This winter, put down that sad can of powdered hot cocoa and embrace the wonder of drinking chocolate—small pieces of real chocolate that you melt in hot milk or water. The result is a richer, denser cup of hot chocolate that will definitely warm you up on a chilly night. This 55% dark drinking chocolate from Theo Chocolate is the perfect introduction to the joys of homemade hot chocolate. It’s single origin (from the Democratic Republic of Congo), organic and certified fair trade, which means you can be sure that producers and farmers are being paid fairly and using sustainable practices. Gift a box to your eco-warrior friend for a cozy night of Netflix bingeing.

As Saint Valentine's Day rose in popularity, people began sending gifts of flowers, love letters, and other trinkets. Liquid chocolate drinks were understandably not convenient to mail to a sweetheart. In 1847, Joseph Fry invented chocolate you could eat by adding extracted cocoa butter back into the drinking cocoa powder, changing forever how we think of chocolate.
After debuting his winning pralines at the World Fair in Brussels in 1910, Greek-Cypriot confectioner, Leonidas Kestekides, fell in love with a local Belgian girl. He then opened a tea room in Ghent and after his pralines again won gold at the Ghent World Fair in 1913, Leonidas began expanding his operations. He opened tea houses in Brussels and Blankenberge. His nephew, Basilio, pioneered the storefront “guillotine window.” Today, Leonidas sells chocolates at more than 1,500 storefronts worldwide. But, the prolific brand’s humble beginnings are never too far away. “Democracy in chocolate,” their motto, means that the good stuff isn’t only reserved for the rich. Purists will appreciate his Tablette Noir bar, which features 70 percent cocoa.