Love and chocolate go hand in hand, just as the Oreo is Milk’s Favorite Cookie ™. Chocolates have become an integral part of any romantic gesture; exclusively for couples young and old to celebrate their love for each other. In the spirit of loving one another, Brooke Harrington and I thought it would be useful for our taste buds and Spoon readers to try and rank the different types of chocolates that are available to consumers at their neighborhood CVS, Rite Aid, or Walgreens stores. Each chocolate treat was judged on flavor, overall taste, price, and determining whether or not paying more will bring you a higher quality and better tasting chocolate. Let's dig in!
1. Russell Stover
Flavors of Russel Stover
A solid purchase for that special someone in your life! Not to mention, the price is low enough to make your wallet fall in love with you, too. The amount of chocolate in the box gives the buyer a lot of bang for their buck, and I totally recommend this as the #1 box of chocolate to buy for Valentine's Day. Here's a breakdown of what you'll find in this box:
- Chocolate Butter Cream
Okay, so this favor was trying a little too hard to be nougat, but just isn't. I do like the flavors, however, and I thought it was one of the better pieces of chocolate that I had eaten that day. I would recommend it and thought it worked well in the box.
- Coconut Cluster
The texture works extremely well with the coconut pieces in the chocolate, but I would give only a 5/10 as the overall eating experience was just average at best.
- Caramel
Caramel-filled chocolate is a always a fan-favorite, but personally, I thought that there was just way too much caramel going on in the pieces. The caramel-to-chocolate ratio was totally off. However, it did taste good, so caramel lovers, have at it.
2. Reese's Box
The Reese’s Box (at Rite Aid!) has plenty more pieces of chocolate in it than a lot of its competitors! Personally, I am a big fan of Reese's as I love peanut butter and chocolate, alike. Due to the overall flavor of the chocolate, the amount of chocolate in the box, as well as the price, Reese's box is a great purchase. However, it is not your typical "I love you" chocolate, which is why I ranked it second on our list.
3. Hershey/ Reese's Bags
"Honestly, I think if you’re going to buy someone chocolate you’re better off buying a Valentine’s Day-themed bag of Hershey kisses or Reese's," said Brooke Harrington, a Seton Hall Spoon University marketer and my chocolate-tasting partner in crime. I chose to rank the bags of candy as number three because you still have the great taste of original Hershey's Chocolate, and Reese's; two companies I love equally. However, as a consumer, it could potentially become a pain opening the individually wrapped candies one at a time. The price point is great for the consumer, as these convenient beauties are usually 2 for $5!
4. Mini Russell Stover's Box
The mini boxes of the Russell Stover with the bear or the puppy pictures on the front are nothing but a big, fat RIP OFF. There was way less chocolate in them than a lot of the other boxes. Yes, the puppies on the front were adorable. However, the lack chocolate and the relatively high price of the box is just not worth buying as opposed to some of the other options.
5. Whitman's Sampler
The Whitman’s Sampler of chocolate is straight-up bad, and I absolutely do not suggest purchasing it. That is all.
#SpoonTip: Check out this article to learn more about the health benefits of chocolate! https://spoonuniversity.com/how-to/chocolate-101