Taza Chocolate Stone Ground Organic Chocolate 70% Dark

Chalky texture with a sharp bitterness. Strong vanilla note in the aftertaste. 5

Valrhona Le Noir Extra Amer 85% Cacao Dark Bitter Chocolate

Dark and bitter is right. Here's an 85% cocoa bar that is all-over "bitter". And "dark." Very little sweet chocolate flavor, maybe none. If you want a kick in your dark chocolate pants, this will do it. Lingering bitter aftertaste, on the harsh side. 6

Endangered Species Chocolate Supreme Dark Chocolate 72 percent cocoa content

Very bitter. Coffee taste. Aftertaste is rough. Like the back of a gorilla. 5

It's interesting to compare to the Endangered Species 88% cocoa that I tried earlier -- I like that one, but this one lost me with the strong bitter flavors, much more dominant than with the 88%. Surprising.

Michel Cluizel 72% de Cacao Noir

Stark, strong chocolate. Few undertone flavors (cocoa dominates). Not bitter. 7

Cote d'Or Sensation INTENSE 70% Cacao Noir de Noir

Workmanlike and uninspiring. Not bitter, presentable chocolate flavor. The individual squares are a little on the large size -- one may want to break them into more bite-sized pieces. 7

Dolfin Noir 70% de Cacao Dark Chocolate 70% cocoa with cocoa bean pieces

A much more robust and notably bitter taste of chocolate than with other 70% cocoa bars, due primarily to the "cocoa bean pieces" included in the bar. I'm not a fan of this practice -- I would rather have a pure note of chocolate to experience rather than to confuse it with hits of pure cocoa. "Chocolate with cocoa nibs" is a category of its own that really does not belong grouped with the other bars on this blog. 6

Dove Extra Dark Chocolate 71% cacao

Very soft bar compared with others previously tasted. Multitude of side tastes, not all of them pleasant. 6

Venchi Extra Bitter Chocolate 75%

Cocoa. Not the bean, the steaming hot cup of. This chocolate engulfs you in the same smells and tastes that you experience when sipping a cup of cocoa. Of course, it's not hot or liquid. But this bar could be bracing on a cold winter morning. This bar is physically large, one of the largest 100 gram bars I've seen. This makes the bar fairly thin, which adds to the immediacy of the cocoa rush. There's slight bitterness, nothing significant. The chocolate flavor is not very nuanced, just as it's not with hot cocoa. 6

Endangered Species Chocolates Extreme Dark Chocolate 88% cocoa content

This bar is right on the borderline. The taste is rich in chocolate and has a ringing aftertaste. But it stays on the good side of the line of providing a complex and interesting suite of flavors without broaching into the chalky, bitter, overpowering aftertaste. I can't say that I enjoy this more than other lower-cocoa content bars, but it certainly provides something to think about. I rate this bar well above the Hachez 88% tasted earlier. 7