Though it may be a touch to late to order for Valentine's Day unless you live near a purveyor of fine
chocolates, I have never yet heard of someone refusing to accept a belated Valentine's Day box of chocolates –
particularly not if it is an exceptionally good box. Consumer Reports published ratings of their best chocolates picks, ranked into
categories of excellent, very good, good and fair. Among those receiving Excellent ratings were Candinas and Jacques Torres, followed
closely in the Very Good category by confections from Frans Chocolates, Godiva, Leonidas Chocolate and See's.
Every time I see See's Candies ranked lower than some other chocolate makers - though I do like the choices that CR has made here - I can't help but feel that it is because they are both widely available (here on the West Coast, anyway) and reasonably priced. Their products are excellent and, unlike some "higher end" confections, are sure to be a hit with anyone you given them to, since they mainly stick with classic flavors instead of following the arbitrary whims of flash-in-the-pan taste trends. They may not have curried truffles, but their caramels and buttercreams are definately the way to any candy-lover's heart.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
2-13-2006 @ 5:12PM
Joe said...
See's are excellent, but as an ex-resident of Madison, I have made the car trip to visit Candinas many times, and their chocolates truly are a cut above. Try them sometime--they're worth every penny!
Happy V Day to those who celebrate; happy Tuesday to those who don't.
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2-13-2006 @ 7:33PM
sarah gilbert said...
I truly adore See's candies, and I totally agree with your assessment. they're made with quality ingredients and are consistently delicious.
I'd add Teuscher to the list though! I'm surprised it's not on there, but Leonidas is. Bizarre.
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2-14-2006 @ 1:16PM
Jacob Pulliam said...
Let's not forget about La Maison du Chocolat (http://www.lamaisonduchocolat.com/commerce/accueil.php) . Easily the best chocolate I've ever had, expensive but if your buying a valetines gift and it's a box of chocolates you better make it worth it
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2-24-2006 @ 1:20AM
FJK said...
As my regular bloggings on See's will confirm, I think the brand is an extraordinary value. In case you don't know, See's ships fairly extensively by mail order, (see http://www.sees.com for more info) so even non-Westerners can try it out. I think the price per pound works out to between $14-$17 depending on what you buy. When I was in Paris, I think the Masion du Chocolat worked out to about $89 a pound. It was scrumptious, but .....
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