Dick Taylor Ecuador Camino Verde 76% cacao

Chocolate with a punch! Fairly bitter, earthy, some nutty notes, this bar has it all. This mix often leads to some metallic taste, but there is none of that. Not for the faint of heart, but if you can handle a stout beer, you can handle this. (Hmm, I wonder how this goes with a stout?) 8.1

Marou Vietnam Lam Dong 74% cacao

This is a very smooth chocolate, with no bitter edge. There is a subtle cherry note that adds a sweetness to the taste. The aftertaste is clean, though brief. 9.0

This is the second bar that I have reviewed from Vietnam (the first being Scharffen Berger's Ben Tre bar). The address on the label is given as "Ho Chi Minh City," but the label notes say: "We craft all of our chocolate in Saigon ..." The Marou website has an interesting history of cacao in Vietnam, dating back to the late 1800's during the French administration, when that city was still named Saigon.

marouchocolate.com

Amedei Trinidad 70% cacao

While my first impression of this bar was diminished by an unusual flavor, I found myself wanting to taste more of the bar, and consumed half of it before I knew it. That flavor is mildly metallic, certainly not harshly so, with earthy elements. When chewed, this flavor vanishes quickly. When allowed to melt, the flavor is noticeable at first, but fades. 

The bottom line for a bar is how enjoyable it is, and this one quickly disappeared from my tasting table. 8.2

I notice that the tasting notes on the label mention "fragrant as a Cuban cigar" and then mentions "walnut husk," "vanilla cocoa," and "wood and bark." Quite a range, but these do align with my experience. This is a complex bar with surprising flavors, worth exploring.

Mast Brothers Papua New Guinea 71% cacao

Rich earthy flavor, with hickory and a touch of maple. Fairly bitter, but the other flavors compensate to keep the focus. 7.9

This is the final ChocoCheck of 2013 — best wishes to all chocolate lovers! Here's to many more tastes in the New Year.

Mast Brothers Belize 70% cacao

When I first tasted this bar I noticed some fruit flavors, cherry predominately. With further tasting that flavor fades to the background with a strongly bitter note dominating. With that comes earthy flavors and walnut. 7.4

The label mentions "notes of raisin, plum and sarsaparilla." The cherry that I noticed could be a blend of raisin and plum I suppose. As for the sarsaparilla, I need to find some to try, as I have not tasted it in a while.

Rogue Chocolatier Bolivia Silvestre 75% cacao

A robust chocolate with an above-average bitterness for this cacao level. Fruit flavors peep through on chewing, but are less prominent when the chocolate melts without chewing. The label mentions "plum, jasmine, banana." I agree with the plum as the fruity component, but I'm not experiencing the other two flavors. 7.8

Castronovo Nicaragua 72% cacao

Another excellently made bar from Castronovo Chocolate. The initial impression is of bright cherry, but this shifts to more earthy flavors. The label mentions "savory notes of walnut." I can see the nutty element, though walnut did not initially come to mind. I tasted this bar with a glass of Port, and enjoyed both immensely. 8.2