Confession time: I am addicted to chocolate!

I love nearly every form of the delicious decadence. From creamy milk chocolate Easter bunny ears to chipotle chili and cinnamon laced dark chocolate to white chocolate’s velvety smooth creaminess, chocolate is a good friend of mine.

I know I’m not alone in my passion for all things cocoa. Speaking with various innkeepers, I know chocolate is often incorporated into many aspects of a bed and breakfast, everything from welcoming chocolate chip cookies or other baked treats to romance-package chocolate strawberries to the sweet chocolates left on pillows for turn-down service.

Between the dark and milk chocolate bars and the deliciously petite truffles, we tasted subtleties of flavors from the Orient through the Black Pearl Bar’s ginger, wasabi and black sesame seeds. From there we traveled south to Australia thanks to the Woolloomooloo Bar’s salty macadamia nuts, Indonesian coconut and hemp seeds.

The enticement of chocolate’s sweet aroma often emanates throughout our favorite inns. When looking for a little something sweet, innkeepers often gravitate to local chocolatiers. But if the chocolate supply has been found lacking and guests are hoping for something a little more alluring than the traditional grocery store brands, there are many unique options.

The staff here at Suite Exchange eagerly became taste testers in a “sweet exchange” sampling of gourmet chocolates. Below is a sampling of the results. 

Vosges Haut Chocolat

With vast flavor combinations, a tasting of a dozen different flavors from Vosges Haut Chocolat and sister company Wild Ophelia found our tastebuds traveling across the globe.

Between the dark and milk chocolate bars and the deliciously petite truffles, we tasted subtleties of flavors from the Orient through the Black Pearl Bar’s ginger, wasabi and black sesame seeds. From there we traveled south to Australia thanks to the Woolloomooloo Bar’s salty macadamia nuts, Indonesian coconut and hemp seeds.

India brought another stamp in our tasting passport with the flavors of sweet Indian curry and coconut. A stop in Budapest found a sweet Hungarian paprika-laced dark chocolate truffle. Barcelona was a favorite flavor journey with a perfect blend of hickory smoked almonds and grey sea salt.

Venturing to another Latin country, two Mexican themed bars brought on the heat — first the Oaxaca Bar with it’s guajillo and pasilla chillies and then the Red Fire Bar which blazed with ancho and chipotle chilies and Ceylon cinnamon.

Other favorite selections included the Amalfi Bar, a beautiful white chocolate bar enhanced with lemon zest and pink peppercorns, Mo’s Milk Bar with it’s hickory smoked bacon and salt, and the Bapchi Caramel Toffee Bar, the most traditional of Vosges collection.

Vosges Haut Chocolat is available through their website and their boutiques in Chicago, Las Vegas, New York and Beverly Hills. Most bars are $7.50. Wild Ophelia, a newly released brand of chocolate bar which will be available in Cost Plus, Walgreen Urban stores, Wegmans and more locations, was also a mouth-watering hit with it’s American ingredients like peanut butter and banana and southern hibiscus peach. Candy bars are $3.99.

Sweet Tooth Fairy

Megan Faulkner Brown, newly recognized from her winning “Rock of Ages” episode on the Food Network’s Cupcake Wars, is the founder and owner of The Sweet Tooth Fairy, a chain of bakeries growing throughout the West.

Although her cupcakes, cookies and brownies are divine and clearly award winning, Brown is gaining national attention for her delectable Cakebites — a perfect concoction of moist cake, mixed with creamy frosting, enrobed in rich chocolate. With flavors like double fudge, peanut butter, red velvet, coconut and the new salted caramel, drooling is sure to ensue over every bite.

Who wouldn’t love a selection of Cakebites with a bottle of champagne as part of their romantic weekend? Hosting a wedding at your inn? Include a tiered display full of these bite-sized sweets for guests. Turn down service will be a welcomed delight with a Cakebite decorating a pillow.

Cakebites are available through The Sweet Tooth Fairy website in any array of flavors starting at $15 for a packaged dozen. (Sadly during the warm summer months they don’t ship for fear of melting!)

V Chocolates

The best salted caramel chocolates I’ve ever savored were from V Chocolates. This company which specializes in fine toffees, caramel and truffles, began in 2004 when Ron Best decided to make the official leap into creating a company from his 25-year passion with chocolate making. Although the company may continue to grow, Ron and his V Chocolate partners still hand-dip and hand-pack the delicious treats.

The V Chocolates menu is bursting with four varieties of rich, buttery toffee, incorporating almond, cashew, macadamia or pecan. The uniquely dipped caramels come dipped in either milk or dark Belgian chocolate with your choice of nuts or laced with kosher salt. The chocolate menu also includes the perfect salty-sweet caramel pretzels. Chocolate-covered strawberries, too, are becoming a popular feature with their elegant gift box packaging.

Shortly after launching the company, Ron took the initiative to help the company become kosher certified. After working through the Orthodox Union process, the company is proud to add that element to its emphasis on fresh ingredients, hand-making and packing, and high quality standards.

V Chocolates is also based in the West, but has its beautifully blue boxed chocolates can be found for sale in various locations throughout the states. Check out Dean & Deluca in New York or Washington, D.C., or specialty shops in states like Minnesota, Kansas, Washington and Massachusetts.

Pricing for V Chocolates ranges from $3.95 for a caramel pretzel bar up to $49.95 for a large package of their amazing toffee. For more information, or to order online, check out their website.

Chocolate Parties  

Looking for a great idea or theme for an upcoming open house for your inn? Host a chocolate tasting party!

Two well-known chocolate companies – Lindt and Dove – both offer direct-sales home parties. Nothing like your traditional Tupperware or Pampered Chef parties, these chocolate tasting parties allow guests to sample decadent dark, milk, and even white chocolate in various forms. Why not sip a chocolate martini while sliding your spoon into a delicate mousse or dipping fruit into a creamy chocolate sauce.

For more information, check out Lindt Chocolate R.S.V.P. or Dove Discoveries and start dreaming up your ultimate chocolate tasting party.

Chocolate Contest

These few sweet selections and suggestions just skim the creamy, chocolaty surface of amazing chocolatiers currently crafting beloved indulgences.

What is your favorite chocolate company?

We would love for you to share either your favorite chocolate supplier or your most popular chocolate treat served at your bed & breakfast! Simply post your recommendations in the comments below before Midnight Monday, June 18, and we will award a winner with a gift box of V Chocolates.