mail order chocolate for baking

[splinky]

i usually pick up partial blocks of valrhona at places like fairway and whole foods. the prices are on the high side but i know the turnover is good, so it's pretty fresh and it's convenient. lately, i've been using a lot more chocolate and with holiday baking season upon us, i'm wondering where's the best place to order about 5 or 10 lbs of bittersweet chocolate and not get totally ripped off?

[Rail Paul]

i usually pick up partial blocks of valrhona at places like fairway and whole foods. the prices are on the high side but i know the turnover is good, so it's pretty fresh and it's convenient. lately, i've been using a lot more chocolate and with holiday baking season upon us, i'm wondering where's the best place to order about 5 or 10 lbs of bittersweet chocolate and not get totally ripped off?

 

Valrhona Ivoire White Baking Chocolate by ChefShop, 28.99 per pound via Amazon

 

Valrhona Manjari Dark Couverture 64% by ChefShop, 22.00 per pound via Amazon

[splinky]

i usually pick up partial blocks of valrhona at places like fairway and whole foods. the prices are on the high side but i know the turnover is good, so it's pretty fresh and it's convenient. lately, i've been using a lot more chocolate and with holiday baking season upon us, i'm wondering where's the best place to order about 5 or 10 lbs of bittersweet chocolate and not get totally ripped off?

 

Valrhona Ivoire White Baking Chocolate by ChefShop, 28.99 per pound via Amazon

 

Valrhona Manjari Dark Couverture 64% by ChefShop, 22.00 per pound via Amazon

that's more expensive than whole foods even before shipping.

 

i'm wondering more about the quality and value of places like www.chocolatesource.com and similar places, thanks.

[Suzanne F]

Dunno about ChocolateSource other than the fact that I've never heard of some of the brands they carry.

 

But several of the chocolate books I've worked on in the last years or so mention Chocosphere. Also PastryChefCentral, Pastry Chef Warehouse, and The Cook's Warehouse. These recommendations come from Carole Bloom in Intensely Chocolate and Pete Grewling in the CIA's Chocolates and Confections At Home.

[splinky]

Dunno about ChocolateSource other than the fact that I've never heard of some of the brands they carry.

 

But several of the chocolate books I've worked on in the last years or so mention Chocosphere. Also PastryChefCentral, Pastry Chef Warehouse, and The Cook's Warehouse. These recommendations come from Carole Bloom in Intensely Chocolate and Pete Grewling in the CIA's Chocolates and Confections At Home.

thanks. chocosphere was one i'd heard of a while back, but couldn't recall.

[Cathy]

NY Cake on W. 22nd sells Valrhona in bulk at reasonable prices. I've never ordered from them by mail, but it's a fun place to visit.

[splinky]

NY Cake on W. 22nd sells Valrhona in bulk at reasonable prices. I've never ordered from them by mail, but it's a fun place to visit.

i used to go there for supplies but they are so nasty to so many of their customers that i stopped giving them business about 5 years ago. i've never been treated badly there but i've witnessed some real nightmare attitude and rudeness and it ruins the potential fun of the place. when i say nasty i mean worse than fred bridge kind of mean

[Scott -- DFW]

I buy blocks and feves from Chocosphere pretty regularly. (We have a cookie jar in the house filled with feves--usually Manjari or Guanaja--as a quick, easy, healthy treat for the kids.) Their pricing is a little higher than you could get it at wholesale locally, but that's made up for by the convenience of having it shipped straight to your door (along with some good retail bars of Amedei, Domori, Amano, or whatever your pleasure). In smaller orders, the feves and blocks run about $13/lb. Another advantage of Chocosphere is that you can mix and match--getting some Valrhona, some Cluizel, some Felchlin, etc. You can even buy a limited selection of blocks of Amedei and Domori, if you have more money to burn (though sometimes you can get them on the cheap as they approach their "expiration" date).

 

Their customer service is good. They ship promptly. I've never had anything arrive in less than perfect condition. (I've only had a mix-up on an order once, which they handled well--overnighting shipment of the correct items and including return postage for the same box to return the mistaken items.) I'm a huge fan.

 

Scott

[Rail Paul]

(snip) when i say nasty i mean worse than fred bridge kind of mean

 

yikes.

 

fred set a pretty high bar for nasty / mean

[splinky]

(snip) when i say nasty i mean worse than fred bridge kind of mean

 

yikes.

 

fred set a pretty high bar for nasty / mean

sometimes, it was fun to watch him go after some poor unsuspecting shopper

[splinky]

I buy blocks and feves from Chocosphere pretty regularly. (We have a cookie jar in the house filled with feves--usually Manjari or Guanaja--as a quick, easy, healthy treat for the kids.) Their pricing is a little higher than you could get it at wholesale locally, but that's made up for by the convenience of having it shipped straight to your door (along with some good retail bars of Amedei, Domori, Amano, or whatever your pleasure). In smaller orders, the feves and blocks run about $13/lb. Another advantage of Chocosphere is that you can mix and match--getting some Valrhona, some Cluizel, some Felchlin, etc. You can even buy a limited selection of blocks of Amedei and Domori, if you have more money to burn (though sometimes you can get them on the cheap as they approach their "expiration" date).

 

Their customer service is good. They ship promptly. I've never had anything arrive in less than perfect condition. (I've only had a mix-up on an order once, which they handled well--overnighting shipment of the correct items and including return postage for the same box to return the mistaken items.) I'm a huge fan.

 

Scott

awesome! thanks