This article is reprinted with permission from the Wall Street Journal, Feb. 2nd 2001.

Catalog Critic

The Complete, Sweet Package

By LAUREN LIPTON
Staff Reporter of THE WALL STREET JOURNAL

Different people are attracted to different things. Some go for gorgeous looks, while others seek inner sweetness. Rarely do you find both qualities in the same package. When you do, it can be truly sublime.

Whoa, did you think we were talking about love? Actually, we're talking about chocolate. Not that we don't know plenty about matters of the heart, but this week, having "researched" our way through seven pounds of Valentine's Day sweets, we're far more up on matters of the heart-shaped box. (Including proof positive, by the way, that aversion therapy really does work.)

Love in a box: top row left to right, chocolates from See's Candies and Harry and David; bottom row left to right, Bissinger French Confections, Godiva and Cocoa Mill Chocolate Co.

For this column, our second on Valentine's Day chocolate, we were determined to find the absolute perfect present: A heart-shaped box so fabulous that the recipient would want to keep it forever; plus chocolate so delicious that it wouldn't last through the day. Two years ago, the catalog-shopping boom hadn't quite hit, and we'd had a hard time even locating enough gifts to send to our father, who did the taste testing for us. We'd had to settle for some boxes that weren't heart-shaped. And one company's product never even showed up.

We're happy to report that it really is better the second time around; this year, there were scads of appropriately shaped gifts to choose from. The companies we settled on-three of which, See's, Godiva and Harry and David, are repeats from last time-were all able to deliver the goods on time. (Keep in mind, though, that delivery may get less reliable, and definitely gets more expensive, the longer you wait.) And one thing remained the same: Once we dug in, we agreed with Dad's conclusion last time that there was no "bad" chocolate. It ranged from perfectly acceptable to delicious beyond belief.

The same goes for the packaging. Sure, some of the boxes-the expensive, padded fabric beauty from Godiva in particular-were truly spectacular, leaving some of the others, like the totally respectable foil-covered one from Harry and David, looking less exciting in comparison. But we were looking at all five side-by-side; individually, any one of these boxes would be perfectly nice. Nevertheless, if pure luxury is what you're after, and you don't mind paying a price to match, you can't beat the Godiva. And, trust us, you won't be disappointed with the chocolates inside.

Still, one company's chocolates truly blew us away. We had never heard of the Virginia-based CocoaMill Chocolate Co. when we bought its "More Truffles and Hearts" gift. And when it arrived, we realized that we hadn't paid close enough attention when we ordered. The box wasn't exactly suitable for stashing away love letters, because it was made entirely out of chocolate. (Very elegant-looking, just not something you'd want to keep in your lingerie drawer.) But one taste of these delicious truffles and we were ready to toss all the other boxes in the trash. They were dense, slightly crumbly, and, in grown-up flavors like Grand Marnier and cappuccino, not overly sweet. Let's put it this way: After five boxes of candy, we pretty much never want to see the stuff again. But we're still dreaming of those CocoaMill truffles. We'd eat one right now if it were sitting here.

In the end, we didn't find that perfect combination of "forever" exterior and "right now" interior. But for now we're happy with what we did find. Just as with true love, the pursuit was half the fun.

Chocolate: Best Overall. We're in love. Or maybe it's lust-these dense, sophisticated truffles left us wanting more, more, more. About 1ª pounds; 24 pieces.

Box: Not a "keeper"-- it is made out of chocolate. Ours came wrapped in red foil and cellophane and tied with ribbons; the gift message was handwritten on a little card. It looked nice, and was delicious, too.

Write to Lauren Lipton at lauren.lipton@wsj.com

Copyright © 2001 Dow Jones & Company, Inc. All Rights Reserved.