Greenville Chocolate Factory Ranked Top 5 in the Country, Known for Its Fun Truffle Names
Few people in the world can resist the sweet temptation of chocolate.
To make things more difficult for locals, there are plenty of choices in Greenville, from the stores on Main Street to the candy stores in the small towns of Fountain Inn, Mauldin, and Simpsonville.
If you’re wondering where to satisfy your sweet tooth on Friday night, we may have an answer for you.
The votes are in and USA TODAY readers have selected LaRue Fine Chocolate as one of the best chocolate shops in the country. The winner of 10Best took 5th place in the Top 10.
Here’s what LaRue Fine Chocolate has to offer to those who want to visit.
What you need to know about the LaRue chocolate factory
There’s more to life than just a box of chocolates, and LaRue Fine Chocolate wants visitors to know that, by taking care in how they make their products. One way the store achieves this is by using fine ingredients, including Bee Wall organic honey and Bulls Bay sea salt. The store also has a cafe where special wines are served. One of the drinks on the menu is the Vina Zorzal Garnacha Rose from Spain, containing a fusion of strawberry and raspberry flavors. Guests can also taste Cali with the Bodan Roan Pinot Moir, a red wine blend of French oak, fruit, vanilla and spices.
Now we come to the most important part: the chocolate. USA TODAY noted LaRue’s specialty truffles with “fun names” and fancy flavor infusions. The featured chocolates were Sweet Kentucky dark chocolate containing salted and drunken caramel. Also mentioned was the Dora Larue, which is a peanut butter and graham cracker crunch topped with milk chocolate. It doesn’t seem like you can go wrong with ordering one of these chocolates to go.
Other tempting menu offerings include Chocolate Brownies, Orange Sorbet, and Pistachio Ricotta Cake. Those cutting back on sweets may want to check out the snacks category; Alberquina olives and a variety of cheeses and crackers are available to order.
What are LaRue’s “fun” truffle names?
LaRue knows how to have fun when it comes to naming his chocolates. Here are some of the interesting names we spotted on the menu and their flavors:
∎ Grandma: Milk chocolate, Grand Marnier ganache coated in milk chocolate with candied orange zest.
∎ Yo Ho Ho: Rum, coconut cream, coconut milk, almond milk, in a milk chocolate ganache coated with dark chocolate and topped with toasted crushed almonds.
∎ Doo Yah: Gianduja with almonds (guy-yan doo yah). Hard to say, easy to eat dark chocolate with crushed toasted almonds.
∎ Cherry Blossom: Dark chocolate and morello cherry in white chocolate.
∎ Lavender Love: Lavender and honey milk chocolate coated in dark chocolate.
∎ Moo Who: The ugliest little truffle, but it’s milk chocolate goodness through and through.
∎ Lala Latte: Coffee-infused dark chocolate coated in milk chocolate with cocoa nibs and coffee salt.
∎ Boca Grande: Tequila, Grand Marnier, lime, orange, white chocolate ganache, salt in dark chocolate. It’s a margarita party in your mouth!
∎ Noces Rouges: Raspberry puree and dark chocolate ganache garnished with raspberry sugar.
∎ Honey Shot: Honey with honey and white chocolate ganache in dark chocolate.
USA TODAY 10Best Chocolate Shops
∎ No. 1: Pizzelle’s Confections (Huntsville, Alabama)
∎ No. 2: Piety and Chocolate Desire (New Orleans, Louisiana)
∎ No. 3: Saratoga Chocolate Co. (Saratoga Springs, New York)
∎ No. 4: Uzma Chocolate (Chicago, Illinois)
∎ No. 5: LaRue Fine Chocolate (Greenville, South Carolina)
∎ No. 6: Videri Chocolate Factory (Raleigh, North Carolina)
∎ No. 7: Bon Bon Bon (Michigan)
∎ No. 8: Mon Aimée Chocolat (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania)
∎ No. 9: Eldora Chocolate (Albuquerque, New Mexico)
∎ No. 10: Ragged Coast Chocolates (Westbrook, Maine)
Nina Tran covers current affairs stories for The Greenville News. Contact her by email at ntran@gannett.com
This article originally appeared on Greenville News: Greenville LaRue Chocolate Factory Ranked Top 5 in the Nation: USA TODAY 10Best
