Mast Brothers Papua New Guinea 71% cacao

Rich earthy flavor, with hickory and a touch of maple. Fairly bitter, but the other flavors compensate to keep the focus. 7.9

This is the final ChocoCheck of 2013 — best wishes to all chocolate lovers! Here's to many more tastes in the New Year.

Mast Brothers Belize 70% cacao

When I first tasted this bar I noticed some fruit flavors, cherry predominately. With further tasting that flavor fades to the background with a strongly bitter note dominating. With that comes earthy flavors and walnut. 7.4

The label mentions "notes of raisin, plum and sarsaparilla." The cherry that I noticed could be a blend of raisin and plum I suppose. As for the sarsaparilla, I need to find some to try, as I have not tasted it in a while.

Rogue Chocolatier Bolivia Silvestre 75% cacao

A robust chocolate with an above-average bitterness for this cacao level. Fruit flavors peep through on chewing, but are less prominent when the chocolate melts without chewing. The label mentions "plum, jasmine, banana." I agree with the plum as the fruity component, but I'm not experiencing the other two flavors. 7.8

Castronovo Nicaragua 72% cacao

Another excellently made bar from Castronovo Chocolate. The initial impression is of bright cherry, but this shifts to more earthy flavors. The label mentions "savory notes of walnut." I can see the nutty element, though walnut did not initially come to mind. I tasted this bar with a glass of Port, and enjoyed both immensely. 8.2