Hey kids,

I know that a small percentage of you are experiencing breakage of the chocolate. This saddens me, as I do everything that I can to ensure it arrives in one piece. Adding more bubblewrap or packing it tighter will only guarantee the pieces will break. Trust me, I spent two hours throwing packed boxes of chocolates across my home trying to break them, to learn what the best packing procedure was. That being said, I have ZERO control over how the package is handled by the post office. They can abuse it in ways that I can not even perceive.

If your chocolate has broken, you have two options. You can ASK for a replacement. Demanding a replacement will only piss me off. I hate to swear, but I am the one reading the emails, not some assistant or employee, and when the majority of them start off with "I am disappointed in you..." it tends to strike a little close to home. If you are nice, I will help you. If you are rude, I will not.

If you want a replacement, I can ship it out with my LAST shipment. I can not rush yours out the door. Replacement pieces still have to be poured. I do not have a stockpile of chocolate and I have a lot of orders to fill. Also, if you want a replacement you need to send me the broken pieces back. I need them to get credit from the chocolate people. And yes, you will have to pay for the postage. It doesn't have to be overnighted, just mail it to me. (Please put it in a container, because loose food will be considered hazardous material by the post office and will be disposed of.)

The other option is to repair the chocolate yourself. I understand that you bought the chocolate to have it in one piece, and I appreciate that. But some times push comes to shove and I have to remind some people that they are just going to eat the chocolate, and all of the chocolate I promised did arrive, in some form or another.

Chocolate is a fairly stable medium to work in, and can easily be repaired (which is what we end up doing to some of our pieces here.) All it takes is a small amount of the same type of chocolate it is, and a microwave oven.

Break the chocolate (not the figures, but a piece from like a bar of chocolate) into small chunks and place in a microwave safe container. Place in the microwave and cook for 30 seconds at half power (50%). After 30 seconds, stir the chocolate. Depending on the amount you are melting, it may have to be cooked a little longer, just use 30 seconds at half power, then stir. The chocolate will not lose its' shape until stirred, so cooking for a minute won't tell you anything, you need to actually stir it.

Once the chocolate is melted, put a little bit on both sides of the broken piece, on top of a sheet of parchment or wax paper. and stick the pieces together. It won't take any force or anything, just put them together and let them cool. It may take 10-20 minutes. Don't put it in the fridge, as this will cause the chocolate to "bloom" or turn a dusty color. Room temperature works best. Once cooled, the pieces will be as good as new, I promise. That's the nice thing about chocolate, it is hard to mess up.

Paul Pape