Hot Chocolate

	Dagoba Organic Chocolate

While chocolatiers usually have their sights set on Valentine's Day -- the single biggest sales day of the year -- melt-in-your-mouth chocolates could bring in more sales from high-end shoppers during the winter holidays this time around.

And not just with a traditional mug of hot chocolate, as I found at the ninth annual New York Chocolate Show in November.

Makers of bittersweet and semisweet confections have increasingly been spicing up their offerings, making for a hot, invigorating experience on the tongue.

At the show, sticky fingers grabbed at trays stacked with traditional chocolate truffles and brownies, and glass shelves were lined with rows of caramels and ganaches.

But peppered among the 70 vendors represented were chocolates with a kick: chili for a sharp spark on your tongue, ginger for a slow burn in your throat, and even wasabi for a little tingle in your nose.

The Science of Delicious

Plain old cocoa, which is derived from dried and fermented cacao tree beans, is shown to boost energy and mood. It also kicks up levels of endorphins, the body's stress-relieving hormones, and the mood-regulating neurotransmitter serotonin. ...