We all like chocolate, right?

It’s safe to say that, yes?

I’m prone to gummies and licorice — easier for me to overeat (for me that’s a fun thing) and I lean towards the tangy, sour, fruity and salty.

For a few years, chocolate was samey: Milk, dark, white, with nuts or without, with chewy-somethings or not. Maybe a cherry in it. Eh.

Then in the mid-oughts smaller purveyors did things like add bacon bits to the bars, and salt. And suddenly I got interested in chocolate.

And I’m not the only one. Just hop down to your local and if it’s even semi-gourmet, you’ll see shelves like this:

When I was a kid, the chocolate shelves looked like this:

And sure, the cheap chocolate is sometimes just fine. Maybe your wife is asking for something and you’re at Walgreens and there isn’t a whole ton to get that doesn’t seem run-o-the-mill.

But one chocolate maker on those everyday shelves, in the U.S. at least, is Ghirardelli chocolate. You know the ones – you’ve seen them there. But I’m gonna guess you pass them up. You think it might be a little too refined for the moment.

But I’m here to tell you: don’t overlook the San Francisco-based chocolate purveyors. They make good stuff.

In fact, I recommend you go out of your way to buy the chocolate with caramel and especially the dark chocolate with caramel and sea salt minis.

Both have robust yet creamy chocolate. I taste a little salt in the milk chocolate (although maybe it’s in the caramel), while the salt is definitely forward in the dark chocolate one. The caramel is light, semi runny, and yummy. And the size of these things means you can have a few, not feel full, and eat some gummies after!

Consider this an ad for Ghirardelli. We do have an affiliate deal with them, and their actual ad is below. Plus, right now they are on sale.

Ghirardelli is worth the ride folks when you’re feeling a little less than ordinary and the price is right.