Fannie May

Reviewers rate Fannie May chocolates a little higher than most drugstore chocolates for quality and value, but they aren't in the same league with more expensive boxed chocolates. The texture of the chocolate is less luscious, and some of the chocolates are cloyingly sweet or bland, according to reviewers. While some critics say that Fannie May chocolates, which have been in near-continuous production since 1920, are as good as ever, others believe that the company changed its recipes when it was sold to Alpine Confections in 2004. Although Bridgewater Chocolate (*est. $35 for 20 pieces) is more expensive, we found better reviews for the Bridgewater boxes, which also come in traditional flavors, but are of more consistent quality, according to reviews.

We found reviews for Fannie May chocolate at Forbes.com and Yelp.com, but we question Forbes' methodology. When their first box of Fannie May chocolates proved very disappointing, testers purchased a second box, and we're not sure which was scored. And we wonder why testers say so little about the chocolates' inconsistent quality.