Chocolate Gourmets Say It With Spice

Though Torres tips his toque to some exotic flavors, we welcomed a break from the extreme-chocolate experience, savoring the more mainstream Wicked, creamy hot chocolate, Fresh Coconut in dark chocolate, European Peanut Butter and Dark Chocolate Pistachio Marzipan. A 50-piece box, which includes Love Potion # 9, pure dark with ganache, will only set you back $43.

For Valentine's Day, Torres gives a big shout-out to the men. "Women come in and pick each piece carefully. The men say, 'Here's $40, what can I get?' We want the men to know we have the bags ready for them. Carefully chosen, beautifully wrapped."

Back in the San Francisco Bay Area, Scharffen Berger has been making chocolate with vintage European equipment since 1997 and just recently introduced its own line of confections.

Scharffen Berger's Berkeley-based production is larger scale than Jacques Torres', with plans to produce 800,000 pounds of chocolate this year. Co-owner John Scharffenberger brings a take-no-prisoners focus on flavor and structure cultivated from his former metier running a champagne business. Careful bean selection gives the chocolate its fruitier, trademark taste.

For something unique, try Nibs Nougatine. The confection combines a chocolate ganache with Scharffen Berger's signature cacao nibs -- roasted cocoa beans separated from their husks and broken into small bits, giving the chocolate a crunchy texture.

Among Scharffen Berger's justifiable boasts are Sea Salt Caramels and chocolates infused with fresh-crushed mint leaves. Our tasters gave mixed reviews to the dipped figs -- chewy dried fig in bittersweet chocolate. And tasters had a love/hate relationship with the ultimate aphrodisiac, ginger dipped in unsweetened chocolate.