For many chocolate lovers and connoisseurs, the perfect gift is a box of gourmet artisan chocolates. These luscious chocolate treats are a step above the run-of-the-mill mass-produced chocolate found in typical chocolate bars and other commercial chocolates. Artisan chocolates are different from commercial chocolates in several ways.

Artisan chocolates use only the finest quality cacao, hand picked and carefully processed to produce superior flavor. Many artisan chocolate makers prefer organic, fair trade chocolate because the thoughtful production encouraged by organic and fair trade standards tend to produce a higher quality and more flavorful cacao. Artisan chocolatiers also choose high quality non-chocolate ingredients, such as sugar, milk, butter, nuts, fruits, and vanilla. Artisan chocolate makers value pure, natural ingredients, and do not use preservatives or other chemicals. These high quality ingredients must then be combined by a chocolatier who combines training, talent, and passion for chocolate-making to produce chocolates of extraordinary flavor and superior artistry.

Classic French Ballotin Half Pound Assorted

L’Artisan du Chocolat is one such artisan chocolatier. The Los Angeles-based chocolatier imports many of its ingredients from France and creates extraordinary French-style luxury chocolates in both classic and “edgy” varieties. A few of their unique flavors include pomegranate, curry, and tomato. As beautiful as they are delicious, these gourmet chocolates can be sampled in any one of several carefully chosen gift assortments. Artisan chocolate gift boxes by L’Artisan du Chocolat include the handsome 16 Piece Chef Assortment gift box, a mix of milk, dark and white chocolates including Japanese Green Tea, a customer favorite, the Classic French Ballotin Half Pound Assorted, a colorful collection of 22 unique flavors, and the 1 Pound Assortment consisting of at least 35 pieces of exquisitely made gourmet artisan chocolates. L’Artisan du Chocolat chocolates are always free of preservatives and have lower sugar content than most American chocolates, in keeping with their French roots.

The 12 Piece Chocolate Collection from Chokola’j

Another artisan chocolatier specializing in unique and extraordinary flavors is the New York based Chokola’j. Chokola’j pronounced “choko-lah” is the realization of the dreams and efforts of Co-Founders Daniel & Susan Kennedy. Inspired by the New American food movement for the last 15 years, Daniel & Susan Kennedy of Chokola’j use certified organic cacao and the highest quality local US ingredients to create delicacies such as their popular Blueberry Port and Chamomile Honey Caramel. The 12 Piece Chocolate Collection from Chokola’j is a tour de force collection perfect for the most discriminating palates.

30 Piece Dark Family Assortment from the Chocolate Chocolate Chocolate Company

Founded in 1981 and based in St. Louis, Missouri, the Chocolate Chocolate Chocolate Company uses old-fashioned techniques passed down through generations of chocolate makers to create its luscious handmade chocolates. For the best sampling of the Chocolate Chocolate Chocolate Company’s gourmet chocolates, consider its 30 piece Dark Family Assortment, and assortment of dark chocolate combined with the very finest ingredients into mouthwatering treats. The Dark Family Assortment is a popular assortment of fresh cherry cordials, smooth butter caramels, pecan tootles, crisp nuts, crispy centers, soft crème centers, and meltaways richly covered in the finest pure dark chocolate Kosher Certified by the Orthodox Union.

Hand Made Hand Dipped Chocolates from the Artful Chocolatier

The Artful Chocolatier is another fine chocolate maker that uses old fashioned hand dipping techniques to ensure a thick, delicious chocolate coating on all its creations. Their chocolates are all made by hand, one at a time in small batches, and the Artful Chocolatier only uses only the finest and freshest creams, caramels, nuts, fruits, and flavorings. Hand dipping gives each confection a thick chocolate coating that makes them extra large and yummy – just the way your favorite chocolates should be. The Hand Made Hand Dipped Chocolates collection is a gift box featuring 26 classic flavors, including creams, caramels, nuts, fruits, and other flavorings.

Gourmet artisan chocolates are the ultimate in mouthwatering chocolatey goodness. Indulge yourself, or spread the pleasure with a handmade artisan chocolate gift box.

While we like to highlight chocolate that is organic and fair trade certified, artisan chocolates that are not all organic have a way of sneaking in.

With Valentine’s Day Around the corner, luxury gift boxes of gourmet chocolates tantalize lovers and their paramours. We thought to highlight some amazing heart shaped chocolate gift boxes that caught our eye.

30 Of Our Hand Painted Heart Chocolates In A Heart Box

20 pieces of our hand-painted heart shaped truffles in a heart box.

30 pieces of our handmade and hand-painted heart truffles in a heart shaped box.

Our chocolates have won numerous awards around the country. Including most recently at the prestigious New York Chocolate Show, where chocolatiers come from around the world to showcase their chocolates, including celebrity chefs from the USA. We were awarded the Best in Show Award for “Best Overall Bonbon, Non-Ganache, Any Flavor” and we were a finalists for “Best Overall Bonbon, Multi-Flavor Ganache”. We were the only chocolatier to have two finalist showings for our truffles.

Our chocolates were also chosen to be included in the official gift bags and dressing rooms for the presenters and performers of The 51st GRAMMY Awards.

As Seen On:
Extra!
The Today Show on NBC
The Early Show on CBS
Fox & Friends on The Fox News Channel

Awards We Have Won at the San Francisco and Los Angeles Chocolate Salons Include:
Most Gifted Chocolatier
Top Artisan Chocolatier
Best Truffle
Most Delicious Flavor Combinations
Best Flavored Chocolate
Best Gift Set
Best Comfort Chocolate Product
Best Packaging
Best Flavored Chocolate Bar
Most Artistic Design

Unique Valentine Heart

Our new valentine collection of indescribably delicious chocolates topped with four unique holiday designs will delight your love. This all-dark chocolate selection includes, Omega (olive oil & Fleur de Sel), Meyer Lemon infused olive oil, Crème Fraiche ganache, Calvados (apple brandy) and Strawberry vodka ganache.

Valentine’s Day Suede Heart 24 Piece

Nothing says “I Love You” like a hand selected box of our finest chocolates from Chocolate Chocolate Chocolate Company. Hand selected chocolates are carefully packaged in our elegant suede heart box and tied with a satin bow. Limited Edition

The Love Indulgence

The chocolate that launched a thousand romances! This ultimate assortment of beautiful hand-decorated, heart-shaped chocolates will help you fulfill your dreams – and fantasies – with that very special someone. Flavors include Passion Fruit Caramel, Strawberries ‘n Cream, Grand Marnier Truffle, Amaretto Latte, Minty Julep, Irish Cream Coffee and Gold Peppermint.

All of our luscious Love chocolates are hand-decorated, heart-shaped and enrobed in our rich, bitter-sweet, yet fruity dark, creamery milk or snowy white chocolate couvertures. Each red-ribboned leatherette box comes with an illustrated Sweet Words tag (Desire, Passion, Seduction, Joy or Delight), plus our Q-card with your own sweet words of love. Flavors include Passion Fruit Caramel, Strawberries ‘n Cream and Grand Marnier Truffle, Gold Peppermint, Chocolate Caramel in Dark Chocolate, Minty Julep, Mandarin Orange Caramel, Minty Julep, Irish Cream Coffee and Black Cherry Caramel.

Madeline Mavrakos Heart 12 Pc

Madeline Mavrakos favorites including: bon bon creams, golden butter caramels, milk and dark chocolate chocolate M’s, cherry cordials, and a marshmallow heart to symbol their love. It is the perfect, timeless gift for Valentine’s Day.

In the early 1900’s, he created what was to become a signature symbol of love; the heart-shaped box of chocolates and named it for his beloved wife, Madeline. Today, that heart assortment has been recreated and packed with all of Madeline’s favorites including bon bon creams, golden butter caramels, milk and dark chocolate chocolate M’s, cherry cordials, and a marshmallow heart to symbol their love. It is the perfect, timeless gift for Valentine’s Day.

Chocolate Heart With Valentine’s Assortment

Show that special someone that you care by giving them Chocolatines’ dark chocolate heart filled with our Valentine’s assortment. Our handmade selection includes passion fruit in a blushing white chocolate heart, raspberry decorated with red hearts, hazelnut speckled with pink hearts, and lemon honey caramel in a dark chocolate shell. These assortments are packaged in a edible dark chocolate heart and finished with a red satin ribbon.

What is artisan chocolate?

Artisan chocolate is that style of making chocolate that often considered an art form. Chocolatiers who specialize in artisan chocolate making pride themselves on using only the best ingredients, taking their time making small batches, and choosing flavors and presentations that are unique, interesting, and innovative. Time and care are the two most important aspects of making artisan chocolate.

Artisan chocolate vs industrial chocolate

But how does artisan chocolate compare to industrially-made chocolate? Generally speaking, the time taken to prepare commercial chocolates and the tools and ingredients used to make these chocolates are vastly different.

In commercial chocolate preparation, huge machines are used to produce enormous batches of chocolates in a very short period of time. The name of the game is to produce the most chocolate possible to an exacting recipe. And the finished product must appeal to the masses, so it is often overly sweet and lacking the interesting flavors that are inherent in true artisan chocolates.

Artisan chocolates, on the other hand, are usually hand-made or with very small machines in relatively tiny batches over longer periods of time. Flavor and presentation are of the utmost importance, and these chocolatiers do their upmost to bring out the best of each region’s beans in each of their creations.

4 Innovative artisan chocolate companies

Making the jump from commercially-prepared chocolates to something a little more refined and interesting will mean a bit of a higher price tag, but if you take your time to truly enjoy each morsel in all its complexity, you’ll get your money’s worth, without a doubt. Here are a few interesting artisan chocolate makers you’ll definitely want to try:

Rechiutti

Working to painstakingly select each ingredient and combine them in unique ways, Rechiutti prides itself on sourcing their chocolate building blocks in the local San Francisco farmer’s market. Flavors include lavender, tarragon, lemon vergena, and more.

Tcho

The story behind this company: hunting down flavor itself. Sourcing beans for around the world, these chocolatiers worked to test their product for the perfect flavor before releasing the final result. They use the purest expression of flavors inherent in cacao, including chocolatey, fruity, nutty, and citrus.

Vosges Haut Chocolate

If you want a truly unique chocolate experience, try out Vosges’ Bacon + Chocolate Bar. This chocolate will engage your five senses, so close your eyes and inhale the applewood bacon scents and the milk chocolate tastes. Also comes in dark chocolate varieties.

Chocolate Gecko

This artisan chocolate company creates chocolate with integrity, creativity, quality, and fun. Making artisan chocolates is a family affair for this company. They blend together distinctive flavors, using ethically-traded ingredients and organic chocolate that’s at least 78 percent cocoa solids. Try the Komodo Crunch, the Helderbergs, chocolate dipped fruit, and hand rolled truffles like their Poodles and French Kisses.