David Bacco Chocolatier Elvesia Dominican Republic 74% cocoa

Nicely made bar with an interesting mold pattern. Low bitterness and smooth aftertaste. Fruity flavor baseline, cherry and orange. Wonderful. 9.2

bacco-chocolatier.com

The Grenada Chocolate Company 82% cocoa.

Quite bitter from start to finish. Nice earthy flavor base, with some cherry notes. While the aftertaste is bitter, it tails off nicely. 7.6

Slitti GranCacao 73% cacao

I tasted this bar with my niece Dianna and her husband, Will.  Will liked it quite a lot, while Dianna had a pretty strong negative reaction.  Will rated it 7 or 8 on a 10 scale, Dianna rated it 1 or 2.

I'm in between. The bar is rich in cocoa flavor, very strong, bitter flavor.  The flavor palette ranges to the earthy side.  Not my favorite mix.  6.6

www.slitti.it

Potomac Chocolate Upala 70% cocoa

Earthy taste, but with a cherry note that pops out initially.   Strong aftertaste that stays with you, but is not overpowering. Fairly bitter, but nicely balanced.  The bar appears well-made. 8.3

PotomacChocolate.com

I obtained this bar at one my my local chocolate stores, but I will be traveling to Virgina/Washington D.C. this weekend and it seemed like a good time to try this bar.  Woodbridge, where this bar is made, is in the greater Washington area, a bit to the south of it.  The label indicates that this is handcrafted there.  I'll add the label notes to the Comments section.

Coco-Luxe is now Stanza in the Haight

This weekend I noticed that the former Coco-Luxe cafe on Haight Street has been transformed into Stanza.  I reviewed their Roark chocolate earlier. The main change seems to be that they have added wine to their focus, with a menu that includes tastings with chocolate and wine pairings.

I tried a couple of their chocolate squares -- one they said was 75% cocoa, the other 65%, both unlabeled.  I asked where it was made, and the barista/sommelier/cocoa steward said that it was made by "some guy in  Oakland".  Okay, then!

The squares were okay, not I'm not going to review them here.  They were, however, ridiculously expensive. $1.50 for what looked to be less than 10 grams of chocolate.

El Ceibo Bolivia 75% cocoa

Starkly bitter, though there is some sweetness in a strong cherry note. Some of the nuttiness seen in the El Ceibo Heritage bar tasted earlier.  The bitterness lingers more strongly in the aftertaste.  7.0

El Ceibo Bolivia Heritage 75% cocoa

Very flavorful chocolate, earthy and nutty, but with raisin and cherry notes popping out. Fairly bitter in the aftertaste, but the interest of the early experience of this chocolate keeps that bitterness in line. 7.7

www.elceibo.com