Gearharts Fine Chocolates

This week I hosted a chocolate and wine tasting event with Gearharts, it was just terrific working with Bethany the store manager, she was flexible, well organized, and made it so enjoyable for my friends.
The tasting — it started with a pairing guide and talked through some tips on how to pair chocolate with wine, and what to expect. We had 4 chocolates with tasting pours of 4 wines, ranging from white Ferraton CDR Blanc (my favorite wine of the night) with an Apricot Brandy milk chocolate, a sweet German ice wine with a Vanilla Bean white chocolate, a red pinot noir with a Michigan Cherry semi-​sweet (my favorite chocolate of the night) and finally the most intense flavor blend, a Malbec with the Maya chocolate. Then just to top it all off, a surprise paring of a home-​town Hardywood stout with I think a Brown Butter Caramel, but by then I was losing track, all so delicious.
The space — it’s not a large shop, so there was a maximum of 20 to attend, we had 18 and that worked well. A large round table was set for the tastings, the wine served in small stemless glasses, the chocolates artfully arranged on platters. A sideboard table was set with a few snacks, cheese, olives, and grapes. Candles helped create the mood. We also had an accessory gift exchange and they were so accomidating, allowing us time to do our own thing in the midst of the tastings.
This event idea is not a standard offering from Gearharts and turned out just great for a Valentine’s party with my ladies group. We started with dinner at Café Caturra, just around the corner, and then to Gearharts after hours for the main event. I «spend» my calories carefully and Gearhart’s was utterly worth the splurge!

Awesome chocolates! Treat yourself or buy a gift for someone you care about (or perhaps just want to impress). You won’t find better!

I had never been to Gearheart’s before, but I went for a Unilocal wine and chocolate tasting event. The chocolate was of very good quality. I am super picky, but everything was on point. Even the caramel was great, and I am super picky about that since I make it at home a lot. This one was just buttery enough and not overly sweet.
My favorites were the white chocolate one with the bruleed bits and the brown butter caramel, but that rasperry zinfandel was truly out of this world when paired with wine. You really can’t lose, whatever you choose here. I was disappointed, however, in the way of variety and price. I pay high prices for chocolate with no complaints. This is one of my few splurge areas. However, the prices here were just astronomical. I couldn’t bring myself to do it. If you do have a bit of a luxury splurge, you will get some quality stuff here for sure. This would make a wonderful gift for someone special.

This is best chocolate I’ve ever had (with the exception of puccini in amsterdam) and worth every single cent. the taste is beautiful perfection! I can imagine becoming religious just so I can fantasize about a gearhearts chocolate heaven. He is an artist, a chocolate artist, which is way better than the other kind (you still can’t eat a painting). Oh Gearhearts chocolate, I would go up a pant size for you!

This ain’t no Hershey! This is some special chocolate.
I stopped in for the chocolate and wine pairing Unilocal event and got to sample some really tasty chocolates, among them the raspberry zin, vanilla bean brulee, and brown butter caramel (my fav).
If there’s a chocolate lover in your life, or if you are that chocolate lover, treating him, her or yourself to Gearhart’s is a great way to say I love you. Seriously. You can tell that a lot of care is put into what they create, and the staff is really knowledgeable about their product.

We are very lucky to have a locally ownned, but nationally recognized chocolatier right here in the West End. Variety is a bit limited, but everything is well made. Intersting flavor combinations without everything being so sweet that you don’t taste the chocolate (I’m looking at you, Godiva).
The Earl Grey, Mayan, Raspberry Zin, and vanilla bean are our favorites. A great gift for business guests, too.

The BEST chocolates ever, my go to place for a gift, for those who have «it all“‘ or those who you aren’t sure what to get. Supports a local business and very elegantly wrapped and presented. Have been there 3 times this month and will continue getting gifts there.

When you walk in the store, the space seems way too big for the selection they have available. It makes you go «this is it??» But what they lack in large selection they absolutely make up for in quality. My girlfriend and I picked three chocolates each, just for the hell of it, and they were glorious. I prefer dark chocolate, so I got mostly those. But I tried a supposedly not-​so-​popular maple walnut chocolate which was my favorite of the bunch. Even if you’re not into maple or walnuts, or if you just don’t think it sounds good, you’re wrong and you should try it. It’s amazing.
The store has a lot of other interesting chocolate items on their central table like chocolate bars, chocolates with wine in them, and more! If it’s valentines day or you just want some chocolate, you should check them out over on Libbie.

Ordered some Peanut Butter Pups from Gearharts and received them today. A portion of the proceeds goes to Companions for Vets, an organization that provides canine companionship to returning vets.
The pups are adorable-​tiny milk chocolate pups with peanut butter centers and sliced almond ears; the chocolate is smooth and rich and tasty. I never thought that the addition of the almond would make the peanut butter taste better.
I look forward to trying more of their chocolates soon.

Stopped in on a whim and I am very surprised. I didn’t have any expectations and the Unilocal reviews were decent.
The person who was in the shop was friendly and engaging. He was great and talking us through what chocolates was available and what we should get. We decided to go ahead and dive in with a box of 16 pieces of chocolate.
The dark chocolate had a great balance of fruitiness and acidity. It didn’t have the chalkiness that you can find in cheaper chocolates. My favorite was the caramel filled one!
I am not a huge sweet person; but this was good stuff. Love finding local spots that do their thing and do it well. I will def go back for more next time I am around the neighborhood.

For me, Gearharts is a nice local alternative to Godiva, but is a bit lacking in variety. They have maybe 15 flavors of truffles, and then also a few kinds of chocolate bars to choose from. So, if you’d like a chocolate dipped strawberry or a snack of some kind, you are SOL. But if you are looking for a nice gift for someone, then sure, go here. I got a box of chocolates so I could try a bunch of flavors, and here’s what I had:
Criolla– had chalky bits of chocolate in it. Not a fan.
Taj– tasty, but I didn’t get the ginger and cardemom flavor as promised
Vanilla bean brulee– didn’t get the vanilla flavor from this, or the torched sugar. It just tasted like very sweet white chocolate.
Overall– I’ll stick with Godiva but if I’m in a hurry and need a gift, I’ll probably go here.

Mint Julep — a little underwhelming and pretty basic, the bourbon comes in at the end after all the chocolate is gone and, unfortunately, doesn’t stick around very long.
Criolla — like the chocolate, don’t care for the nibs!
Caramel — best of all. Nutty, rich caramel that’s smooth and velvety all the way down. Could eat a box of these and not even flinch.
Maple Pecan — pretty average. Not enough maple for me to really give this a thumbs up for maple lovers. It tastes a bit like a Turtle but without the caramel.
Maya — didn’t buy any of these but there was a free sampling in the store. Definitely a great little truffle. The ancho chili was a pleasant surprise and really blended well with the other elements. Wouldn’t want to eat a ton of these, maybe just one or two after dinner but good nonetheless.

I’ve loved this business since I went to the original location in Charlottesville, Va. When a second location opened in the RVA I was so excited.
Gearharts is owned by Tim Gearhart, a Culinary Institute of America-​trained chef who had a long culinary career before launching Gearharts in 2001. The chocolates he creates are both beautiful and delicious. Many of the flavors have a slight twist, taking them just a notch above normal. Maya is a truffle featuring bittersweet chocolate ganache flavored with ancho chili powder and orange and dusted with cocoa. Kauai is made with toasted coconut, dark rum and white chocolate ganache with a roasted macadamia nut wrapped in milk chocolate. Can life get much better? I also love the jewel bar, both for presentation and flavor. A 4-​ounce palette of milk or bittersweet chocolate is studded with roasted almonds, dried cherries, candied orange peels and roasted pistachios. Not only is it delicious, but all the colors make the bar look beautiful.
Because of the epicurean flavors and beautiful styling, Gearharts chocolates make great gifts. That’s if you can refrain from eating them before you give them away!