Elite Bittersweet 40% cocoa

This is a mass-market "bittersweet" bar. I have not reviewed one of these in quite a while, so I was due.

There is a distinct coffee flavor noticeable. This might be a factor of the vanillin that this bar contains with the cocoa and sugar. There is also a bitter bite throughout the tasting. It might be an effect of the salt in the bar.

For the record, here are the ingredients: "Sugar, chocolate liquor, cocoa butter, emulsifier, soya lecithin, vanillin (an artificial flavor), salt. Chocolate contains cocoa solids 40% min." Salt, eh? I usually try to avoid chocolates that have extraneous ingredients like salt. I will have to keep my eye out on the ingredients line when purchasing bars like these. However it is the last item in the ingredient list, so it cannot be a huge amount of salt.

The overall experience is not up the the standards I am used to for single origin bars.  Point off for: extraneous ingredients (vanillin and salt), low cocoa content and an underwhelming taste. 5.9