When people think of Valentine’s Day, they think of chocolates. The time-honored gift is an essential element to the celebration, and chocolate manufacturers across the country have created artisanal collections that reflect the feeling of love that comes with it.

Norman Love Confections leads the way in hand-crafted gourmet chocolates. Its president and founder, Norman Love, has built his career on standing out from the usual fare. Each year for Valentine’s Day, Love and his team collaborate to come up with a theme for the season. This year, the Valentine’s Collection features flavors to love.

Among the flavors available in the collection from January 27 to February 14 include:

• Caramel Passionfruit (milk chocolate with caramel, passionfruit and white chocolate ganache)
• Peanut Butter Caramel (milk chocolate with creamy peanut butter and caramel)
• Mango Orange (white chocolate with mango, orange, and white chocolate ganache)
• Raspberry Marzipan (dark chocolate with raspberries and almond marzipan)
• Lemon Raspberry (white chocolate with tart lemon and raspberry)
• Chipotle Lime (dark chocolate with lime ganache and smoky chipotle)
• Coffee Hazelnut (milk chocolate with hazelnut praline and coffee)
• Dark Chocolate Strawberry (dark chocolate with chocolate covered strawberry)
• Pineapple Rum (white chocolate with fresh pineapple and dark rum)
• Vanilla Rum (dark chocolate with Tahitian vanilla and spiced rum)

“How can you go wrong with a Valentine’s Day gift that has love in the name and is crafted with love?” says Norman Love.

An assortment of the flavors along with a selection of Norman Love’s award-winning signature flavors are included in a 10-piece heart-shaped box, 24- piece heart-shaped gift box, and 5- and 50-piece green signature gift boxes. The gift boxes are priced from $13.75 to $100.

GODIVA looks to tell a story with its chocolate this Valentine’s Day. The premium chocolate manufacturer explores the romantic association between chocolate and love and how it began. Its Valentine’s Day collection, comprised of heart‐shaped boxes filled with unique chocolate pieces, romances the history of chocolate and provides experience a taste of chocolate’s beautiful evolution.

Each piece of chocolate in the collection incorporates a bit of history and the magical element of love.

Intense Ganache celebrates the start of chocolate’s story with its discovery in the Americas, where it was believed to be a gift from the heavens. The Mexican origin chocolate has authentic chocolate notes and a long‐lasting taste. Cacao Honey Delight commemorates the beginning of Europe’s love for chocolate. Cacao is paired with honey, the original sweetener used when chocolate was first served to the Europeans. Praline Dream celebrates the first praline ever made: the ultimate combination of hazelnut paste in a chocolate shell. Finally, Modern Love ends the story with a beautifully-shaped piece pairing decadent chocolate and delectable strawberry, evoking modern love.

“Chocolate has a fascinating story to tell, from the discovery of cocoa in the Americas, its cultivation in Africa, and its mastery in Europe, where chocolatiers refined and perfected this exquisite gift from nature hundreds of years ago,” says GODIVA Chef Chocolatier, Jean Apostolou, who created the collection. “When I first envisioned this selection, I was inspired by these pivotal moments in chocolate’s delicious history and set out to create a Valentine’s Day collection that captures this beautiful journey.”

The collection features charming and elegant packaging designed by Olympia Le Tan, the contemporary brand known for its creation of original handbags and minaudières, a combination of embroidery and literature designs carried by some of the world’s most famous stars.

The whimsical, Parisian‐inspired packaging of GODIVA’s 2020 Valentine’s Day Collection features hand drawn illustrations of iconic Valentine Day’s symbols, like hearts, roses, doves, and love notes, along with less traditional and more fantastical angels.

Famed chocolatier and host of Netflix’s Nailed It!, Jacques Torres, gets creative with his chocolate offerings for Valentine’s Day. The I Love U Puzzle from Jacques Torres Chocolates is a custom handmade chocolate puzzle with a sweet message. It’s made with milk and dark chocolate pieces.

Another unique item is the Love Bird Bonbon Game. Individuals can get to know their Valentine on a much deeper level with this chocolate-based game. How it works is you pick up a bonbon, match the color to the question card, share your answer, and enjoy.

Bonbons created especially for Valentine’s Day include raspberry in white chocolate, yuzu in milk chocolate, passion fruit in dark chocolate, and dark chocolate soft center in dark chocolate.