10 Best Gourmet Chocolates All Dressed Up For Valentine's Day

6. Christopher Norman Chocolates: Tiger Heart Valentine

Grrrr. Truly wild, but no animals were harmed, we are assured, once your lover gets past the fuzzy box top, there are some amazingly hand carved and hand painted chocolates to feast her eyes! Passion Fruit, Manhattan Dark, Pomegranate, Champagne, Amarene Cherries, Hazelnut Gianduja Hearts, Pomegranate, and Framboise are just some of the samplings she'll find in this wild Tiger Heart Valentine.

7. NoKA Chocolate: Vintages Collection - Valentine's Box

One of the most understated boxes of chocolates you may find among the very best gourmets, the Vintage Collection of NoKA is for chocolate purists. This is "single-estate" chocolate. Like wine that is made from only one grape, chocolate can come from only one type of pod grown on one chocolate estate. There are very few chocolatiers who use a single-estate chocolate; most use a blend of chocolates. This Vintages Collection has all four varieties of NoKA's estate chocolate from single estates in Venezuela, Ecuador, Côte d'Ivoire, and Trinidad.

8. Vosages Chocolates: Valentine Love Tower

Best known for its excruciatingly yummy truffles, Vosages makes every chocolate a work of heart. And Vosage also has a variety of novel packaging selections. As for the creations inside the two boxes in The Love Tower, the top box contains 1/4 pound of Carmel Toffee Hearts. If your own heart can stand it, you can actually check out each of the 16 truffles from the lower Exotic Truffle Heart Collection here, but I'll show you a few of them below.

"Soft caramel + deep milk chocolate + organic New Mexican pecan. Inspired by Aesop's fable of The Tortoise and the Hare. This truffle celebrates the victory of the turtle, who won the race "in a wink" (of the rabbit, that is).

"Tanzanian chocolate + organic pumpkin seeds. Oaxaca, Mexico inspires this fruity dark chocolate truffle. The sweet guajillo chili pepper intermingles with the mellow pasilla, rounding out the fresh cream ganache with a touch of licorice and spice."

9. Godiva Chocolates: Romantic Heart Box

Godiva is one of the most familiar Belgian chocolatiers in the U.S. This Valentine's Day, Godiva has put together some of the most elegantly designed chocolates and packaging just for the occasion. I fell in love with the Romantic Heart Box, with its chiffon draped cover and crystal centerpiece. So lovely! And inside, so delicious... try "delectable mousse, truffles, fruits and nuts, caramels, ganaches, and pralinés in milk, dark, and white chocolate." Shown below is the large Romantic Heart Box, but several sizes are available here.

10. A Bountiful Harvest: Sugar-Free Belgian Chocolate Valentine Heart

If your sugar can't eat sugar, that's perfectly fine. She can have her hand-made chocolate and eat it too, all of it, including the box. That's right. That bronze colored, carefully carved box is not a keeper! It's sugar-free milk chocolate and all edible. But wait... First the goodies inside: "2 lbs of delicious chocolates such as Raspberry Hearts, Cherry Cordials, White Chocolate Enrobed Hawaiian Macadamia nuts, Creme de Menthe, Key Lime, Creamy Caramels, Amaretto Cream and beyond..." And there are no artificial ingredients in these chocolates! Sugar-Free Belgian Chocolate Valentine Heart.

Remember that gourmet chocolates do not contain preservatives, so they should be eaten when fresh. Make sure your sweetheart follows the chocolatier's instructions about when the chocolates should be consumed to get the best flavor. Timing is usually between one and three weeks.

I'd rather eat chocolate than wear diamonds!