The Chocolate Fanatic

It is not easy to find, thanks to ridiculous sign ordinances by the town of amherst, but THE BEST of the best when you do. I was looking for outstanding hand made chocolates to give as special gifts. I saw this on line and decided to stop in. The chocolates here are not only stunningly beautiful, they are over the top luscious… like the best artisan European chocolates but made by this all American family. One taste and I knew I would go back. Like all excellent chocolates, these aren’t inexpensive. But cost not much more than godiva or lindt and infinitely more delicious and unique. Maria and Daniel (owners) are warm and welcoming. It is worth the drive and hunt to find it. Across from Wal-​Mart and toward milford a little way on 101a Amherst nh in a funky little shopping center. This is a winner!

TL;DR version of this story is that this place is the best chocolate in the area and is easily better than many popular shops in the Boston area. As far as gelato is concerned it is very good and very interesting, featuring at least a couple non-​traditional flavors I have never seen anyone make before and almost certainly shows off the personality and talent of their creator.
This family owned business loves what they do, care about their customers and provide an amazing original product with passion and love. I walked out of there feeling inspired, absolutely not what I was expecting to get from the «chocolate shop» I thought I was walking into. I am happy to say that I’ve been, will go again and sad to think that it took me this long to finally visit.
Now to my experience: I visited on a weekday around 2pm hoping I would grab some gelato and the couple pieces of dark chocolate with almonds I usually get from your average chocolate shop. The store is open and inviting and the moment I walked in Maria could tell I hadn’t been there before. While she told me all about her gelato and asked about my experience with it I sampled the coffee and a strange flavor that that resembled the classic stracciatella but was named after a candy bar. It was a deceivingly simple flavor and just slightly sweet enough to pair well with the slightly bitter flavor of the coffee. I enjoyed my gelato while Maria brought me over to the chocolate and talked about how she runs her business, where she gets her ingredients, how she makes everything, her inspiration for some of her very original creations and even told me a little bit about failed experiments she and her family have attempted, think ‘habanero dark chocolate’ :D I walked out with a little of everything that caught my eye that day, bee pollen dark chocolate, salted matcha chocolate, vegan chocolate (very good and surprisingly creamy especially considering I tried the dark variety!) several kinds of mixed nut and dried fruit ‘barks’, cacao nib dark chocolate discs, chocolate covered coconut, chocolate covered ginger, paprika kale chocolate, spicy chocolate and your standard variety light and dark chocolate. There was a chocolate with edible flowers that was almost too pretty to eat!!! Now that I’ve finally finished them all I can say that though some of the names I just mentioned sound crazy they are all refined and delicate flavors, none of them are over the top and they’re just brilliant to put it simply. Italian cuisine has the reputation for being attentive to details and using the best and freshest local ingredients and this little business lives up to that reputation. Don’t get me wrong though, this isn’t some ‘stuffy’ chocolatier, there’s chocolate motorcycles and star wars characters that the kids will enjoy just as much as you will enjoy your wider flavor options. I really enjoyed the experience of walking into and learning about this place, talking to Maria, as much as I enjoy what I got here.

I love everything about this shop. The woman who works here is just lovely, she explains every chocolate and what goes into making them. most ingredients if not all are organic and everything is hand made locally.
The gelato is to die for. It is made by a man from Venice. My daughter had less than a week prior to this visit returned from Italy. She said that it was a close second to only one of the dozen gelato shops she tried in Italy. It is authentic.
Nothing makes me happier than supporting a local business who does everything right. Family works together, local flavors, hand made, superior quality.
I drive the very out of the way distance just to stop here. I love it!
This is as good as it gets.

This place is a little gem! Wonderful handmade chocolates, beautiful presentations, but what is the best about this shop (not that the amazing chocolates aren’t enough!) is the absolutely delicious homemade gelato! The gentleman who makes the gelato is Venetian, and it is just as amazing as any gelato I’ve experienced in Italy, from the beautiful colors, the creaminess, the intense flavor. As I chocolate shopped I enjoyed baci and black raspberry gelato. Simply heaven! The location is something of a destination spot, but boy is it worth it! I plan on coming here every time I’m in area!

Great variety! I visited the store for the first time last week. It’s a small shop with lots of different chocolate options and ice cream. They have different varieties of chocolate bark, dipped fruit, and fun shapes. The chocolate also had a sharp «snap.» And everything in the cases appeared perfect, no sugar or fat bloom, or even separation between chocolate and fruit.

I went in there because I drive by it almost every day. The place had an off odor, almost like a mix of sour milk and an electric burner, not what you would expect from a chocolate shop. I was going to walk out, but you know that feeling when you are the only one is a place and all eyes are on you? I purchased truffles as a gift. I found out they are not made by the establishment but I was there, so I felt I’d give it a try.
Really disappointing, they did not taste anything close to a fine chocolate should; almost like a mass-​produced texture and flavor.
How did I know the truffles didn’t taste good? Oddly enough, my husband presented a box of chocolates from there for Valentine’s day.;-(
Too bad, it would have been nice not to have to drive a distance for quality chocolates.

This is the most creative candy store i have ever been in. Fantastic array of handmade chocolates. The customer service is also fantastic. it’s a small business that just started and they are doing a fantastic job. The only drawback is that once you go there you will have a hard time staying away.

Delicious hand made chocolates. I love the dark chocolate flower with coconut. She also sells gelato.