I love Telluride, Colorado. Along with Cape Town, South Africa and Sydney, Australia, Telluride is in my top three places in the world for overall natural beauty. I have had the good fortune to have visited all three.

In fact, I have visited Telluride each year for the last 19 years. On each visit I have to stop at Telluride Truffle. Telluride Truffle began in November 1997 when owner and chocolatier Patty Denny sold her first truffle. Patty is a pastry chef who loved to make truffles and take them to potlucks. Her truffles were so well-received she started experimenting. With some great Belgian chocolate, she packaged her truffles in a little white box with a red tag and went into town on her lunch break with 20 boxes of chocolates in her backpack and a tray of samples. She went to one real estate office after another and after five she was sold out. Everyone who tried a truffle bought a box or two. After that lunch break, a business was born.

The fact that Patty’s business has grown every year is a testament to the quality of her truffles. She has been told by customers more than once that Telluride Truffles are the best they have ever had. Patty makes sure that her truffles are fresh. Because they do not have any waxes or preservatives, the truffles only have a shelf life of one month.

I had the opportunity to visit Telluride again in August. I went to Telluride Truffle and immediately bought one of my favorites, the San Juan Bar. The San Juan Bar is dark chocolate which encases a smooth liquid caramel filling which is topped with white chocolate and sea salt. I love that sweet and salty taste and the San Juan Bar satisfies that flavor craving.

I also purchased three different flavors of truffles. First was the Black Diamond, which is dark chocolate infused with Tequila encased in a thin layer of milk chocolate and topped with a touch of salt. The Black Diamond is the most radical truffle named after Telluride’s most radical ski run. Second, I selected the Timberline, which is orange and white chocolate encased in dark chocolate. It tastes like a creamcicle. Third, I picked the Early Frost, which is a bittersweet chocolate truffle flavored with mint.

During my six days in Telluride, I visited Telluride Truffle three times. I had the good fortune to meet Telluride Truffle’s manager, Tsubasa Yamada. I learned that Telluride Truffle moved its production facility from Telluride to Denver, Colorado to better meet the ever-increasing demand for these unique truffles. Denny is also opening a retail location in Denver that will allow the commercial kitchen and the retail store to be under one roof. This will allow customers a chance to observe the truffle chefs at work. Denny sees a great deal of opportunity in the Denver area to allow the brand to grow with access to more retail customers and to allow additional focus on corporate giving – an area of business in which Telluride Truffle is extremely successful.

So if you are looking for a unique and pleasurable chocolate experience at 10,000 feet, visit Telluride, Colorado and Telluride Truffle. If you cannot make it to Telluride, visit the website – www.telluridetruffle.com and order your piece of chocolate heaven from the Rocky Mountains.