Where do you buy you chocolate from?

[2sdae]

Where do you buy your chocolate from? I want decent chocolate to use for dipping and coating oreos and making chocolates.
But I want to get the best deal I can on the best chocolate I can afford to use for a demo for a food fair.

[Rose]

I sometimes buy the guittard brand since my local decorating store carries it ($4-$8/lb). You can't realy buy direct fom the company. I drove up to San Fransisco once and they said I would have to buy in 500lb bulk!!! Maybe if you ever get your cake club together you can all pitch in and get wholesale prices that way(scharffen berger is great too). I have seen some discount stores carry it too. Last time I had to use chocolate I went to a grocerie store that carries a lot of specialty items and ended buying their store brand chocolate for less than average. Just look at the ingredient list and compare it to the more expensive brands, you may be surprised how similar they are. Sometimes, store brands get their chocolate from the same place (guittard sells to See's candies).
Anyhow, my best advice is avoid anything that says it is milk chocolate, not the best chocolate and is mostly milk solids and not as tasty with whatever you are dipping.

[2sdae]

No one around here sells any thing but regular old milk chocolate and store brands at that!

[Rose]

Hmmm...Resort to the internet!!! Might be the only way to find good chocolate. You can play aorund with Ghiradelli too just get their 60% or higher. I have used other percentages and it seems to seperate, might be the milk solids.

[2sdae]

That's what I have been resorting to from my local kroger store.
So does anyone buy online?