Photo: Rogers' gluten-free chocolate bars are a guilt-free pleasure.

What they say:
Rogers' Chocolates Gluten-free chocolate bars . . .

"The first Rogers' chocolates were made in 1885 by Charles (Candy) Rogers in the back of his grocery shop in Victoria, BC. Surprisingly little has changed in our Victorian-inspired stores. Their chocolate-filled aromas and the pleasure of selecting hand-wrapped chocolates remain simply irresistible.

"It’s interesting that you are focusing more on special dietary needs as we're finding more and more people asking about chocolate with the same level of interest. If you do a gluten-free piece at any point, all of our items (except our Peach Cream) are gluten free and that often surprises people."

To order, visit Rogers' website.

What WE say:
From its humble beginning in Victoria, BC in 1885, Rogers' Chocolates has grown into a renowned British Columbian chocolate manufacturer whose products are appreciated are chocolate aficionado worldwide.

The dark chocolate is rich, chocolaty, and has just the right level of bitterness. Creamy would be how I describe the milk chocolate. Both taste wonderful -- 'real' cocoa flavour, not overly sweet, have a pleasing and long lasting finish -- a great little snack to curb your chocolate cravings without causing toothache from sugar overload.

The drawback -- the texture is not 100 percent perfected, but enough to leave a pleasant smoothness in your mouth.

Overall, I would rate Rogers' Chocolate a step below Bernard Callebaut and a step above Purdy's (or rate Rogers's Chocolate in between Bernard Callebaut and Purdy's??)

Like most good quality chocolates, they are elegantly packed -- an ideal gift for all occasions, and a great Canadian souvenir for your visitors to take home.

Rogers Chocolates can be purchased at their four store locations on Vancouver Island or order online at www.rogerschocolates.com