Recchiuti Semisweet 64% cacao

Simple flavor, not challenging. Sweet, no bitterness. Not spectacular. 7

I had fairly high expectations, and while this bar is not bad at all, it doesn't live up to the high marks I gave the Recchiuti Bittersweet bar.

Equal Exchange Organic Very Dark Chocolate 71% Cacao

Heavy cocoa flavor, no nuance to it. End taste is clean, no bitterness. A presentable chocolate, though basic. 6

Michel Cluizel Noir Infini 99% Cocoa

Biting, bitter, very strong flavors. Not a hint of sweetness, nor of "chocolate." For medicinal use only. 4

In a prior post I stated that this blog would not survey extremely high cocoa content chocolate, however this bar provides a bookend to the set of plantation bars we reviewed last week.

This is a very small bar only 30 grams, so it would be surprising if this were meant to be used for cooking. I usually put the bar's packaging notes in a comment to the main post, but here's the note for this bar:

From the Package:

"This chocolate, with its long kneading process and extremely high content of cocoas, reveals the deep and dense strains of a unique blend, formed for a connoisseur's palate."

So the intended audience for this bar is the "connoisseur." While I did find the flavor complex and challenging, I appear to not be enough of a chocolate tasting connoisseur to fully appreciate this bar.

Michel Cluizel 1er Cru de Plantation "Los Anconès" Santo Domingo 67%

Strong citrus flavor -- tart. The sweetness of the chocolate supports the tartness, providing a clean finish with no bitterness. 8

Michel Cluizel 1er Cru de Plantation "Maralumi" Papua - New Guinea 64% cocoa

Rich chocolate taste. Some citrus. No bitterness and a clean finish. 8

Note that on the front of the packaging, to the right of the plantation name, reads: Primé -- Salon Du Chocolat -- Paris 2005 Awarded

Michel Cluizel 1er Cru de Plantation "Mangaro" Madagascar 65% cocoa

Woody flavor, perhaps a nutmeg note, stands out on first taste, easing into some bitter tones. 7

Later Tasting, 27-July-2010

I would say that today I see very little of what I wrote above in this bar. Instead, there's a clearly tangy taste at the beginning, most reminiscent of citrus. Not much bitterness at all. The finish is clean and quite approachable for those put off by a strongly bitter dark chocolate. Nutmeg? I'm no longer getting that. This is a well made bar -- nice snap on breaking. 7.8

Michel Cluizel 1er Cru de Plantation "Concepcion" Venezuela 66% cocoa

This is the first of a fleet of four first harvest plantation chocolates by Michel Cluizel.

Flavorful -- orange and berry. Sweet but not cloying. 8