Ever curious about the cost of the most expensive chocolate? Seeking the ultimate taste experience? Many people do. Dating back to around 1900 BC, the Aztecs enjoyed chocolate in a spicy beverage. By the 16th century, it arrived in Europe and became sweeter with sugar.
The elite of the time indulged in a treat much like today’s chocolate. Chocolate continues to be a luxurious item, with worldwide sales exceeding 100 billion dollars. Interested in the price of this decadent treat? Check out our list of the top 10 most expensive chocolates globally.
10. Richard Donnelly Chocolates was founded in 1988 by its namesake. Hand made in Santa Cruz, a pound of their exquisite chocolates runs around $76 USD.
9. Made to mimic fine cigars, even down to the smell, the House of Grauer’s Aficionado’s Collection Chocolates cost $275 USD per box
8. Founded in 1800 and appointed as the official purveyors for the Royal French Court in 1918, Debauve & Gallais knows how to make good chocolate. Their chocolates are still made using the fanciest ingredients from all over the world, with no preservatives or artificial dyes. They cost around $94 USD per pound.
7. In 2008, High-end department store Harrods and a Lebanese chocolatier named Patchi teamed up to make chocolates studded with Swarovski Crystals…because of course they did. The chocolates were packaged in handwoven silk from China and India, with a price tag of $10,000.
6. Possibly one of the most well known high end chocolates of all time is the Frrrozen Haute Chocolate from Serendipity 3. It’s basically a hot chocolate slushy using 28 exotic and rare cocoas, a gold leaf, and a La Madeleina Au Truffle on top. Also, the dish is made of gold and diamonds; the spoon is made of gold; and the base of the dish has a gold and diamond bracelet wrapped around it. You get to take the bracelet and gold spoon home. It costs $25,000. Seriously, you could arguably build a school or dig like a dozen wells in a third world country for the kinda money.
5. Noka Chocolate was an American chocolate company that sadly went out of business in 2011. It’s still wroth noting that their “Vintages Collection” released in 2006 came with a price tag of $854 USD per pound. They were made from fancy-dancy ingredients from all over the world, and the (now defunct) company was even so cocky as to say that their products were not for the faint of heart or pocketbook.
4. DeLafée of Switzerland’s Gold Chocolate Box comes with a Swiss National Bank gold coin that was minted between 1910 and 1920. Additionally, gold leaf is applied by hand to each of the 8 chocolates in the box. Which is probably why this particular box costs $330 USD.
3. The most expensive non-jeweled chocolate egg is named The Golden Speckled Egg. It weighs 110 pounds and was bought for over $10,000. It took three days and seven chocolatiers to make and contains flavors such as rosemary, Japanese black vinegar, juniper berry, and edible gold leaf. The large egg is decorated with 12 smaller ones, 20 mini chocolate bars and 5 white flowers.
2. DeLafée is one of those high-end luxury brands that most people in the middle and lower class don’t even know about. As we’ve seen before in their gold coin box, they’re pretty into high-end for high-end’s sake. In fact, they’re more about gold – in edibles, in temporary tattoos, etc – than they are specifically chocolate. In this case, they make coinless chocolate, and their chocolates are covered with 24 karat gold leaf. Just two small chocolates cost $57 USD.
1. To’ak chocolate – the people who brought you the $270 USD 2014 harvest chocolate bar – also offer a chocolate that’s been aged for 3 years in a French oak cognac cask for $365. These people take their chocolate REALLY seriously, only using cocoa beans called “Nacional” from Ecuador, which can genetically be traced back to the first domesticated cocoa trees. They ferment and taste their chocolate the same way winemakers taste wine, since both contain tannins and other flavonoids that determine their taste. The booklet that’s included with each bar goes deep into the science of chocolate, and each box also includes a special tasting utensil for the “ritual.” If I ever win the lotto, this stuff is pretty high on my wish list. It’s not a gimick; it’s not gold plated; it’s amazingly rare chocolate handmade with discipline and insane attention to every detail.
