Vosges Chocolates Bars

Made by an avant-garde chocolatier in Chicago, the flavors of these chocolates are influenced by Katrina Markoff's adventures around the world, working with cutting-edge chefs such as Ferran Adria in Spain. Her chocolates tell stories of the places their flavorings come from—Thailand, Australia, Jamaica, India, Hungary, Italy—and are unlike any others you've tried. Cardamom and dried plums mix with dark chocolate; wasabi, ginger and sesame seeds flavor one bar and smoked almonds and salt flavor another. Everyone has a favorite.

I first stumbled upon this line when a friend gave me a Vosges catalogue. Imagine Victoria's Secret branching out into sexy chocolates and you have an idea of what their catalogues are like—they also sell their own line of skimpy, flirty clothes; accessories for little dogs; and "yoga+chocolate" retreats. In one issue they had a centerfold of a beautiful woman modeling their lingerie; in another, a woman's hands and arms covered in molten chocolate. "Sensuous" is this line in a single word.

But their chocolate is not just another pretty…face. Complex and original, each bar is a study in how flavors blend or accentuate each other, and play tricks on our tongue. Delicious, surprising, and sexy—a great gift for the (chocolate) lover in your life.

Size: 3oz each

Vosges Chocolates Red Fire Bar: Dark chocolate flavored with ancho and chipotle chilies, and cinnamon. The chipotles lend a smoky, spicy note; the anchos provide a subtle fruitiness; the cinnamon fills your head with images of Mexico…$7.99 CURRENTLY OUT OF STOCK

Vosges Chocolates Barcelona Bar: Milk chocolate flavored with hickory-smoked almonds and grey sea salt. The sweet-savory combo is a knock-out! Milk chocolate is the ideal foil for the smoke and salt and the toasted almonds, which somehow together create the taste of caramel in the mouth. $7.99 CURRENTLY OUT OF STOCK

Vosges Chocolates Black Peal Bar: Dark chocolate flavored with wasabi, ginger and black sesame seeds. My choice for dessert after a sushi meal—harmonious, exotic, with only a hint of heat in the finish from the wasabi. $7.99 CURRENTLY OUT OF STOCK

Vosges Chocolates Bar Gift Pack
Includes: Barcelona, Black Pearl, Red Fire, 3 oz each. $21.99 CURRENTLY OUT OF STOCK