The world's best chocolate makers often ask that you eat their bonbons within mere days of when they were produced. But does chocolate go bad? The answer is complicated, but one thing is clear. Once you've procured some of the finest chocolate that money can buy (see WIRED's guide to the best delivery chocolate boxes in the country), you'll want to preserve that deliciousness.

“A bonbon is a fresh product, with filling and some degree of moisture. The flavors will lose potency over time,” said Estelle Tracy, a chocolate sommelier in the Philadelphia area who has hosted hundreds of chocolate tastings. “If there was one thing I wish people knew, it's that you should look at a bonbon the way you look at cake. You don't buy cake to eat it in three weeks!”

The best artisan chocolate makers speed delivery of their bonbons to your doorstep, often within days of being made. And yet if you've bought that chocolate as a gift, whether for Valentine's Day or a birthday, you might not be able to eat it right away.

I consulted internationally renowned chocolatier and chocolate educator