I gotta disagree here, there are large parts of the southern USA where you are lucky to have one supermarket available. Not that many years ago the only place to shop in the town my sister lived in at the time was a decrepit looking decades old Wal-mart that closed at 8pm!(I didn’t even know they still existed, all were 24 hour in Houston).
Now in Houston there are a wealth of places to not only get good chocolate, but actual imported chocolates from Europe and elsewhere. But that is the big city.
Obviously I haven’t been to EVERY small town in the US, but according to the WalMart website, they carry Lindt and Ghirardelli, both excellent chocolates. Target has those and others. Maybe not at every location, but I still stand behind my assertion that it’s not that hard to find decent chocolate in most of the US.
But Cadbury’s is not a high-end brand in Britain, it is the standard, with Cadbury’s Dairy Milk occupying essentially the niche the Hereshy bar does in America.* The difference is that the basic, cheap British Cadbury bar is way better than a regular Hershey bar. You are right, of course, that there is plenty of excellent American made chocolate for those who want to pay for it: the top end of the market, and even the middle, is as good as or better than anywhere else, but the bottom end is distinctly worse.
*Actually I think British Galaxy chocolate, which is also a major brand, is a bit cheaper than Cadbury’s, and, I think, distinctly inferior. It is still way better than a Hershey Bat, though.
I’m not a connoisseur, but I do like Ritter Sport Dark Chocolate (71%). It is both tasty and convenient to find, as well as very reasonably priced. I also like the mold they use, that makes it easy to break into pieces.
In earlier days I have been known to snack on baker’s chocolate, if that was all that was in the house. Bitter, yes, but if you let a small piece soften in your mouth it’s just mega-strong chocolate flavor.
Roddy
Ritter Sport is delicious—so many different varieties!
I love Cadbury Fruit and Nut bars. The ones in Canada are like those I had in Britain, in my experience.
Godiva is excellent, though pricey.
I love Hershey bars, too—at least the way they used to taste. I haven’t had one in a long time.
Belgian and Swiss chocolates are to die for!
Here is an interesting article on one über-expensive US/Canadian brand. It’s quite long, but well worth the read; it’s always nice to know exactly what you’re paying for!
For people that find Scharffenberger too astringent, try their milk chocolate variety (the one with the orange/peach wrapper). I find that one has a great creaminess without any of the acidic undertones of their darker chocolates.
Theo Chocolate, in Seattle, has a pretty good line-up as well. I’m partial to their dark orange chocolate bar and the hazelnut crunch. They also have a fun tour as well, although it requires a small fee.
That is correct. I came in to say See’s. Guittard has started putting out line of candy bars, but See’s is still better. Available at least on the West Coast. I’m eating some now.
I like Taza stone-ground chocolate. Nothing else even compares. Unfortunately I can’t find it in stores in my current state (VA). I used to be able to get it when I lived in Santa Cruz.
