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For day-to-day chocolate, I tend to like damn near anything, even junk like Reese's cups that are barely chocolate in the sense that the chocolate is far from the star of the show.

For more casual treats that are less about a sugar bomb, I tend to favor things like standard lindt truffles, Ghirardelli salted chocolate amd salted caramel squares, that sort of thing. Small bites of rich chocolate along with whatever filler is in play. The chocolate is the star, but has a supporting cast that makes it shine well.

But when I'm in the mood for real chocolate, it's going to be something in the 60%+ range cacao, no extras. Depending on budget, that can be the usual candy isle stuff from lindt, godiva, Ghirardelli and the like. If I'm splurging, I go after the really niche single source stuff. I have to order it in, and that means I may have to deal with blooms from shipping, but that's usually okay.

That's the kind of stuff you don't eat, you let it melt across your tongue. You only bite to get it into your mouth, then you let all the little floral and fruity parts open up slowly until you get that chocolate surge that's earthy, warm, slightly bitter, and utterly intoxicating.

Yes, I am a chocolate addict to an extent. But not a chocolate snob. I'm even okay with Hershey's on an infrequent and small basis. I can't say the standard bar from them is a pleasure the way the fancy stuff is, but it is great at being a single note, quick melting hit of the old choco fix. On rare occasions, that distinctive "vomit" taste can even be somewhat pleasant in tiny amounts, and it is a good enough sugar bomb when it's about having something on a stressful day that's so stressful you'd be wasting anything better.

Now, for those unaware, there's also this thing called sipping chocolate.

It's hot chocolate taken up a dozen notches. It's cocoa powder mixed with powdered chocolate, and usually some sweetener. Some brands include milk powder, spices, or other mixers to dial in mouth feel and taste to a given target. There's really no equivalent to the kind of specialty chocolate that is my nigh sexual pleasure, but even the Trader Joe's brand is deeply satisfying in its own way that even some of the better candy aisle options aren't.

If you feel frisky, you can make your own though. Just takes time and patience in figuring out your proportions, then dialing in your process. In a pinch, some good cocoa powder in hot milk can be used to slowly melt and suspend your chocolate of preference. Once you get it to syrupy consistency, add in your sweetener of choice (and I tend to favor plain white sugar since it doesn't change anything but sweetness), then whip with a whisk, or motorized milk frother.

For real, once you get your ideal mix, then froth the fuck out of it, the way it moves across the tongue and releases the chocolate is fucking amazing. I used the term "nigh sexual" earlier, and it applies even closer when you tweak things to perfection for your tastes. Hell, I call it liquid sin without irony. It's orgasmic sensory immersion. The smell, the feel, the taste, followed by the cocoa rush on a chemical level, it sometimes is sexual, as in arousing. Aphrodisiacs are essentially bullshit, but if you're into chocolate the way I am, then the really great single source chocolates used in this way, you'll be hard as a rock. It's just that fucking good.

Now, in terms of those candies like in your thumbnail of the post, I favor caramels, then fruits. I'm a sucker for cherry cordials and raisin based confections in those samplers.