chocolatiers (chocolatieri?)

What jumpstarted my long-lost musings was some maple crunch milk chocolate, or as they call it "sucre d'erable, chocolat au lait", from Jelina in Montreal. Milk chocolate doesn't tug at the strongest emotions in my chocolate fantasy files, but a good milk can go a long ways. This bar -that appears to be a seasonal offering - is amazing. It will tempt me right on over to some of their other offerings. Yes, I would rather go up to Quebec and tour the factory and buy out the shop, but that's not possible these days.

Since this is a plural entry I intend to add a few more favorites. So intend that here they are:

Lake Champlain Chocolates: For some reason I think of them as bigger than boutique, but I have no reason to say that. It's not like microbreweries that have some established limit of 50,000 kegs in order to qualify for small batch. You can find Lake Champlain's wares down in NoVa so I must have assumed that being available 500 miles away makes something larger than an indie operation. The 51 has been on at least three tours of the factory in Burlington, and I'm pretty sure I've paid at least a month of their mortgage over the years. Every single thing they makes is really good. If I had to push you in one direction, go with the Five-Star Bars. They do everything from straight milk to very dark across all the bars. (Okay, I might also say that their milk chocolate peanut butter bar is one of my all-time favorites.)

Our local place, Tavarnier, is also aces. They are a bit more exotic with nuts and edible flowers, but their chocolate taste and consistency is so good. Across the inventory you'll certainly find tons of stuff you'll like. They operate out of a small space in the Old Mill here in town and with them you feel like you are really in the midst of the operation. I wonder if I can get an internship down there? I'll work for free. 

I came across Xocolatl during my travels in/out of Atlanta over the years. Their storefront is in the Krog Street Market near(ish) to Little Five Points. As with the others, everything is really good, but I'm really keen on the Mint Chocolate Bars. I have a pretty deep affinity for mint chocolate (or mint chip / mint ice cream) which probably comes from the days when 'travelers' would bring you mint chocolate bars from Ghiridelli when they'd return from S.F. along with some pictures of Alcatraz, some tie dye, and a loaf of sourdough. Back in the '70s we didn't have nice things in the Midwest and there was no way to ship - it was all so exotic. 

Baker's Chocolate: Now we are beating off the beaten path. Headquartered in Greenwood, Nebraska they make what they call 'meltaways' that are simply the best noshing chocolate out there. Multiple flavors to choose from and if you buy at the factory you can fistful whatever you choose and just hit the scale on the way out. Or, order the 5 lb. Sampler online. If you don't like them, I'll pay for the shipping to my house.