La Maison du Chocolat Ghana Akosombo 68% cacao

This bar has vanilla in its ingredient list, so I will not be rating it. It is moderately bitter, with a moderately long aftertaste. Vanilla is noticeable, along with some fruit notes.

This is the second bar I picked up on my recent trip to Europe. The other bar was also created with Ghana cacao and from La Maison du Chocolat.

Ingredient list: cocoa paste, sugar, cocoa butter, emulsifier (E322 soy lecithin), vanilla natural flavoring

Atlanta Chocolate Venezuela 75% cacao

This bar has a nutty flavor profile, walnut and a hint of pecan. The bitterness is well controlled, resulting in a smooth tasting experience. Aftertaste is moderate. 8.1

The label's tasting notes are: "Rich and rounded flavor of bread pudding, caramel, cinnamon and a finish of jammy cherries" I do not taste the cinnamon or "jammy" cherries, but the caramel flavor can be noticed, and the bread pudding... well, maybe, yes.

Mulaté Dark 88% cacao

This is a quite bitter bar, resulting in a persistent aftertaste. The chocolate flavor is clean and fine. There is some nuttiness in the flavor balance, but the flavor sub-notes are minimal. 7.7

This bar is manufactured in Lithuania.  Ingredients:

• cacao mass
• sugar
• cacao butter
• sunflower lecithin

www.mulate.eu

Confiseur Bachman Venezuela Grand Cru Dark Chocolate 65% cocoa

This is a bar acquired on the Swiss leg of my recent trip to Europe. Alas, this bar also has vanilla flavoring, which means no rating. But the taste is quite good, and that vanilla flavoring is certainly noticeable.

I picked up this bar in "Chocolate World" in Lucerne. A photo of their Wall of Chocolate can be seen in this tweet:

Don't miss Chocolate World while you're in Lucerne: See the Wall of Chocolate. pic.twitter.com/iSXwtJbco6

— Steve Nahm (@SteveNahm) October 8, 2016

Bovetti Dark 73% Cocoa

I bought this bar with the intension of reviewing it for this blog, but I noticed that the bar's ingredients lists is:

• cocoa solids
• sugar
• cocoa butter
• natural flavor: vanilla

[Emphasis added.] That last ingredient is the most significant contribution to this bar's flavor. There is a very strong vanilla component to the taste, otherwise the bar is fine.

Previously I have reviewed bars with vanilla added, however the intent of this blog is to review chocolate. I have not reviewed chocolate with sea salt, caramel, ginger, or any of the many other additional ingredients a chocolatier might add when creating a bar. Given the significant flavor that vanilla contributes when it is part of a chocolate bar, I feel it is time that I no longer review bars that include it.

So my review for this bar is simple: strong vanilla flavor. Clean finish.

www.bovetti.com