Chocolate... Have you ever tried champagne truffles covered in rose petals? How about a red fire caramel bar? Those are just some of the exotic bonbons you can buy at Vosges. "Everything's really beautiful here and it's delicious," one customer says.
Vosges Exotic Truffle Collection was one of more than 30 gift box chocolates Consumer Reports taste-tested. One particular Vosges box, with unusual fillings like wasabi and paprika, rated excellent. It costs $40 plus shipping.
One Woodhouse Assortment gift box was even better, costing $90 plus shipping. "This assortment has great pieces with amazing flavors like cinnamon toast and buttery pecan pie. The flavors just seem to explode in your mouth," Consumer Reports Erin Gudeux said.
While delicious chocolates can be expensive, there are ways to save. Buying at the chocolate shop can save you the shipping costs and signing up for a company's newsletter or mailing list can help you find savings too.
"We also found some very good chocolates that you could try that are less expensive," Gudeux said. Those include the Ferrero Collection Fine Assorted Confections. It costs just $11 and is sold even at drugstores. "These chocolates were flavorful and they had crispy interior coatings and crunchy nuts that added interesting textures," Gudeux said.
Remember, freshly-made chocolates has a relatively short shelf life of only 10 to 14 days, so your valentine just might need some help finishing the box.
Consumer Reports is published by Consumers Union. Both Consumer Reports and Consumers Union are not-for-profit organizations that accept no advertising. Neither has any commercial relationship with any advertiser or sponsor on this site.
(All Consumer Reports Material Copyright 2011. Consumers Union of U.S. Inc. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.)
