Ditch the Store-Bought Box of V-Day Chocolates and Go for Alma Chocolate

Let’s be honest: Store-bought chocolates are awful. The heart-shaped boxes are not only tacky and cheap, but also contain some of the most offensive-tasting chocolate known to man.

Rather than disappoint your girlfriend, wife, or significant other with a weak Whitman’s sampler, throw a little more money and a lot more quality at the situation. We suggest you try Portland, Oregon’s Alma Chocolate this Valentine’s Day. We’re confident you’ll be feeling the love afterward.

Alma Chocolate began, like so many small businesses, at home in founder Sarah Hart’s kitchen. It was 2005. The catalyst? The Easter Bunny. Or rather, the crappy chocolate versions of it that pop up every year beginning in late February.

When it came time for Hart to pack her son’s Easter basket that year, Hart was “completely frustrated with what was available quality-wise. It was all just waxy. People have lived and died over the cacao trade (historically, and even still), so it should be amazing.”

And Alma chocolates are just that: amazing. Don’t believe us? Take a gander:

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Much less sweet than their commercial counterparts, Alma’s chocolate bars, bonbons, caramels, and other deliciously decadent delicacies are firmly rooted in the world of high-quality, high-caliber chocolates that put the flavor of the chocolate at the forefront. Using only fair-trade or direct-trade sources, Alma primarily works with South American chocolates, which have a deeper, richer, overall more chocolatey taste than their African counterparts, which tend toward more fruity, flowery flavor profiles. (Fun fact: Countries in Africa produce more chocolate than anywhere else in the world.)

And it’s that South America chocolate that makes up the bulk of Alma’s offerings. With flavors that include Thai peanut butter, matcha mint, habanero caramel, and much more, there’s sure to be something for every lady in your life. The seasonal Valentine’s Day lineup includes flavored caramel hearts; chocolate dominoes, or a dozen caramel roses. Not too big on making decisions? Go for a real-24k-gold gilded chocolate heart.

If you’re actually in the Portland area, stop by their retail location in the city’s Northeast or their confectionary in the Southeast for some extremely rich in-house drinking chocolate.  If you don’t have the privilege of living within driving distance of Alma, you’ve still got time to order and receive the chocolates before Valentine’s day. They ship everywhere in the U.S. For arrival by Valentine’s Day, order by Wednesday, February 7 (or Friday, February 9 if you choose expedited shipping).

So dare to be different this year, and get your girl a sweet treat from Alma Chocolate. After all, the word alma in Latin means “soul” and “nourish.”

Or you could splurge on a box for yourself. We won’t tell anyone.

Video and images by Dan Baker. Article originally published on February 3, 2017.