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The best chocolates bring joy, convey love, heal heartache, and forge connections. Whether you're seeking the most unusual flavor combinations or you relish a bold single-origin bar, the world of chocolate has something for everyone.

To find the best chocolates, I sampled 45 top brands for appearance, flavor, and texture. Our favorite brand for gifting is La Maison du Chocolat, thanks to its elegance and objective allure. We also love Compartés for the brand's joyful flavor innovations, like incorporating glazed donut pieces into a chocolate bar.

My career revolves around chocolate: from training at the Culinary Institute of America and the Chocolate Academy, in Chicago to working at EHChocolat

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