J Chocolatier

J. Chocolatier is absolutely amazing.
After mourning the closing of the Georgetown location, I was thrilled to learn that J. Chocolatier was open at Eastern Market above Groovy Cards & Gifts. The store itself is quite pretty, with neat displays of beautiful chocolates. They sell some third-​party products, but the stuff made by J. Chocolatier is the best.
The Fleur de Sel Caramels are the classic best seller, and are totally fantastic. The flavor of the caramel is the best I have ever tasted. So imagine my delight when I discovered that YOU CAN BUY THIS CARAMEL IN A JAR. The rich liquid caramel goes just as well with ice cream, fruit and spoons as it does with the dark chocolate shell and sea salt in its chocolate form.
It is easy to see why the caramels are so popular. But, J. Chocolatier offers other goodies that demonstrate a mastery and creativity that extends beyond just one specialty. The seasonally-​available pumpkin spice truffles have a richness of flavor that is exceedingly rare among pumpkin treats in general and blends the flavors of dark chocolate, fall spices and pumpkin together with perfection. These are not just requested, but demanded by my family every fall when I travel home for Thanksgiving and the holidays. The lavender vanilla truffles and classic dark chocolate truffles are both exceptional.
The craft chocolate bars are all wonderful. I would especially recommend the pink sea salt milk chocolate bar (the pink sea salt gives this bar fantastic flavor and texture to complement the creamy, rich sweetness of the milk chocolate), but I also love the dark chocolate cocoa nib bar and the almond & cherry dark chocolate bar. The bars are simple, but they will not disappoint.
I give J. Chocolatier chocolates as holiday and thank-​you gifts to colleagues and friends, and I get hugely positive feedback whenever I do. (I am very much hoping to receive some, too, for Valentine’s Day!) Though a bit more expensive than other chocolates, the attention to detail, superior ingredients and thoughtfulness behind J. Chocolatier’s masterpieces should definitely command a premium.

J Chocolatier is outstanding. I stopped in to the place because it’s located on top of a specialty gift card shop that my girlfriend wanted to check out. The store is small and sells a handful of delicacies. I bought the Fleur de Sel Caramel. Even the name is fancy.
In short, the chocolate is incredible. It’s liquid caramel encased in dark chocolate topped with sea salt. The store owner whose name I have forgotten told me this was her best-​seller. I see why. It was a ⁵⁄₅. Now here is the rub. For six chocolate balls, it costs $ 16. Pretty expensive. For some, $ 16 will always be too much to pay for chocolate unless it’s delivered by the truckload. However, for those chocolate enthusiast, I’d recommend trying a couple things from J Chocolatier. It’s smooth, rich and outright awesome.
The store is simple, clean and polished. The selection is mostly made in-​house. Some items carried in the store are from other local chocolatiers.
If I win the lottery, I’ll eat chocolate exclusively from this place. Until then, I’ll just grab and occasional treat.