Munchie Monday: Chocolatier Review

I was raised by a chocoholic who thought milk chocolate was a waste of calories and money.  I grew up trying out varying degrees of dark chocolate.  I'm pretty sure I was the only 10 year old who (1) would even try anything darker than a Hershey's Special Dark miniature and (2) regularly chose the 85% dark over the slightly sweeter 70% dark.  My love for the chocolate has not gone away, especially after finding a new supplier at Artisan Confections in the Clarendon neighborhood of Arlington, VA.  This place might be the mecca for chocolate lovers everywhere.  Artisan Confections crafts gourmet chocolate bonbons that contain no artificial preservatives and therefore a shelf life of about 2 weeks.  These are some fancy chocolates and have cute edible designs on each yummy piece in flavors like lavender honey, espresso lemon, and peanut butter and jelly.

Artisan Confections 9 Piece Box

I've given them as gifts to two different women and they LOVED them.  My auntie was one lucky recipient and she should could not get over the mint flavor.  This is no Andes mint.  Dear Aunt C (aka Briana's mom) described it as "like taking a bite of a fresh sprig of mint right off the plant."  Take them as a hostess gift and you will always be asked back, I promise!

Artisan Confections does take online order so if you can't run down there for a pick up, they can be shipped straight to your door!  If you are lucky enough to live in the area, I'll give you a tip.  Artisan Confections has a small selection everyday of the "scratch" chocolates that are offered at a discount (usually 3-4 pieces per pack) for the bonbons designs that came out blurry or imperfect.  Trust me, no one will know if you eat them quick!