"Quality" baking chocolate merchant rec?

I used to buy "high quality" chocolate from the folks at King Arthur. Their selection is no longer what it used to be. Poking around the internet disclosed a few options, though some aren't realistic since I can't justify buying (or, sadly, imagine using) 25 pounds of chocolate. Still, there are a few places that seem plausible, such as Pastry Depot.

Anyone have actual experience or specific recommendations? (I do not have a strong desire for wafers versus chips versus bars versus any other form; I just want something other than what I can easily find at grocery stores).

Thanks.

I'll throw out a bizarre recommendation from a true cheapskate: Food Club bittersweet chocolate chips. I've tempered these for dipping and found them to perform well and taste great. The other Food Club chips are nothing special, although as good as Nestle etc for a better price, which leads me to think these are sourced from somewhere different.

I think you'll find it's worth the $2 or so to find out. Occasionally they are on sale for $.99 and I stock up big.

Other cheap recommendations: Aldi's Belgian bittersweet chunks, and the high-cocoa-percent dark 100 gram bars from Polish supermarkets. It's getting harder to find plain bars, though.

There are large bars of high cacao chocolate available at Trader Joe's that I've been happy baking with.

Sometimes I'll see some kind of shrink-wrapped chocolate in the deli area at Fresh Farms that has no brand on it. It looks like a not-for-retail candy wrapped up for retail. Melts well, also good to bake with.

I should ask for clarification: you don't mean unsweetened chocolate like Baker's?

Giovanna

Giovanna wrote:Sometimes I'll see some kind of shrink-wrapped chocolate in the deli area at Fresh Farms that has no brand on it. It looks like a not-for-retail candy wrapped up for retail. Melts well, also good to bake with.

This might be Ambrosia cut from giant bars. Woodman's and others sell it too. Ambrosia comes in true chocolate and coating varieties, and stores aren't always good about labeling which is which.

Giovanna wrote:I should ask for clarification: you don't mean unsweetened chocolate like Baker's?

Ah, thanks for asking. I'm looking for something in the bittersweet range, say 65-75%.

Giovanna, do you recall how much the big bars at TJ's cost? I see some posts on the web that suggest they are $4.99 for 500 grams. If true, that's a pretty good deal.