Local Chocolate Selections Battle for Sweet Victory

Whether as antidote to the gloom of work and winter weather or a classic Valentine’s Day gift, chocolate is an important staple of the collegiate diet. But where should a hungry Columbian go to buy it?

The most extensive selection of gourmet chocolate in the vicinity of campus can be found at Fairway Market on 12th Avenue at 125th Street. Opposite the cash registers, a wall of shelves holds dozens of varieties of chocolate, including such familiar brands as Lindt and Ghirardelli in flavors from plain milk chocolate to dark chocolate with chili pepper.

Students interested in a more unusual experience might opt for Berkshire Bark, a chocolate bar studded throughout its interior with nuts and chunks of dried fruit, or Newtree, a Belgian brand that makes flavors with names like Cocoon, Tranquility, and Sexy. Fairway even sells its own brand of chocolate, which comes in a wrapper decorated with an image of a cluster of skyscrapers.

The most popular brands among a group of 12 students who sampled a variety of bars from Fairway’s selection were those whose chocolate had the richest flavor and the smoothest consistency. Niederegger’s milk chocolate with marzipan and Scharffen Berger’s dark chocolate with ground coffee both fared well, even with students who generally disliked marzipan or coffee.

“If you don’t like coffee, you will be okay with it. If you do like coffee, you will love it,” commented Duygu Yilmaz, CC ’12. Stay away from the Ritter Sport’s milk chocolate with cappuccino filling and Dolfin’s dark chocolate with mint, which one student described as tasting “like toothpaste.” The darkest of the chocolates sampled, Valrhona’s Le Noir , drew mixed responses: some students, describing the taste as “smokey,” were surprised to learn that it contained only 56 percent cacao.

Westside Market’s chocolate selection is smaller than Fairway’s and slightly more expensive. But there is one good reason to buy chocolate at Westside besides its proximity to school—it sells several brands that are not represented at Fairway. One of these is Milka, a European brand that was first manufactured in Switzerland and is now sold by Kraft Foods. Most of the students who tasted Milka’s milk chocolate said they enjoyed it, citing its creaminess as distinctive and appealing.
Another brand that cannot be found in Morningside Heights except at Westside is Chocolove, which is perfect for Valentine’s Day—the bars have romantic poems printed on the wrappers. Their milk chocolate with toffee and almonds is popular, though not a universal favorite among students in a sampling.

Although Mondel Chocolates, directly across the street from campus at 114th and Broadway, might seem the most logical place for students to buy chocolate, their wares garnered little enthusiasm from students who tasted it. The mildness of their dark chocolate appealed to some, but nearly everyone who tasted their milk chocolate pronounced it too sweet.

With Valentine’s Day fast approaching, Columbians hoping to impress while staying local should find what they need in the small but well-assembled selection at Westside, or among Fairway’s dazzling array.