First taste of chocolate?
 

My wife hasn't tasted chocolate since elementary school. She's been under the impression that she was allergic to chocolate. Recently, after a bad fish episode, she decided to have a full allergy test done. Turns out that she is NOT allergic to chocolate. (It is possible, according to the doctor, that she has a reaction to chocolate not associated with allergies.)

So, at some point soonish, she's considering trying chocolate again. My question to TFP: exactly what chocolate should she try?

I'm thinking a milk chocolate, not a dark. Also, the chocolate shouldn't be an acquired taste kind of thing, but pretty accessible. She's been eating carob as a substitute for the past decades.

Give her an assortment of high-quality chocolate: milk, dark, truffles, etc.

As long as the quality is high, it will be worthwhile.

I'm a fan of Lindt chocolates. The milk chocolate is really good. You can get boxes/bags of assorted chocolates, which would be a good sampler for her.

Also consider making a real hot cocoa from scratch.

What about starting with junky chocolate? Hershey's, Snickers, York, etc?

These products are designed to appeal to a wide range of tastes.

Why start off with something all fancy pants?

...

Even the wine snob started off drinking Bud Light.

Chocolate body paint.

I agree with Plan9. Start simple. Hershey Kisses, M&M's.... oh boy. This is going to make me *need* chocolate NOW. With Easter coming, there should be plenty of chocolate around.

and why not dark chocolate? It is good for her heart :D (plus, it's my favorite)

Anything but American chocolate. The crap you guys put in candy bars has no right calling itself chocolate. It's way too waxy and sweet.

I would suggest getting to a good chocolatier and getting an assortment of good quality chocolate (dark and milk). I would also suggest getting her some good chocolate mousse.

Not all American chocolate sucks. I personally can't stand Lindt. Their shit tastes like what I imagine wax candles taste like and it's greasy? WTF.

I like Godiva chocolate and am a big fan of Ethel's chocolate as well.

True. Not all American chocolate. Just the industrial stuff - Hershey's, etc.

What's interesting is the same brands, made in Canada, or elsewhere, taste better (at least to the Canadian palate).

Charlatan, I completely agree with you, but the ingredients and their ratios ARE in fact different in Canada vs the USA.

Indeed they are. So if you want to go the route of a Mars Bar, a Snickers or a KitKat... go Canadian!

I agree with BG on the Lindt Milk Chocolate. Don't go for 'candy', instead give her high quality stuff. I wouldn't go for dark chocolate to start with. LoganSnake, not sure what Lindt you're trying but to me it tastes very rich and high quality.

One of my favourite milk chocolates since childhood is Cadbury's Dairy Milk. It' is very silky and delicious and I've never heard anyone say they don't like it.

Other than these I suppose a great local chocolatier would be good but I wouldn't go for truffles to start. Those are usually a love hate thing, depending on how they're made.

How exciting, to taste chocolate 'for the first time' as an adult. Does she have any memory of what it might be like?

Good quality, milk chocolate covered almonds. Heaven! I hope I'm eating some the day I die.

I'm in the US; I agree with other posters that the Lindt isn't very good here.
Not Snickers or York, certainly. I want her to taste just chocolate.
If she does have a non-allergic reaction, I don't want her to associate that reaction with licking my body. ;)
I was thinking it's more of an acquired taste than milk. But, OTOH, carob is probably closer to dark chocolate. So now I'm not sure.
I don't even know if there is a cholocatier in the area. She works with chocolate frequently, so she knows the smell, and that's most of the taste.

Get her an assorted box of Ethel's and pig out together. The presentation of their chocolate is pretty awesome:

http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1436/...5a5417.jpg?v=0
http://chicagoist.com/attachments/ch...Chocolates.jpg
http://makingchicagohome.files.wordp...hocolate-1.jpg

Yeah, but I'm still thinking pure chocolate. Not chocolate with mint, or chocolate with fondant, or chocolate with peanut butter.

So, if I'm in the US without access to a quality chocolatier, what brands should I go with?

Check out Cost Plus World Market - they have several European chocolates there, and quite a variety, at a reasonable price.

Hershey's and other big US chocolate makers use butyric acid as a mild sweetener in their chocolate. For those of use who grew up with chocolate made with butyric acid, this doesn't mean much. Most of the non-US world has not habituated the taste of butyric acid in chocolate and therefore naturally associates it with the one thing almost everyone has tasted containing it: vomit. I suggest not having her try common grocery store chocolates for this reason.

deleted

South's Best Chocolate

they ship.

I suggest going with Hagen Daas chocolate sorbet or if she likes ice cream, you might try Hagen Daas choco choclate chip.
I also like the hot cocoa idea.

I love the taste of Dove chocolates. They come in all flavors dark, milk, and they are not expensive. Not to rich not waxy IMO. I think it is a very smooth chocolate. I can never eat just one :) Good Luck and may she feel like a kid in a candy store when she has her first piece :)

I don't know if you can get it in the US, but Cadbury's Dairy Milk is probably the greatest chocolate in the world. That isn't saying that there are many astonishing quality chocolates made around the world, but CDM is just unique (for the moment - Kraft have just purchased some, who knows) in it's flavour.

DB

Actually, now that I think of it I only tried one chocolate bar in the US and it was a small Dove milk chocolate bar. It tasted like wax and a hint of chocolate. Ew. I remember thinking it tasted weird and that I recalled Dove bars being better than that... maybe it is due to how they are made in the US vs. how they are made in Europe. Interesting.

Redlemon you could try and look up a European chocolatier and order it over.

Here's some ideas:

Luxury chocolate gifts delivered in the USA - La Maison du chocolat
-(There is a store for these on Madison Avenue in NY)

gourmet french chocolate from richart - richart us online boutique
-great French brand

Boutique en ligne chocolats du Maitre chocolatier Jean-Paul Hévin, artisan chocolatier, vente en ligne de chocolats haut de gamme, livraison en France et à l'international.
-a renowned French chocolatier

Amedei - Cioccolato da degustazione, fondente, al latte, chuao, porcelana…
this guy is considered to be one of the world's best chocolatiers

Amano Artisan Chocolate -- Chocolate Handcrafted To Perfection
-possibly the best American chocolate, apparently

If you can't get anything more 'homemade', I'd also go for the Cadbury.

...i totally agree with neveragain...hands down...Dove chocolate...both the milk chocolate and the dark. You can find it in any grocery store or drug store and it's divine! I like milk chocolate but I always opt for the dark chocolate because of the health benefits (in moderation of course). It's high in anti-oxidents. If she is used to carob then dark chocolate will very likely be her preference anyway.

...if you want to make the presentation special and romantic then also rent the movie "Chocolat" with Juliet Binoche and Johnny Depp :hearts:

...and watch it with her (warning: chick flick)

:rose:

There IS good American chocolate to be had, chocolate that follows the more European tradition, but you'll have to look for it or order it online.

Chocolate Truffles, Gourmet Boxes of Chocolate, Easter Chocolate | Moonstruck Chocolate Company

Scharffen Berger -- Home

Welcome to Theo Chocolate

I eat a lot of Theo chocolate (1 bar a week--lasts the whole week). It is seriously good stuff. And when I visit Portland, Moonstruck is always on the list. The problem with eating this stuff is that Dove and Hershey can't compete, and so cheap chocolate is out once you've become habituated to eating it.

Other chocolate I like:

http://www.greenandblacks.com/ Especially the Maya Gold bar.

http://www.equalexchange.coop/

If you have a hippie food co-op in your area, that may be a place where you will find these bars.

Check out these... they're awesome.

Sweetriot Chocolate Nibs