Fresco Guatemala Polochic Valley 70% cacao

Very nicely made bar, with a thin profile which allows the bar to melt quickly and release its flavors. Those are largely earthy, with a seasoning of pepper and cardamom. 9.3

Fresco prints its roast and conche profile on its bars, and this one is Dark Road and Long Conche. On the label, this is explained as: Dark Roast: "full bodied, bold, intense, new flavor notes can develop while others may be subdued." Long Conche: "flavor peaks and valleys softened to a melodic harmony." Conching is described as: "Heat, motion, aeration & time produce chocolate's final flavor this is conching. Adjusting variables can produce dramatically different flavors."

Gotham Bolivia Wild 68% cacao

This bar has a fruity burst on tasting, with a berry component, and some honey notes. It is fairly bitter and the aftertaste is lengthy. 8.1

Ingredients: Cacao mass, Sugar, Cacao butter

gothamchocolates.nyc

My one complaint about this bar is that they place the label with details on the origin and taste of the chocolate straddling the seam of the wrapper, such that to open the bar is to destroy the label. Unfortunate, but I took a snapshot before opening the bar.

Godiva Mexico 68% cacao

My first impression of this bar was "buttery." BUTTER OIL (MILK) is listed in the Ingredients, which could account for this. There is an apricot flavor component as well. Aftertaste is strong and long.

Ingredients: Unsweetened chocolate, sugar, cocoa butter, butter oil (milk), natural flavor, emulsifier (soy lecithin)

The "natural flavor" may be vanilla. Given the lack of specificity, I will omit a rating for this bar.

Dick Taylor Columbia Palomino 78% cacao

As expected from a high-cacao content bar, this bar is rich in cocoa flavor and fairly bitter. The aftertaste is fairly smooth, though. The flavor notes are somewhat earthy. The label suggest these flavors: Dried Alfalfa, Bananas, Fudge

Certainly the rich cocoa flavor can be accounted for as "fudgy". The alfalfa flavor might be what I think of as "earthy". The banana flavor is one I am not quite tasting, though it is in line with the earthy, fudgy taste. 7.5

Ingredients: Cacao, Cane sugar (organic)

9th & Larkin Fiji Matasawalevu 74% cacao

Strong cocoa flavor base pillared by molasses sweetness. Moderately bitter with a solid but not too persistent aftertaste. 7.7