You want something that has as little resin as possible. That pretty much eliminates the Epicurean, which has an extremely high level of resin, is therefore extremely hard and will blunt knife edges much more rapidly than boards made from blocks of wood. The main reason the Epicurean board is offered is that it's easy to ship them to stores.
An end grain board is usually considered the top standard. At least for the United States and Canada, northern (hard) maple is a fairly common and recommended wood, but walnut, cherry and other hardwoods can also be used. The rule of thumb given by Daniel Smith (the former proprietor of the BoardSMITH) was that, if the tree produced edible fruit or some other food, then the wood was probably safe for use in a board. I mention maple first, because it's usually much less expensive, while providing a good cutting surface. The boards are made up by gluing selected pieces together to first make a row, then gluing rows together to make the full block.
The general size for a board used for a work station should not be less than 12 inches by 18 inches (30cm x 45cm).
For regular cutting use on an end grain board, you should look for a board which is at least 2 inches (5cm) thick. That's to minimize warping of the board. If you intend to whack away with a cleaver, then the board should be at least 3-1/2 inches (9cm) thick.
Obviously, end grain hardwood cutting boards are very heavy and availability is dependent upon what country you are in. The shipping costs are simply too high for any international market.
The big enemy for end grain boards is water moisture. Before using a new board for the first time, saturate both sides of the board with multiple applications of food grade mineral oil, until the board simply refuses to absorb any more oil. Each application should be with the oil poured out and spread around the board until the entire surface is covered. Once there's a surface sheen on the board, then leave it and allow the oil to soak in (don't wipe any off). Then turn the board over and do the same on the other side. Day One, you should be able to apply the oil to each side twice. Day two, you should be able to apply the oil once. Then wait two days and apply the oil again. Then, Day 5, apply the oil again. By that point, the board should be getting fully saturated (of course, if it's a 4 inch or thicker chopping block, you will need more sessions). The intent here is for the wood capillaries to be flooded with oil, and to exclude water from seeping in to warp the board.
You don't have to spend much money on food grade mineral oil - I get my oil from the pharmacy area of a major chain grocery supermarket that sells one pint for $4.
NEVER soak the board in standing water. NEVER put it into a dishwasher. Use a cheap bench scraper to scrape off food residues before applying any cleaners, and keep (and apply) mineral oil to re-touch the board when needed.
Hope that helps.
Galley Swiller