Hello all,

I have a question I hope one of you can answer:

This week I bought on eBay a collectible item that included a dozen Ghirardelli
chocolate bars and some other assorted Ghirardelli chocolates. I know for a
fact this chocolate is three years old, because I bought the same collectible
at Christmastime 2000, and it was a limited-edition product.

The chocolate bars are all in their original packaging and in double
shrink-wrap. My wife and I opened one chocolate, and there was no "bloom" on
the surface. We bravely ate the piece. My wife thought it was fine. I thought
it might have tasted a little stale, but I don't know if I was influenced by
knowing it was three years old.

My question, or questions, really: Is there any reason not to eat this
chocolate? And, if it is OK to eat, should there be a degradation in the taste.
I have no idea at what temperature it was kept, but as I said, it came in two
layers of shrink wrap.

Thanks...

Henry