Sugar Savvy

I have to admit I already had quite a crush on Charles Chocolates. I first flirted with them at a Fancy Food Show a few years ago. Somehow I kept coming back to Charles’ booth to nibble a little more on this, sample a little more of that. I couldn’t get enough.

My next encounter was a media tour of Charles’ facilities and a private sampling of its tea-infused chocolates. If that was not wonderful enough, Charles made sure I was smitten by sending me home with a goodie bag full of its wonderful candies.

Now it is Valentine’s Day and Charles Chocolates has me swooning with its gorgeous and delicious candy. Heart shaped, washed in metallic hues and available in a red velvet or edible chocolate box they are the kind of candies and presentation that lead you to expect to find a diamond ring in the box. There wasn’t a diamond, but there are plump dark chocolate hearts filled with either passion fruit, raspberry or mint mojito ganache. The candies are beautiful and almost bling themselves, what with some sporting a dark silver tint and others washed in gold. But as good as they look, they taste even better.

The fillings are rich and creamy and a bit on the firm side which works well since the dark chocolate shell shatters a bit when you bite into it. Each flavor was balanced and wonderful; I couldn’t pick a favorite. The passion fruit showed up the citrus tones in the chocolate, the raspberry was plumy and jammy and the mint mojito had such a fresh, clean, mint taste that it has spoiled all other mint-chocolate combinations for me. In addition to the box Charles sent me, they have several other Valentine’s Day combinations available, some with additional styles of chocolate. To find a retailer near you for this holiday, use this retail locator.

While these candies are available seasonally in their Valentine’s finery, they are available year round in other assortments. The website also features other confections, including fruit pates, candy bars, the tea-infused chocolates, and handmade marmalades. My favorite for a Valentine’s Day is a gift that keeps giving — a Chocolate of the Month Club.