Whilst chocolate is a common treat in most households, we look at the most expensive chocolate in the world – how much would you spend on gourmet chocolate?

When walking down the supermarket aisle, it can sometimes be almost impossible to stop yourself from sneaking a few chocolate bars into the trolley: sometimes, we need a cheap, sweet treat to get us through the day. With the varieties of affordable chocolate available to us, it is no wonder that the worldwide consumption of chocolate each year is predicted to be at least 7.2 million metric tonnes – it seems we just can’t get enough of cocoa.

Whilst chocolate found in supermarkets or off-licenses is a likely feature in your kitchen cupboard, you might want to take your chocolate game to the next level by indulging in luxury chocolates. Luxury chocolate doesn’t have to break the bank – there are plenty of high-quality, yet affordable, chocolates out there. However, some brands have seriously pushed the boundaries when it comes to crafting luxury chocolate, resulting in a product which may be delicious, but will give you a shock when you check your bank account balance. Is it worth it? As we look at the the most expensive chocolates in the world, we’ll let you decide.

DeLafée of Switzerland—Gold Swiss Chocolate Box with Swiss Antique Collectible Gold Coin

For some, chocolate alone isn’t decadent enough: perhaps this is why this Gold Swiss Chocolate Box contains eight Swiss chocolate balls coated in 24 Karat edible gold. A luxury chocolate box for those who desire a memento of the treat they’ve eaten, this box comes with a collectible gold coin nestled in the middle of the box, from the Swiss central bank. An antique item, these coins are from the years 1910 to 1922, reflecting two strong Swiss traditions – chocolate and gold – in a decadent balance. Unsurprisingly, chocolate and gold doesn’t come cheap, which is why this luxury chocolate costs around £355.

To’ak chocolate

A To’ak chocolate bar will set you back nearly £250, making it one of the most expensive chocolate bars in the world. Whilst its price tag may be eye-watering, the journey behind the creation of this luxury chocolate bar makes for an interesting tale.

Its story started when Chicagoan Jerry Toth moved to Ecuador to work as a rainforest conservationist. Shortly after he started planting cacao trees, he became fascinated with cocoa farming, sending him down the path of chocolate making. After meeting two Ecuadorian locals – Carl and Dennise – who shared Toth’s dream of the world viewing chocolate as art, instead of a dessert, they decided to track down the oldest and rarest variety of chocolate in the world.

After months of searching, they stumbled into the valley of Piedra de Plata, growing cacao trees which were later proven by DNA analysts to be 100% pure Nacional cacao – this variety of cocoa bean is so rare that it was thought to be extinct, as most have been interbred with other cocoa bean varieties. Ever since then, they have exclusively sourced their cacao from this valley.

The quality doesn’t stop there – after fermentation, this luxury chocolate is dried, roasted, shelled and ground by hand. It has taken them 2 years to make 574 bars, which are sold in individual wooden boxes filled with cacao bean husks and numbered by harvest. Although pricey, this luxury chocolate bar is certainly high quality, from start to finish.

Chocopologie – La Madeline au Truffle

Seventy percent Valrhona dark chocolate, heavy cream, sugar, vanilla and truffle oil come together to form an opulent ganache, which enrobes a rare French Perigord truffle, coated in dark chocolate and rolled in fine cocoa powder. This luxury truffle is for one person only: it comes in its own golden box, and lies on a bed of sugar pearls for an extra element of decadence. 

Due to the fresh ingredients that are used, this luxury chocolate must be consumed within 7 days – any longer and the product is spoiled, meaning you’ve just wasted £200 on a single truffle.

Hotel Chocolat – a luxury brand, without the price tag

At Hotel Chocolat, we take a slightly different approach to luxury – instead of combining our chocolate products with truffles or gold, we create a quality finish by making sure each product follows the simple mantra, ‘more cocoa, less sugar’.

This is why we’ve won awards for our white, milk and dark chocolate slabs: our Honduras 100% Dark Chocolate lets the cocoa bean shine through by using 100% cocoa. Punchy and powerful, this chocolate bar is comparable to a lavish multi-layered Burgundy. To get a wide range of flavour we source our cocoa beans from all over the world: our Nicaragua 55% Malted Milk Chocolate is made by grinding Nicaraguan cacao with whole Norfolk malt grains to let their toasty, caramel notes sing. Even our white chocolate contains an astonishingly high amount of cocoa butter to create the smoothest texture: Dominican Republic 42% White Chocolate boasts caramelised white chocolate, with notes of honeycomb and butterscotch, without being sickly sweet.

If you want to treat yourself to something more than just a chocolate bar, browse our full range of chocolates to discover luxury chocolates: we might not be the most expensive chocolate in the world, but we certainly never compromise on quality.