Trader Joe's Swiss 71% Dark Chocolate

Somewhat bitter, with chalky texture. Few side flavors. 6

Teuscher Chocolate 88 88% Cocoa

Powerful chocolate flavor. On the edge of bitterness, but not too bitter. Some "chalkiness", but finishes reasonably well. Very little sweetness, as would be expected, and no side flavors to speak of. 7

Recchiuti Semisweet 64% cacao

Simple flavor, not challenging. Sweet, no bitterness. Not spectacular. 7

I had fairly high expectations, and while this bar is not bad at all, it doesn't live up to the high marks I gave the Recchiuti Bittersweet bar.

Equal Exchange Organic Very Dark Chocolate 71% Cacao

Heavy cocoa flavor, no nuance to it. End taste is clean, no bitterness. A presentable chocolate, though basic. 6

Michel Cluizel Noir Infini 99% Cocoa

Biting, bitter, very strong flavors. Not a hint of sweetness, nor of "chocolate." For medicinal use only. 4

In a prior post I stated that this blog would not survey extremely high cocoa content chocolate, however this bar provides a bookend to the set of plantation bars we reviewed last week.

This is a very small bar only 30 grams, so it would be surprising if this were meant to be used for cooking. I usually put the bar's packaging notes in a comment to the main post, but here's the note for this bar:

From the Package:

"This chocolate, with its long kneading process and extremely high content of cocoas, reveals the deep and dense strains of a unique blend, formed for a connoisseur's palate."

So the intended audience for this bar is the "connoisseur." While I did find the flavor complex and challenging, I appear to not be enough of a chocolate tasting connoisseur to fully appreciate this bar.

Michel Cluizel 1er Cru de Plantation "Los Anconès" Santo Domingo 67%

Strong citrus flavor -- tart. The sweetness of the chocolate supports the tartness, providing a clean finish with no bitterness. 8

Michel Cluizel 1er Cru de Plantation "Maralumi" Papua - New Guinea 64% cocoa

Rich chocolate taste. Some citrus. No bitterness and a clean finish. 8

Note that on the front of the packaging, to the right of the plantation name, reads: Primé -- Salon Du Chocolat -- Paris 2005 Awarded

Michel Cluizel 1er Cru de Plantation "Mangaro" Madagascar 65% cocoa

Woody flavor, perhaps a nutmeg note, stands out on first taste, easing into some bitter tones. 7

Later Tasting, 27-July-2010

I would say that today I see very little of what I wrote above in this bar. Instead, there's a clearly tangy taste at the beginning, most reminiscent of citrus. Not much bitterness at all. The finish is clean and quite approachable for those put off by a strongly bitter dark chocolate. Nutmeg? I'm no longer getting that. This is a well made bar -- nice snap on breaking. 7.8

Michel Cluizel 1er Cru de Plantation "Concepcion" Venezuela 66% cocoa

This is the first of a fleet of four first harvest plantation chocolates by Michel Cluizel.

Flavorful -- orange and berry. Sweet but not cloying. 8

El Rey Mijao Dark Chocolate Venezuelan Single Bean Origin Carenero Superior 61% cacao

Pleasant, smooth. No bitterness. Definite chocolate. 8

Chocolate Heart

Given to me by my Valentine, Dr. Jane

Lively taste, sweet with some tang to it. Even chocolate flavor -- clearly a dark chocolate, though the cocoa content is not known. No bitterness.

Chocolat Fin Artisanal Cafe Tasse Extra Noir Brussels 77% Cocoa

Background of bitterness, quickly diminishing aftertaste. Deep, dark chocolate flavor. Complex. 7

Recchiuti Bittersweet 85% Cacao (revisit)

Previous review can be found here.

Open Tasting comments:

Alex: Wow!
Steve: It's a 9
Sam: It is good!
Jason: I really like dark chocolate and this is really great.
John: Smooth
Lauren: I love Recchiuti!
Dan: Dude, it is BITTER. Maybe a little sweet too.
Andy: Very nice, still makes me sneeze.
Helene: Yum yum!
Michael M: Noticeably fruity taste.
Casey: I like! :-)
Jesse: Very sweet for being so dark. I like it a lot!

E. Guittard Tsaratana 61% Cacao Pure Semisweet Dark Chocolate

Closing out our tasting of this fleet of E. Guittard chocolates:

Light, sweet dark chocolate. Bordering on milk chocolate profile. Easy on the palate. A mix of herbal elements -- rosemary? -- in the flavor mix. 6

E. Guittard Quevedo 65% Cacao Pure Bittersweet Dark Chocolate from Ecuador

Initial burst of flavor, raspberry. Ringing pure sweet chocolate in the middle. A clean, but lingering, aftertaste of sweet chocolate. 8

E. Guittard Quetzalcoatl 72% Cacao Mass Pure Bittersweet Dark Chocolate

Clean dark chocolate taste, some sweet notes, but mostly deep, dark chocolate. No bitterness. Nice. 7

E. Guittard Nocturne 91% Cacao Pure Extra Dark Chocolate

This bar packs a punch, as would be exprected with a 91% cocoa bar. High bitterness, but doesn't overpower. No chalky texture. Little gets past the chocolate flavor -- no side notes detectable. Pulse may quicken when tasting, due to higher caffeine kick. Appropriate only when wanting a serious chocolate event. 6

Valor Dark Chocolate Sugar Free 70% cacao

Good chocolate flavor -- not very complex. Not bitter or chalky. 6

Open tasting comments:
Arun: I hate Aspartame/NutraSweet
Dan: Nice flavor, not particularly unique or anything, and it has kind of a funky, chewy texture. 6 out of 10
Mollie: Sugar free? Not bad -- strange aftertaste.
N: A fullish flavor for a sugar-free. Starts strong and ends nearly as strong.

Bar courtesy of: Alex

GuyLian Finest Belgian Chocolate 70% cocoa Extra Dark

Solid, respectable chocolate. Strong chocolate and cocoa flavors, not much else. Not really a "tasting" chocolate, but will do the job in a pinch. 7

Open tasting comments:
Ravi: Strong flavor, but not very bitter
Jana: Yum! Smooth & not bitter :-)
Sajjad: Not terribly bitter. Good.
Dan: Tastes like Hershey's.
Tim: Good solid chocolate. No side flavors -- would be good for brownies.
Ted: Chocklity!
Anuj: Better than Hershey's, but not better than Nestle's
Courtney: Relatively sweet for a dark chocolate. It's almost deceptive. But I'd still have eaten it all if I'd gotten to the plate sooner!
S: Flour-like to begin with! Reveals some interesting layers as it crumbles (melts), but the memories aren't strong enough to linger.

Bar courtesy of: Alex

New Tree Pleasure Indulgence Dark Chocolate Fine Belgian Dark Chocolate 73% Cocoa

Tart, though not really bitter. Some echoes of nutmeg. On the heavy side of "dark". 7

Brimfields's 60% Cacao dark chocolate

Strong cocoa flavor. Sweet, simple. 6

Open tasting comments:
"Heavenly" - Kitka
"Very good" - Zaur
"Good texture" - Jesse
"Not too rich, in a good way" - Lauren
"Lacks the bitterness usually found in dark choclate. Remarkably sweet for dark chocolate, tempered by a slight bitter, almost tannic finish." - Arun
"Chocklity" - Anonymous

Bar courtesy of: Alex