Chocolate is a product of happiness and luxury. It’s for good reason that we crave chocolate when we’re down and give fine chocolates as gifts to loved ones.
Sometimes a classic Hershey’s bar is exactly what you need, but sometimes it just won’t cut it. Whether you’re a fan of 90% dark or prefer classic milk chocolate, there is a crop of luxury chocolate brands that not only use the best ingredients to create unique flavors and infusions, but also blur the lines between chocolate and art with their design and branding.
We’ve chosen several brands that exemplify the best in taste and design. Most of the brands sell their chocolates in bar form, but they use interesting molds and shapes to differentiate their bars from the ones you might find by the cash register at a grocery store. Designs are minimal and clean so the chocolates are easy to break up and share. The most luxurious brands even incorporate color into their bars. Innovative luxury brand Unelefante from Mexico creates bars that look like they’ve been painted by a contemporary artist. The chocolate is like a canvas for Pollock-esque splatters or a watercolor wash, all of course edible. This beauty comes with price, however, as a set of three artisanal bars from the brand costs around $420.
At a lower price point, you can get French chocolatier Amelia Rope’s colorful chocolate cubes for around $32. The brand offers Dark, Pale, and Pale Sea Salt varieties and are almost as pretty as they are praised. Even more affordable are US brand Chocolate Editions’ bars at around $10 each. Chocolate Editions bars are extremely simple in form, but the minimal design lends the bars a luxurious and high-end feel.
Of course, the chocolates’ packaging is no less appealing and irresistible. Casa Bosques from Mexico puts labels on their white packages that are almost pharmaceutical, an interesting juxtaposition of clinical and creative.
Omnom Chocolate from Iceland places heavy emphasis on graphic design, and the labels are based on arctic themes with polar bears and snowy mountain caps. Though Hershey’s will always remain iconic and nostalgic, we think these beautiful, luxe, and trendy chocolates are worth breaking out of your comfort zone for.
