The holiday season often pulls us in a dozen directions at once. But what if, instead of adding to the rush, we carved out moments to slow down and savor the joys? This year's Club Favorites box offers exactly that - a curated collection of ten flavorful chocolates enjoyed by our members in 2025, each one an invitation to pause, taste, and discover.
These aren't just chocolates we tasted. They're some of the most memorable bars from our tasting events, the ones members returned to for "just one more piece," and the flavors that impressed even the most seasoned chocolate lovers among us. As we head into the busiest time of year, we're making a limited number of these collections available. Whether you're looking for a thoughtful gift or planning to create your own moments of quiet indulgence, pick up a Club Favorites box while supplies last.
Chocolate That Captures a Moment in Time
The makers represented in this collection share a commitment to craft chocolate. These are chocolate makers who source responsibly from small farming communities or get cacao directly from their own farms, who adjust their recipes with each harvest to honor the cacao's natural variation, and who view chocolate-making as both art and responsibility.
Their small-batch approach means that each bar represents a specific moment in time. The Maui Ku'ia Estate 70%, for instance, captures a particular harvest from Lahaina's limited cacao supply, its tropical fruit notes shifting subtly from year to year. When you taste it, you're experiencing not just Hawaiian cacao, but *this* season's expression of it.
A Closer Look at Three Standouts
River-Sea Puerto Rico 72% Micro Lot: Layers of Aroma and Flavor
Before you taste this chocolate, breathe in its aroma. The scent of fruit mingling with rum and spice cake hints at the journey ahead. This is among the most aromatic chocolates we've featured, and the flavor delivers on the promise created by its complex aromas.
The experience unfolds in layers. Rich chocolate arrives first, then gradually reveals tobacco, rum, tropical fruit, vanilla, and tonka beans. The finish lingers long after the chocolate has melted. This is what happens when skilled chocolate makers apply their knowledge and experience to roasting and refining specialty cacao, coaxing out dimensions of flavor that might otherwise remain hidden.
The micro lot designation matters here. This is chocolate from a specific, limited harvest, made in small quantities that allow River-Sea's team to focus on extracting every flavorful nuance from the cacao.
Fruition Colombia Tumaco 85%: Balanced Intensity and Flavor
Creating an 85% chocolate that people want to keep tasting requires a particular kind of skill. Chocolate maker Bryan Graham brings the sensibility of his pastry chef training to create this 2024 Bronze medal winner from the International Chocolate Awards World Final.
The intensity is real and the depth of flavor is long. The first impression brings cocoa and brownie flavors. Next, notes of unripe blackberries emerge, followed by a fascinating yeasty-umami note that some have compared to Marmite. The pleasantly bitter finish invites you back for another piece rather than overwhelming your palate.
This is chocolate that rewards patience. Let it melt slowly, giving the flavors time to evolve. The complexity reveals itself gradually, making it ideal for those quiet evenings when you want to enjoy a deeply rich and satisfying piece of chocolate.
Chocolate Tree Cacao Fruit 100%: Sweetened with Cacao Pulp, Not Sugar
The number "100%" typically signals bitterness, representing the aggressive intensity of an unsweetened chocolate. This bar defies that expectation entirely. What makes the chocolate unique is its sweetness, which comes not from added sugar but from freeze-dried cacao pulp juice that is used in place of sugar to sweeten the chocolate. This whole-fruit approach uses parts of cacao that often go to waste, creating a sustainable product that also happens to taste approachable and balanced.
It's technically 100% cacao because everything in the ingredients come from cacao, but the result is a sweetened chocolate that lets you experience the flavor of the whole bean.
Exploring the Full Collection
Maui Ku'ia Estate 70%
The tropical fruit flavors burst from this chocolate so vividly you might think inclusions were added, but the flavors are a result of the terroir. Notes of mango, papaya, and guava dance across your palate, a taste of a specific Hawaiian harvest.
Manoa Chocolate Kamananui, Hawaii 70%
Bold raspberry acidity evolves into tropical fruits, florals, and banana. Grown in an agroforest on O'ahu's North Shore, this bar is typically only available at Manoa's Hawaii factory, making this collection a rare chance to taste it without visiting Hawaii.
Piety & Desire Parleaux Beer 73%
New Orleans chocolate maker Christopher Nobles transforms the classic beer-and-chocolate pairing into something more sophisticated. Cacao nibs soaked in stout beer with hazelnuts and vanilla create sweet, malty aromas. This 2024 Silver medal winner from the International Chocolate Awards offers craft brewery character without harsh bitterness.
Bibamba Jungle Crunch 60%
Founder Patrick Tcheunou sources both cacao and plantain crisps from his family's farm in Cameroon, making this a farm-to-bark chocolate. The bark surprises with distinct banana and cherry notes surrounding crunchy plantain crisps that add a savory-salty-sweet note to this addictive chocolate.
Chocolate Naive Porcini Dark Milk 62%
Porcini mushrooms are added to this rich dark milk chocolate to create an innovative flavor combination that never feels gimmicky. The umami flavors result in an earthy finish that complements rather than competes with the chocolate. Try pairing this chocolate with cheese for a sweet and savory sensory experience.
Eldora Chocolate Green Chile Biscochito 70%
A sophisticated tribute to New Mexico that captures the essence of the state's traditional cookie. Light chile heat builds gradually following warm spices such as cinnamon, cardamom, and anise, simulating the flavors of biscochito cookies in craft chocolate.
Zotter Uganda Cacao Safari 70% Hand Scooped
Austrian maker Zotter's layered approach provides a playful conclusion to this collection. Dark chocolate ganache made with Latitude Trade Company cacao sits atop white chocolate lime-banana ganache, the citrus and tropical notes brightening the rich Ugandan chocolate.
Create Your Own Tasting Experience
Whether you're sharing these chocolates or savoring them solo, creating an intentional moment to try them transforms tasting into something more meaningful. Consider arranging three or four bars in sequence, moving from higher cacao percentages toward sweeter options. Give everyone pieces from the same bar simultaneously so you can compare impressions in real time.
Get the conversation started with open-ended prompts that invite discovery. Instead of "Do you like it?" try "What does this remind you of?" or "How does the flavor change as it melts?" When it comes to tasting there are no right or wrong answers. Each of us has unique taste memories based on our own experiences. You may be surprised by what others taste, just as they may be surprised by what you taste.
Or claim the experience entirely for yourself. A quiet evening with a single bar can become a small act of self-care. Observe the appearance. Listen to the snap. Note the aroma before tasting. This focused attention creates time to slow down and savor a moment of peace and calm.
A Limited Collection for the Holiday Season
The Club Favorites collection represents a year of discovery. For our members, these bars bring back memories of monthly shipments that introduced new origins, unexpected flavor profiles, and makers whose stories enriched the tasting experience.
If you're not yet a member, consider what a year of these discoveries might add to your life. Each month brings carefully selected chocolates from craft makers around the world, along with the context that deepens your appreciation, including live interviews with makers and experts, member-only content and an opportunity to connect with other chocolate lovers.
The limited-edition Club Favorites boxes are moving quickly as members secure them for gifts and personal enjoyment. Each box contains all ten chocolates featured here, offering a substantial tasting journey through some of the most compelling craft chocolate we've encountered this year, along with four chocolate tasting placemats and a brochure describing the chocolates. Everyone who purchases the Club Favorites box will receive an invitation to attend a live Zoom tasting and conversation with Chief Chocophile, Lauren Adler on one of two dates. Choose from Tuesday, December 30 or Saturday, January 10, 2026. Details inside the box and via email.
Visit our website to reserve your Club Favorites box while supplies last. These special boxes are available in limited quantities, and once they're gone, they won't return.
Whether you're discovering these chocolates for the first time or revisiting favorites from throughout the year, may they create space for the kinds of moments that make the season meaningful: connection, appreciation, and the simple pleasure of something made with care.
