Kate Kearneys Irish Dark 60% cacao

This is a basic dark chocolate. Clean cocoa taste, not bitter, and a clean after taste. Uncomplicated. 6.7

I bought this bar in Galway, in a "traditional" souvenir  store -- tchotchkes and "Kiss me I'm Irish" t-shirts.

Butlers Dark 70% cocoa

Cocoa flavor dominates, with no side flavors of note. Not bitter, though there is a faint tinny tone to the aftertaste. 6.9

This was the first bar I bought after arriving in Dublin. Butlers is a fairly busy chocolate store, mostly selling truffles and other pieces.

www.butlerschocolates.com

Hotel Chocolat Vietnam 80% cocoa

Cherry flavor is out front, but this is a robust chocolate. The 80% cocoa stands out, making this is a bitter bar. But other flavors come through, some nuttiness and earthiness fill out the palette. The aftertaste is persistent but even. 8.1

I believe this is the bar I picked up in Soho. I posted a picture of the lively night life there during my trip.

Hotel Chocolat Venezuela Chuao 70% cocoa

Warm cocoa flavors, with some nutty background flavor. There is a bitter undertone, but it fades quickly in the aftertaste. Nice overall experience. 7.9

www.hotelchocolat.com

This is the first of the bars I purchased to my trip to London and Ireland in April. This was certainly a great first bar to taste! Hotel Chocolat was located in London, and I picked up one bar at their kiosk in Paddington Station, and the other in Soho.

The packaging has a lot of information. The beans were harvested in 2012, roasted for 40 minutes at 257 degrees F. and refined and conched for 72 hours. Inside the package is information about the company's traditions and policies for cocoa procurement. There is also a note on the Chuao beans, which says that they are "still pretty amazing" despite the hype that surrounds it. Finally, there's a "Tastometer" that shows a range of flavors to expect from different Hotel Chocolat single-origin bars.

Trader Joe's Swiss Dark 72% cacao

Smooth and clean taste. No bitterness, so the aftertaste trails off quickly. The cocoa flavor stand out, with no noticeable side flavors. 7.0

Fresco Papua New Guinea 219 and 221 69% cacao

Fresco Chocolate is a chocolate lover's friend. They produce bars with varying manufacturing methods, allowing comparison to discover the combination that you like best. The two bars in this review are both single-origin from Papua New Guinea with 69% cacao. The conche is also the same at "medium" ("balance between aggressive and subdued, mellow"). The variable for these bars is roast, with 219 with a "light" roast ("just enough to soften the cocoa's raw acidic edge") and 221 with a "dark" roast ("full bodied, bold, intense, new flavor notes can develop while others may be subdued").

Fresco Papua New Guinea 219 69% cacao

Flavorful, with bright cherry and distinct citrus notes. Very little bitterness, smooth and clean the whole way. Very pleasant when melted on the tongue and chewing does not improve the experience. 9.2

Fresco Papua New Guinea 221 69% cacao

VERY different experience with this bar. Very smoky, with increased bitterness. No citrus flavor, and the cherry flavor has devolved into a pruny, raisin dimension. The bitterness lasts into the aftertaste. The bar would be best with whisky, straight. 8.2

Potomac Chocolate Venezuela Cuyagua 70% Cacao

A year ago I contributed to the Kick Starter campaign of Potomac Chocolate. The owner wanted to get a tempering system (read the campaign details for what that does), which would allow him to step up his production. More chocolate -- that's a goal I can get behind!  I tweeted about the campaign at the time.

The reward for my contribution was two test bars and two production bars of the first chocolate that would be produced using the new tempering system. I received the bars this past fall, but I have not had time to taste them until recently. I have posted my comments for the two test bars and one of the production bars below. I did not give a rating to the test bars, only the production bar.

It was very interesting to see the difference between the first and second test batch. The first batch and the production batch are quite similar, but the second test batch was very different. I imagine that this is the result of experimenting with different processing variable during the manufacture.

Note that the wrapping of the test batch bars were basic (the wrapper for the second batch is shown, the first batch's wrapper was identical except for the label).

Potomac Chocolate Venezuela Cuyagua Test Batch 2013/10/19

Flavorful with some fruity notes. Some chalkiness, but not much bitterness. More flavor jumps out when chewed.

Potomac Chocolate Venezuela Cuyagua Test Batch 2013/12/02A

Very bitter. Fruit notes are almost entirely hidden. Chalky and dry. Flat flavor when chewed.

Potomac Chocolate Venezuela Cuyagua 70% Cacao [Production bar]

The profile of the production bar is closer to the first Test Batch: fruity, some chalkiness, but it is nicely balanced. The aftertaste is bitter, but still enjoyable. 7.7