Four Massachusetts chocolate shops are among the best in the country

Good news for Bay State chocolate fanatics: “Food & Wine” recently published “The Best Chocolate in America,” a list that detailed the top 50 chocolate makers and chocolate shops across the country, and — sweet relief! — four of those shops are right here in Massachusetts.

“Food & Wine” senior editor David Landsel called out Chequesset Chocolate in North Truro, EHChocolatier in Cambridge, Goodnow Farms Chocolate in Sudbury, and Taza Chocolate in Somerville as standout local chocolate shops.

Lansdel shone a spotlight on Chequesset Chocolate’s white chocolate bar infused with lemon and thyme, which he said “does a great deal of heavy lifting for the much-misunderstood style.” At EHChocolatier, which opened in Cambridge in 2019, vegan truffles are the star, with Landsel calling them “delicate vegan meltaways that will seduce very nearly any skeptic.” The article’s author praised Goodnow Farms Chocolate for its locally sourced ingredients, including apple cider, maple syrup, and rye whiskey, and shined a light on Taza’s organic, Mexican-style chocolate discs.

The four shops were the only New England chocolatiers to make the cut.

As it turns out, we might be craving chocolate more than ever. Lansdel shared that, according to the National Confectioners Association, America’s consumption of high-end chocolate increased during the pandemic, rising by 12.5 percent since March 2020.

“Should we be surprised to learn that so many of us found chocolate a comfort, during such a challenging time?” he wrote.