (because of its melting point being particularly close to that of the human body's normal body temperature) is a particularly useful binding agent for medicines that need to be released in the body. Chief among its uses is as a binding agent in suppositories (anal and vaginal).

So next time you are craving chocolate think of its medicinal qualities and consider that the stuff that makes it good is also the stuff that makes it perfect for shoving medicines right up where they are needed the most.

That is all,

[Kez]

After Girl telling me about Haighs and the Strand, I bought some while in the city 3 days ago.

I dont feel like eating Cadbury anymore. Ever. Again.

[pliskin]

the haighs chocolate is quite good, it is the only company in australia that actually roasts its own cocoa beans to extarct the cocoa butter.. i went for a tour of their adelaide factory a few yrs ago. and spent over $100
good quality chocolate should never be stored in a fridge. ever.
we use a lot of valrhona at work. here is their site.
http://www.valrhona.com/

[babygirlz]

i tried some from a health place the other day. it was $7 for a small block but well worth it. the caramel one tasted like those expensive liquer(?) ones

[Mr Bigglesworth]

Ghiradelli from San Francisco, probably one of the better chocolate makes I have tasted. I still like Cadburys.

If you go to Switzerland, there are two types of Swiss Chocolate available, the cheap variety that says its Swiss, and the expensive stuff. NEVER EVER go for the cheap stuff. You could make better chocolate on the way out of your body.

[d3kst3r]

Nutella is fucking delicious.
I eat that stuff out of the jar.

[label]

Thornton's continental

[Holster]

Truffles, good handmade ones, mmmmmm

Also, I cant remember the name of it, but one of the lads at work brought me some dark chocolate back from Switzerland, I thought I had died and gone to heaven

[AntZ]

For Australian stuff it is Haighs, Cadbury, Everybody else. And living in Adelaide means I have an easy supply of as much Haighs as I want.

[dozer]

fuck i miss haighs, factory visits but sadly no loompa people.

[Holster]

The oompa loompas all work at the Kraft factory mang

[druid]

For a long time I used to think Fazer Blue (milk chocolate) and it's variants were the best. Then I went to Brussels...Sweet mother of god you people can't imagine the chocogasms! When I noticed that a small shop in Helsinki sells Leonidas' products I was a happy fellow indeed. Especially when the shop is in a transport hub where I frequently change from one mass transit to another.

So I'd say that the best are (in no particular order): Leonidas, Godiva, Guylian. Chocolate in Belgium is art. It's not just chocolate bars. They start from elaborately packed standard confectionery and end up in strawberries dipped in white chocolate. Some of the works are like sculptures.

It's an expensive vice when the smallest assortment box costs 12 euros (was cheaper in Brussels) and you can buy confectionery in batches of two items. The price per kilogram was something ridiculous but that doesn't really matter.

I've tried Cadbury's and if you people think it's good you don't know what you are missing.

[BtrFly]

i love lindt - that stuff is divine.

[Colonel Kurtz]

Belgian Chocolate Truffles are the bomb.

Also anything made by Lindt (especially fresh Lindor balls .. that liquid chocolate centre ....dribble)

and my secret shame...

...Milky Bar Cookies and Cream

[DOGG]

Nutella is fucking delicious.
I eat that stuff out of the jar.
Amen

[stinky]

Lindt 85% for the win! I also love white chocolate ( cad dream! ).

Earlier in the year I was in L.A. for business and I tried a bunch of different chocolates over there and they all tasted like cheap crazy clarks easter egg chocolate.

Although, peanut butter M&Ms where pretty cool.

[Girl.]

All Still Life's chocolate are belong to me ;)

Seriously though. Haighs is awesome, and I'm also a big fan of the Hunter Valley Chocolate Company's chilli dark chocolate (they have a shop in Chatswood these days). I used to be a big fan of Lindt but my Uni friends and I traditionally give each other huge boxes of Lindt for birthdays/Christmases and now I'm a bit over it.

I lived in America for a year, and can confirm that Hershey's is the worst chocolate ever. I had to have timtams and chocolates sent over because I was going mad without decent chocolate!

[Afro88]

http://www.anydaygiftbaskets.com/images/components/toblerone.jpg

[TheMightyPhill]

Doesn't hurt that I work for them, but I am very partial to Galaxy Chocolate over here. Ripple is awesome and when I come home to visit in Jan I will be bringing as much as I can squeeze into my bag. We just launched Promises and it kicks arse too. The violet Crumble was sold here for a while under 'golden crumble' imported straight form Aus. It bombed, everyone said the chocolate 'tasted funny' owing to the cocoa content and what sagacious was saying. Every country gets used to their own mix.

[Holster]

http://www.anydaygiftbaskets.com/images/components/toblerone.jpg

hehe, I used to work at the kraft factory.
1.5kg Toblerones for $11
15kg boxes of 750g blocks for $20
and fun size in all the flavours for 5c each

[Cassa]

holster do you know if they still make the praline or whatever it was toblerone...it came in blue packaging and was squishy inside. God that stuff was good.

As for chocolate preference...my tastebuds are pretty insensitive to sweet tastes (I found that out doing one of those cotton bud tests in lab class once) so it's not surprising that I'm not a huge chocolate fan - not plain chocolate anyway, I prefer mint, ginger or coffee because I can taste those much better. I have a bar of ginger chai chocolate at home...very strange but I like it.

[Holster]

Last I heard they did

[Afro88]

hehe, I used to work at the kraft factory.
1.5kg Toblerones for $11
15kg boxes of 750g blocks for $20
and fun size in all the flavours for 5c each

:balls:

[Deimos]

Haigh's is divine. I live very close to their factory and I practically ride past it on my way to uni. *drools*
I am also quite partial to this stuff:
http://www.typetive.com/candyblog/images/gbmayagold-lg.jpg

[BlueBoy]

Thanks! I'd forgotten the Green & Black stuff.
If you like dark peppermint chocolate give that stuff a go.

[Frau Farbissina]

Wizzo Chocolate Company's Crunchy Frog is a fave, anything by Lindt - 85% melted over vanilla icecream is yum, so are good coffee beans dipped in Valrhona.

my sister went touring the cadbury factory in tasmania on holiday and brought back lotsa goodies from their factory shop that sells stuff that can't go to retail.. eg double-stuffed furry friends (two per pack instead of one) and fruit & nut (missing it's nuts)

[TheMightyPhill]

Cadbury's recently purchased Green & Black. I realise that doesn't mean shit really, but it is interesting to know what goes on in the marketplace.

[FireHart]

Lindt chocolate. It's pure orgasm condensed into chocolate.

[BtrFly]

i had a mint freddo - it was great ( i am on a diet - it was a little reward :p)

[Ralmandor]

One question remains: which is best?



Body Chocolate :elefant:

[JumpinJez]

Body chocolate!

or the lindt balls used as body chocolate......yum!

[Glompbot]

I have a soft spot for dolci doro truffles... but they're the only semi-expensive truffles i've had...
I like the lindt seashells

I'm a huge fan of white chocolate though...

[chocfan]

Have you tried Blue mountain chocolate co chocolates? - they are awesome. apparntly they use Valrhona (sp?) - they are in Katoomba, near echo point.

[imp]

Have you tried Blue mountain chocolate co chocolates? - they are awesome. apparntly they use Valrhona (sp?) - they are in Katoomba, near echo point.
The Paragon Hotel also makes their own chocolates. YUM!! They're in Katoomba as well.

I like chocolate in egg form but it has to have the fake crack marks on the outside. ;) Easter's really the only time I go nuts for the stuff, otherwise I just never eat it.... unless it's a Toblerone. ;) Then I will.

[Benwah]

Dark Chocolate is where its at for me, Cadbury Club is the business, and by business I don't mean actual business.

My favourite part is how to increase your word power.... that thing is really really really.... good.

[Mooney]

i love lindt - that stuff is divine.


Agreed! Can't go past Lindt! :D Yummy

[Sodapop]

Carob. Carob is the best form of....oh wait.

I did eat a White Power* Chocolate Ball by Lindt...that was just lush goo.


*Actual chocolate not racist. But the dude in front of me on the Countrylink was when I was eating the thing.

[muppet]

anything that's Dark chocolate. That Club chocolate or the dark chocolate flake yum..

And rochers.
Heaven in a little round ball.

[AntZ]

If price is no object then Haighs > Lindt > All.

Otherwise Club Dark Chocolate is as close to bliss as you are likely to come.

[Benwah]

Club Chocolate for the win.

Reasonable price, proper bitter powdery taste = chocolate win.

[criminy]

Wizzo Chocolate Company's Crunchy Frog is a fave,

I prefer the Ram's Bladder Cup.

Don't like white chocolate (too sickly sweet)

Prefer dark, but not too dark (I find the Lindt 70% too bitter).

Terry's Dark Chocolate Orange is fantastic.

Lindor Balls are good. Ferrero Rocher are nice too (yes, that really is Nutella inside). Guilian Shells are good (my wife particularly likes those). Toblerone is good.

For everyday stuff I like the Cadbury Club range (peppermint, roast almond, plain in decreasing order of preference).

I have a soft spot for Nestle Mint Patties.

[Thyrd]

I've never been able to resist lindt. Although cadbury milk chocolate is quite good too.

[Benwah]

Another vote for Club, strange that is always the hardest to find.

[Lina]

I have a deep love of Lindt 80% cocoa. I love the bitter creaminess. Another good thing about it is that nobody else wants to eat it. Ever. Thus I can offer someone a piece and they take one bite and don't request more. That = more chocolate for me ;)

I also have a slight addiction to Koko Black chocolate and the chilli hot chocolate they make. So....good... *drools*

[sagit]

For Australian stuff it is Haighs, Cadbury, Everybody else. And living in Adelaide means I have an easy supply of as much Haighs as I want.

mmm...Haighs. excellent product

[muppet]

wow i thought i was the only person that ate club dark. I'm so happy!

if you like nutella, you'll probably like the Cadbury Choc-Hazelnut spread (crunchy tastes EXACTLY like the inside of a rocher, hazlenut crunchy bits and all)

[wOnko]

Purists would prolly argue that white chocolate is note really chocolate as it avoids cocoa mass altogether, and most australian white chocolate has little or no cocoa butter either and a bit much sugar and milk solids....melt some and watch it split.

Surprisingly, i quite like Nestle Blend chocolate [not too sweet, nice amount of cocoa mass/butter and the beans used do have a distinctive taste] - if there is not belgian on hand that is (go hazlenut praline).

Every amaerican chocolate I have tried is too sweet; most swiss I have tried is too fatty on the palate; I prefer belgian ; but if there is a need [those of us who are actually addicted to chocolate understand the [I]need] then anything will do [even milo] or easter egg [compounded chocolate] that is so past it that it has gone white with age and mistreatment.

Never put chocolate in the fridge, ever - your tastebuds will fail to taste it before you swallow if it starts off rock-hard and cold [life lesson in that for all of us, wot?]

[Chocoholic]

Never put chocolate in the fridge, ever - your tastebuds will fail to taste it before you swallow if it starts off rock-hard and cold [life lesson in that for all of us, wot?]

Do you know what is weird but cool? Chocolate and frozen coke. This coming from some one who likes to put M&M’s on biscuits

[Siamhie]

melted

[ewe2]

I had 85% lindt tonight and it was overwhelming. It'll take me days to get through it.