It’s one of the most recurring gifts, but that doesn’t mean it has to be any less special. It’s a way to play it safe, and while any year is a good year to give or receive chocolates, this intense and uncertain 2022 seems like the best time to savor these delights.

According to a study conducted by the National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI) in the United States, consuming milk chocolate or dark chocolate — a little, of course — helps reduce stress levels . In fact, what does this work are the cocoa polyphenols which, if ingested through about 40 grams per day of good dark or milk chocolate -be careful, not white chocolate-, are able to reduce the level stress, especially in women. women.

But which chocolate is a good chocolate? To find out, we asked four food critics and columnists who specialize in tasting the finer things in life, what their favorite cocoa products are, the ones they would give without hesitation. Here we have their sweet and encouraging responses.

“These are some of the great chocolate makers in Chile,” he says. Ana Rivero gastronomic columnist and essential element of the Ñam Festival project Food for everyone . It refers to Moth , a company that “collects its own cocoa, mainly from Peru, and processes it in Chile. They have a factory in Barrio Italia and there they explain how to eat each of their products,” he says.

If he has to choose, Rivero prefers dark chocolates, with a high percentage of cocoa. One of the characteristics of Óbolo is that they don’t experiment with flavors “or mix things up; they are much more purist”. Besides the taste and quality of the product, a point in favor is the fair price paid to those who work for the cocoa they use.

“It’s one of my favorite chocolate shops,” agrees the food columnist consolation goepping site editor live to eat and coffee partner Felix . “ They were the first to make chocolate bars.”bean to bar” in Chile. In other words, they take care of the whole process: buying, grinding and fermenting the green cocoa beans that they bring from Peru, “he comments. She defines Óbolo chocolates as “intense, complex and delicate. The best thing is that there are more than 20 varieties to choose from. Those that are prepared with local ingredients stand out, such as murta, rica rica and salt de Cáhuil.

If it is difficult to choose between your options, one solution is to opt for this pack of ten 80 gram bars, each with different percentages of cocoa, some with milk and others with flavors like maqui or the merken.

“I’m going to get the chocolates Quintal would distill : they meet all the requirements”, confidently chooses our gastronomic columnist Álvaro Peralta. “They are super cute, with spectacular packaging and varieties with lots of cocoa. The only white chocolate that I like, in fact, is that of Quintal”.

Its chocolates are handcrafted, with a maximum of five ingredients, all natural, without preservatives, stabilizers, vegetable fats or colorings. They are made in the Franklin neighborhood and have many varieties, from plain dark chocolates to tastier alternatives with lemon verbena, hazelnuts, almond milk, orange and ginger or white with sour cherry. Even one with salt and pepper. “They are atomic,” Peralta describes.

If the idea is an innovative and more whimsical gift, this milk bar from Quintal contains 43% cocoa and 25 grams of hemp (southern hemp) full spectrum.

“Xoc Jano is the avant-garde chocolate factory of the award-winning pastry chef alexander espinoza says Goeppinger, a project that operates entirely online. He offers filled bars -with salted caramel, for example-, varieties of truffles and “precious hand-painted chocolates, delicately worked and played flavors, such as matcha latte, orange whiskey and cheese. blue”.

Any choice of Xoc Jano will be a winning alternative, especially for fine and demanding palates, but a good gift idea is its box of 18 chocolates, which includes the four flavors of this season: Easter bread, Bailey’s, crispy hazelnut and lemon pie. . All of them are made with chocolate of Latin American origin of different percentages.

“It’s one of my favorite chocolate shops, especially for its value for money,” shares Loreto Gatica, food columnist and journalist at Finde. “Until now, this was my best kept secret whenever I wanted a little gift.”

Its chocolates have different shapes, smooth textures, bright colors and original flavors. This Christmas, you can find chocolate trees and mini chocolate Easter breads starting at 2,000 pesos.

Our choice is suitable for vegans, and consists of inspirational chocolates —with raspberry chocolate—, Galileo chocolates —with almond praline and hazelnut gianduja filling— and solid chocolates, which have semi-sweet chocolate with 55% cocoa.

Prieto chocolates have a colorful facade that stands out from the traditional chocolate offer. Shiny like pearls, they look more like exotic marbles than edible delights. But this delicate and impressive image, obtained by being painted by hand, is what Ana Rivero loves.

“Its format is perfect for gifting,” he says. “And since not everyone eats dessert, sharing these chocolates after a meal, even with a downgrade, is perfect.” “They are ideal for this period”, says Peralta, who assures that “they are great gifts”. Ana’s favorites are some stuffed with passion fruit and others with lemon verbena.

It is an intermediate alternative between the artisanal and the industrial, supported by a centuries-old history that began in 1909 in the city of Arequipa, Peru. “They have good mixes and good proposals”, explains Sna Rivero, who knows the gastronomy of this country well. To get to know the hand of this chocolate factory, she invites you to bet on a box of assorted chocolates.

“Yesterday I received a mint one, which I don’t like very much, but the assortment usually includes caramels, with crisps inside, or stuffed with hazelnuts or marzipan . Its cocoa-rich bars also stand out,” he points out.

This Christmas pack includes a box of chocolate bars (100g), a mix of chocolates (220g) and three nougat bars (30g).

“It’s another one of Santiago’s good chocolate shops,” says Goeppinger. “They have a nice store in Vitacura, where they make very good candies, bars and chocolates, all based on good ingredients and handmade,” he explains.

His favorites are orangettes, candied oranges dipped in chocolate. But they also have specialties like praline rock —chocolate spheres filled with hazelnut paste—, crispy —crispy sheets of caramelized almonds dipped in chocolates— and squares —small cubes of solid chocolate.

Unlike the others recommended by Álvaro Peralta, the Pacari can be found in some supermarkets or retail stores. “When I go shopping, I may run into one,” she says, so it’s easier for it to end up in the pantry or bedside table drawer.

Pacari means nature in Quechua, a name that evokes all that its chocolate represents. According to the brand, they care and value cocoa farmers, which is why they care about fair and direct trade with small farmers.

Even so, with natural ingredients, they manage to have bars of multiple flavors, with high percentages of cocoa and at very affordable prices. Like this one, at 60%, which is scented with Andean rose from Ecuador.

“Gracia chocolate bars are made by a Peruvian master chocolatier, they have a bright color and melt in your mouth”, explains Loreto Gatica. They sell them in the Cafe Height , which also stands out for its beans from Peru, and one of its virtues, as with coffee, is knowing exactly where the cocoa comes from. It is therefore a real origin chocolate.

Each bar has high percentages of cocoa and at a very good price. The following, for example, is a “bean to bar” 71%, made with a Cusco cocoa called “ Chuncho”, a rarity grown in the Amazon region near the Sacred Valley of the Incas. In addition, it is mixed with a few touches of coffee. An alternative for palates that love coffee and are able to appreciate complex flavors. Does not contain additives.

Known for its beautiful chocolates, full of colors and particular flavors, Caramel is a chocolate factory that works with selected raw materials, for a careful and artisanal production. Since club the third They recommend the Almond Shortcakes, with fine caramelized almonds dipped in 60% bitter chocolate or 38% cocoa milk, and their Nutella-filled wafers; no doubt, they will be a rich gift to give this holiday season.

In an article on recommendations for chocolate factories in weekend , the pastry chef Gustavo Saez highlights the Warsawne. Although it is the most traditional national chain and has existed since 1954, “it dares to innovate and does not lose quality”. Her favorites were a vegan fruit bar – which mixes freeze-dried fruit with cocoa butter – and the sweet Chocolate Blonde, which is golden in color and flavored with dulce de leche.

“They always surprise,” says Loreto Gatica of award-winning confectioner Gustavo Sáez’s chocolates. And although they cost a little more, he explains that his career as a pastry chef is supporting him: he has passed through Boragó, Celler de Can Roca (Catalonia), DOM (Brazil) and restaurant 99, where he won the prize of the best Latin American Pastry Chef according to 50 Best. “There I tried solid bitter milk and white chocolates which I loved,” he recalls, which can be found in gustavosaez.cl

But for a change to the gift list, there’s also the option of a recipe book. sweet spirit is the most recent of Sáez, which compiles the fundamentals of pastry. A text with a lot of knowledge, but explained in a simple way, from the what, how and why of the ingredients, as well as the most used techniques in this world. This can be another approach to gifting chocolates, because with this text, you can uncover some behind-the-scenes secrets.

*Prices for products in this item are updated as of December 16, 2022. Values ​​and availability may change.