Maraná Peru Quillabamba 70% cacao

This bar has a basic cocoa flavor, with a fairly high bitter bite. The tang echos of charcoal or burnt sugar. 7.0

Ingredients: Organic cacao mass, organic sugar and organic cacao butter. Cacao: minimum 70%

$9 / 2.5 oz (70g)

www.marana.com.pe

The taste is disappointing for this bar, which is both grown and made in Peru. Many bars with a Peru origin tasted on ChocoCheck have been highly rated, with fruit notes noticeable.

White Label Unganda Semuliki Forest 72% cacao

This bar has a fruity profile, on the plum and fig side of the pallet. It has fairly low bitterness, leading to a short aftertaste experience. 9.0

$12 / 2.3oz (65g)

White Label Madagascar Bejofo Estate 68% cacao

This bar opens with a fruit-forward taste, citrus and berries. Bitterness is quite low, so the flavors have time to develop. As the fruit flavors fade, a caramel profile emerges, which lasts into the aftertaste. 9.1

Ingredients: Cacao Beans Organic Sugar, Organic Cocoa Butter

$10 / 2.3 oz. (65g)

The label of this bar reports that the cacao is from the Akesson Plantation in the Sambirano Valley of Madagascar. I have previously tasted the Åkesson's Madagascar 75% cacao and find that my tasting notes are quite similar to my notes for the White Label bar.

White Label Tanzania Kilombero 68% cacao

This bar has a smooth, buttery texture, with a pop of raisin flavor and a bitter edge of toasted coconut. The aftertaste rings with this bitter tinge but resolves cleanly. 8.2

Ingredients: Cacao Beans, Organic Sugar, Organic Cocoa Butter

$10 / 2.5 oz (65g)

White Label has detailed information about the origin and context of the cacao bars. The note indicates that the producer is Kokoa Kamili, and the cacao is grown in the Kilombero Valley of Tanzania.

Chequessett Tanzania Kokoa Kamili 72% cacao

This bar is creamy and fruity. The fruit flavors tend towards berries, and the cream flavor has butterscotch notes. The aftertaste is clean with a short tail. Delicious, as is often my response to Kokoa Kamili cacao. 9.6

Ingredients: Organic cacao beans, organic evaporated cane juice, organic cacao butter

$11 / 2.25 oz.

Chequessett Bolivia Palos Blancos 72% cacao

This bar has a roasted profile, reminiscent of cooked pudding. There is also a smooth, buttery butterscotch taste. It has fairly low bitterness, but the aftertaste has a persistence that stays with you. 8.7

Ingredients: Organic cacao beans, organic evaporated cane juice, organic cacao butter

$11 / 2.25 oz.

This is the first bar from a batch I ordered from my local craft chocolate store, Chocolate Covered. It is the best store in San Francisco for finding a wide variety of chocolates.