E.Guittard Ambanja (Madagascar) Bittersweet 65% cacao

This bar is very milky -- light and sweet tasting, with a milk chocolate color. Some fruity tones on the upper palate, and no bitter or chalky finish. Not bad, though not my cup of tea. 6

www.eguittard.com

Trader's Joe's Chocolate Palette: São Thomé 70% Cocoa

Very noticeable flavor burst on tasting, citrus and some molasses. The taste fades into the bakground as a chalky taste asserts itself. The finish is untidy as a result. 6

This is the last of the Trader Joe's Chocolate Palette group -- overall a very nice variety of flavors. Unfortunately it appears to be a holiday special, as I haven't seen it carried since December. Perhaps it will make another appearance next winter!

Trader's Joe's Chocolate Palette: Ghana 70% cocoa

The is a lively chocolate -- I can taste the "peppery and spicy" flavors mentioned by the packaging. I'm also getting a fig flavor. Nice mix of tastes. 7

Trader's Joe's Chocolate Palette: Peru 60% cocoa

The other Peruvian chocolate that I've tasted is the Tcho "Fruity" bar. The Trader's Joe Peru bar has a similar fruity taste -- lemon-cherry? No citrus edge, but very flavorful. Slight bitter aftertaste, about what would be expected. 7

Trader's Joe's Chocolate Palette: Dominican Republic 70% cocoa

Slight spicy taste, but it quickly diminishes, leaving a simple chocolate tone. Very minor bitterness, just enough to finish well. 6

Scharffen Berger Ben Tre (Vietnam) 72% cacao

A lively chocolate, with several flavors asserting themselves at once. Fruity, yes, earthy, perhaps. I can also perceive the "fig" and "banana" notes that the label mentions, though I'm not getting the cinnamon. Well, perhaps more tasting will lead me to it. 8

Scharffen Berger Dark Milk 68% cacao

This is another milk chocolate bar with a high cocoa content. This bar is even higher in cocoa content than the Richiutti Dark Milk, which is 55% cocoa. Scharffen Berger's labeling says that this is a "blend of dark chocolate, milk chocolate and finely grounded cacao."

It's an interesting mix -- the milk chocolate is very present, but the cacao nibs and dark chocolate dominate the experience. I'm not a big fan of chocolate bars with cacao nibs, but they are indeed very finely ground, so they are not distracting.

That said, there is a large level of bitterness that follows from the high cocoa content, and my guess is that milk chocolate fans may not be comfortable with that. Dark chocolate fans may like the rich cocoa percent, but the milk undertones will be unfamiliar.

If you're looking for something very different from the usual milk or dark chocolates, this is worth a try to see if the mix Sharffen Berger has struck rings true for you. 6