A Kline Chocolatier

I noticed there hasn’t been any recent reviews. well anyways, I was looking for a place that had sugar free chocolate for my grandma who’s a diabetic. I’ve seen other places but they would have a very small selection. this place has a nice variety of sugar free chocolates and from what I heard from my grandma, she loved them! wasn’t sure if she’s like them so we went with half a pound. I will be returning for valentine’s day and other special occasions and probably will be getting the pound next time! lol but its a very nice clean small little place, the girl who had helped us was very sweet. they have a nice selection of candy some I’ve never heard of, and they have premade packages of candy or do what I did and make your own. it’s like a smaller version of sees candies but with better sugar free options!

I vacillated over how many stars to award this shop. In terms of its store displays, it should get 10 stars… lots of color, lots of displays all very cute, neat and inviting, especially with all the Easter decorations abounding (when we went). VERY cute. They have an entire wall with gift-​type items, too, not just candy. With as much chocolate (and other candy types) as this store has, we only tried a couple of their truffles. I don’t know that they were the best that I’ve tried, but they were good enough. I’d like to try other chocolates that A Kline offers to see what I think of their product, but for now, they get 4 stars for the chocolate quality and flavor. I really loved the appeal of their displays. Nicely laid out for such a very small store.

My fiancé got me chocolate covered strawberries and truffles here for Valentine’s Day. They were so good! The strawberries were the best I’ve ever had. The berries were fresh and the chocolate coating was not only beautiful, but also very thick and so tasty! I’m so excited to have a great place to get chocolate in the area

I came here the other day and asked what kinds of beans they used to make their chocolates. The girl at the cashier didn’t know. So I asked her what kind (s) of base chocolate they use to make their final product, and she would not tell me because it was «a secret». Then there was an awkward silence, and I almost left. But I felt bad because I really wanted to try their chocolates and I like supporting small businesses. So I gave it a chance and gave them the benefit of the doubt. I got their truffles and enjoyed them a lot.
This is where I struggle a little with giving the place stars, because I feel like the product is good, but the store layout and the customer service training could use a makeover. You see… being fully aware of what a prick I can be when it comes to chocolate making, I was expecting A Kline to be a luxury type of boutique chocolatier. I mean… they claimed they make their own chocolates (as discussed with the cashier), but I didn’t see any chocolate making equipment in the store. It also didn’t help that the cashier didn’t know what cocoa beans they used, because it suggested they had limited knowledge of the flavor nuances between a criollo, trinitario or forastero bean. Not only that, but most chocolatiers I’ve been to are never shy to mention what base chocolates they use (because even if they gave that away, the proportions make it different).
After all is said and done, I do think they have a reasonably good product. It is very yummy and creamy. But I think with boutique chocolatiers, cashiers have to act like experts to educate the customer about the nuances in their product (much like how a sommelier helps customers understand wines). That would show their passion for their product, and get the customer interested.
Chocolates: 4
Chocolate packaging: 3.5
Décor: 2.5
Customer Service: 3
I do think A Kline reminds me of a mom & pops «gourmet» chocolate place you’d find in Solvang. If that’s what they were going for, then they accomplished their goal (it’d make sense considering it IS in Claremont… aka suburban white retirement Presbyterian neighborhood). But if their goal was to build a luxury brand image for themselves, there is still a long way to go.

I’ve been here a several times and have also received A-​Kline chocolates as gifts on a couple verrrrrry happy occasions and the chocolate is just phenomenal! The store layout is cute and I’ve always received impeccable customer service on my visits. It’s usually been a blonde girl at the counter and she’s very sweet and helpful, especially if you’re shopping for gifts (which you should do here because you can’t go wrong with a box of these!).
Without a doubt, the red velvet fudge is the greatest fudge that was ever invented/​will ever exist. Salted Carmels — to die for (I would literally commit felonious acts if someone were standing in the way of my salted Carmels).
Actually, every truffle I’ve tried here is delicious. I don’t know what they put in the chocolate but «I DONT CARE; I LOVE IT!»