Nothing quite says “I love you” like a P90,500 box of French chocolate.
Besides flowers, chocolate is a standard Valentine’s Day gift that’s literally sweet to receive. Historically, the Mayans were the first to connect love and chocolate in 500 BCE (over 2,520 years ago).
As part of Mayan wedding traditions, the bride and groom took turns taking sips of hot chocolate during the ceremony.
Nowadays, chocolate as a token of love exceeds a regular candy bar or a heart-shaped box. For instance, Simon G. Jewelry once collaborated with Lake Forest Confections for the “Le Chocolate Box” worth $1.5 million.
More fittingly, it could have been called a jewelry box, given it contains diamond earrings, rings, and bracelets among chocolate truffles.
But even without the precious stones, there are chocolate brands worth a lot more than your average Snickers bar. Here are five of the most expensive chocolate sets in the world, including the priciest truffle piece.
La Madeline au Truffe – About P13,000
Forbes dubbed House of Knipschildt’s La Madeline au Truffe as the most expensive chocolate globally. However, at $250, it’s the cheapest on the list. That’s because the truffle counts as only one piece of chocolate, while the others are sets.
In fact, it holds the Guinness World Record for the priciest, single chocolate. It’s made of 70% Valrhona dark chocolate and includes a ganache containing truffle oil. It holds a French Périgord truffle at the center, which is one of the most expensive fungi in the world.
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Cien Chocolate Ganache Blue Box – About P15,000
The collection made by New York-based brand Mariebelle includes 100 pieces of their signature ganaches. Maribel Liberman is the Honduran entrepreneur behind the chocolate boutique. She began the brand because, although her Latin American roots don’t consume that much chocolate, she wanted to tell the story of Mayans and Aztecs through chocolate.
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Art Series Guayasamin – About P27,000
Inspired by the late Oswaldo Guayasamín, Ecuador’s most celebrated artist, To’ak Chocolate makes two vintage edition blends. The chocolate made of 77% cacao beans has hints of tobacco, caramel, floral, and woody tones on the nose.
The vintage blend tastes woody, buttery caramel, soft floral, earthly, and nutty on the palate.
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Gold Swiss Chocolate Box – About P26,600
The box features eight chocolate pieces enrobed in 24-karat gold. However, it’s not the main highlight. Delafée Switzerland created the set around an antique Swiss gold coin, dating back to 1910 to 1922. Together with the antique, the gold-covered chocolates cost 470 Swiss Francs.
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The Royal Book Chocolate Selection – About P90,500
Made by French chocolatier Debauve & Gallais, The Royal Book Chocolate Selection celebrates its 200th anniversary. It comes in two weights, 2kg or 4kg, and the latter is priced at 1,550 Euros.
The leather case holds a selection of chocolate ganaches and multicolored marble pralines. In addition, it comes with a book on the brand’s history which began in 1800. Interestingly, co-founder Sulpice Debauve served as Napoleon Bonaparte’s official chocolatier.
You can shop here.
Banner photo from mariebelle.com
