Original Beans in Amsterdam
Since 2008, Original Beans has taken the ‘bean to bar’ idea full circle with their ‘bar to bean’ commitment to plant a seedling for every chocolate bar sold. Details of their 80 per cent organic Grand Cru Blend No. 1 dark chocolate are kept secret, but they claim to use some of the rarest cacaos from South America and Africa. And with only raw cane sugar added, the bars are also vegan.
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Bonnat in Lyon
There may be bars with frillier packaging and more envelope-pushing additions, but when it comes to pure, classic chocolate, Bonnat can lay claim to the crown. This family company began in 1884 and was beloved by Jackie Kennedy, who gave bars to White House guests during the holidays. The Juliana bars are made from specially grown Brazilian cocoa beans, fermented, then dried in the sun slowly over seven days. Back in France, the beans are refined and tempered over five days. It’s an intricate process but, as Stephane Bonnat says, ‘In the Alps, we have time.’
Teuscher in Zurich
For over 80 years, this Swiss chocolate house has produced some of the finest sweets in the world. Its Champagne truffles are renowned, and their handmade floral packaging is unparallelled, but when it comes to their bars Teuscher goes for pure unadulterated chocolate. Beginning with only the thin-shelled Criollo beans (surely the rarest and, some say, the highest quality), the Teuscher chocolate-makers produce every bar by hand in Zurich, adding only cocoa butter and sugar (and sometimes very little, as in their 99 per cent cocoa bar). While its headquarters are in Switzerland, lucky for us, Teuscher has shops all over the world.
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Jacques Torres in New York
Because Jacques Torres is as serious about technique as he is about fun, it’s possible to walk out of one of his eight New York City stores without a pure, single-origin bar of dark chocolate but with a bag full of chocolate-covered Cheerios (the idea for which he had when he saw a mother quieting her wailing baby with a handful of the cereal). His 80 per cent Porcelana cocoa bars are unusually sweet and silky for chocolate with such a high cocoa content, but Torres says the qualities of these rare, special beans allow him to ratchet up the cocoa without adding more sugar.
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Compartes in Los Angeles
In 2005, when John Grahm took over this mid-century Los Angeles shop where Marilyn Monroe once purchased her sweets, he fashioned it into an edgy and modern version of Old Hollywood elegance. Partnering with designer Kelly Wearstler, Grahm created a line of stunning bars covered in edible crystal, filled with tortilla chips and cayenne pepper, and flavoured with balsamic vinegar. But tradition still rules at Compartés, so everything is handmade and people – not machines – do the packaging.
Rozsavolgyi in Budapest
Katalin Csiszár and her husband, Zsolt Szabad, began the award-winning Rózsavölgyi in their home in Budapest in 2004. They source beans from Venezuela growers and roast them very lightly to preserve their true taste. Only organic cane sugar and a small amount of of cocoa butter goes in before the chocolate is formed into intricate patterns that mimic fireplace tiles and wrapped by hand in paper that looks like your chic grandma’s vintage silk scarf. Purists rave about their Criollo and Trincheras bars, but those who like surprises go for inclusions like olive and bread, Japanese matcha and masala spices.
Mary in Brussels
This chocolatier known for its eye-popping displays of bonbons is a favourite of the Belgian royal family. But the high-class tablets, packaged in charming pastel boxes, are worthy when it comes to the taste too. Perhaps most worthy is Mary’s 72 per cent dark chocolate bar made with beans from the equatorial (and volcanic) African island of São Tomé. All 10 of its fanciful shops are in Belgium except one, which is in Oakwood, Ohio.
Kate Weiser in Dallas
There is nothing conventional about Kate Weiser’s chocolate bars. They are painstakingly crafted, yes, but from there Weiser goes rogue, taking the grandest Venezuelan cocoa and adding açaí berries, or, in the ultimate rebellious act, going blonde with a caramel and sesame-seed brittle bar. Her riotous, Jackson-Pollock-splatter-painted chocolate bars and bonbons are beautiful the way a punk-rock romance might be – exuberant and irreverent in style and taste.
A La Mere de Famille in Paris
At 257 years old, this shop on rue du Faubourg-Montmartre is the oldest in Paris and, lucky for everyone who visits, its precious exterior is historically landmarked and the interior lovingly preserved. On the shelves at À La Mère de Famille sit sweets and treats of all kinds, including bars of 100 per cent pure-origin Venezuelan cocoa. Surprisingly melty and vibrantly aromatic, the plain chocolate is smooth, while the inclusion bars are beautifully strewn by hand with whole hazelnuts, almonds and little chunks of candied ginger.
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