Chocolate

Marzipan is where this shelf starts. Niederegger has made it in Lübeck since 1806 and the classic bar — marzipan under dark chocolate — is the benchmark everything else is measured against. It is not comparable to supermarket marzipan, which is mostly sugar; Niederegger's is mostly almond, and you can taste which is which immediately. Maitre Truffout marzipan bars sit alongside at a gentler price.

Ritter Sport needs no introduction, and the square is genuinely the point — it was designed to fit a jacket pocket without breaking. Roshen "Kyiv Vechirniy" hazelnut chocolates are the Ukrainian box people ask for by name. And the newest arrivals are the Dubai-style pistachio bars: Bergen pralines and Vanelli Picasso, pistachio cream with kadayif pastry running through it.

**Chocolate ships to California, Oregon, Washington, Nevada and Arizona only.** It does not survive a hot truck, and in the hottest weeks of summer we may contact you about insulated packaging, at extra cost, before sending a box. If you are outside those states, it is worth collecting in store.