WASHINGTON — Once, it was enough just to unwrap a bar of chocolate and eat it. Now, you must understand it.

Note the glossy shine that indicates the strong bond between the cocoa butter and the cocoa mass, instruct the makers of Vosges Haut Chocolat on the packaging of their Barcelona Bars. Release its complex aromas by rubbing your thumb across the top, and savor the smell. Only then should you finally taste it, feeling it melt around your tongue.

Like coffee before it, chocolate is going complex and upscale. This holiday season, look for Tasmanian honey wrapped in dark chocolate from Godiva, and custom-made boxes tied with double-faced satin ribbon at exclusive Manhattan specialty store Bergdorf Goodman. Christmas is the peak time for premium chocolate sales. Big candy companies and boutique chocolatiers alike are rolling out some of their most high-end products to date.

"Chocolate is not always about eating," said Laure de Montebello, co-owner and chef of Sans Souci Gourmet Confections, an independent chocolate shop in New York that fills those custom-made boxes at Bergdorf's with peppermint truffles. "Chocolate is a 'feel' business."

That may be why readers of December's Vogue opened the magazine to find a gorgeous model giving a come-hither look — to a piece of Godiva chocolate. Godiva wants customers to feel like divas, a play on the company's name and the focus of an advertising campaign that began last year targeting women ages 25 to 40. That demographic consumes roughly eight servings each month, according to a report on premium chocolate by consumer research firm Mintel.

To help entice them, Godiva has introduced a line of "platinum" chocolate this year to go along with the new ads. The assortments sell for $8 to $80 and draw their inspiration from fashion — think mousse fillings as airy as chiffon, spokesmen say.

Even mass marketers such as Hershey Co. are making moves into the premium arena. This summer, the company created a division called Artisan Confection and bought two gourmet chocolatiers, Joseph Schmidt Confections and Scharffen Berger Chocolate Maker.

At a Godiva shop in suburban Virginia, employee Maria Forselet said gift boxes of all kinds were flying off the shelves. She was interrupted by three women loaded with shopping bags and looking exhausted. They were looking for sweet pick-me-ups.

"People who want to take a moment out and truly self-indulge want to do it in a way that's elevated," said Sharon Rothstein, vice president for global marketing and merchandise for Godiva.

Call it the Starbucks effect. The ubiquitous retailer raised the bar for what customers would pay for coffee. Why shouldn't consumers do the same for a Michel Cluizel chocolate bar in which all the beans were picked at a single plantation in Madagascar?

Sales of premium chocolate last year were estimated to total $1.56 billion, according to the Mintel report. But increasingly, consumers are buying chocolate at department stores, gourmet food retailers and chocolate shops — and not just during the holidays. Mars Inc., best known for candies such as M&Ms, has developed a "chocolate lounge" to showcase its gourmet confections.

The lounges, known as Ethel's chocolate lounges after the Mars company's matriarch, are decorated in pink and brown. Staff members are called "chocolate consultants." The menu features five chocolate collections, including one filled with creme liqueurs in flavors such as mojito and "chocolapolitan." There are seven locations in Chicago, and the company is planning to open others across the country.