After a delicious lunch in Martinsburg, we took a stroll down the street and ended up at DeFluri's Fine Chocolates, a local shop that makes its own fine candies.

The chocolate shop opened in 1985 in Vienna and moved to the Eastern Panhandle in 1998. The shop has lots of goodies, including chocolates, candies, fudge, pretzels, popcorn, and much more.

The main floor even has a look into the factory.

Today the main factory floor houses the vast array of Charlie Casabona’s chocolate-making equipment. Massive mixers swirl vats of creamy chocolate. Finely calibrated conveyer belts cover DeFluri’s famous truffles, classic caramels and nuts, fruit cakes from a local monastary, and much more—with velvety, rich coats of chocolate. An antique foil–wrapping machine puts shiny colored foils on selected finished chocolates. Walk-in refrigerated rooms keep the final products and their ingredients at optimum cool temperatures.

The folks inside greeted us warmly and told us that the fudge and popcorn were especially big sellers and made right here on site. I made my way to the truffle case and picked a handful: caramels, maple centers, peanut butters. You know, all the good stuff. I also got a thing of the popcorn and some marzipan - because how beautiful is that?

Those chocolates? Absolutely delicious. I went for all milk chocolate, and they were each quite good.


I also learned I like marzipan. It's simple but delightful.

And, the caramel corn also quite good!

Have you been? What's your favorite thing to get?