Isis Luxury Belgian Dark Chocolate 70% Cocoa

Elegant, some fruit tones. Light pieces that melt in the mouth. No bitterness. 9

Chocolove Strong Dark 70% cocoa Belgian Chocolate

Dry. Some nut tones. Not bitter. Strong dark is right -- chocolate is very front and center with this bar. 8

Dark Chocolate Santander 65% cacao Columbian single origin

First tasting:

Slight hint of coffee. Slightly bitter. But smoothe taste. Some mango? 7 revised to 8 on further consumption.

Second tasting:

I'll have to revise this back to 7. I'm noticing that the coffee flavor is stronger, maybe the bitterness too. The tropical fruit taste is still there, so while it's an interesting mix, on the whole the flavors I like less seem to dominate.

Droste Holland Pastilles Extra Dark Chocolate Cocoa/Cacao 72%

Significant bitterness and chalkiness. Some faint coffee notes. 5

Droste Pastilles come in hexagonal tubes, which are great for carrying during travel. Bars can get mangled easily wherever you put them when traveling, but the Pastilles box holds up well.

Cacao Reserve by Hershey's Sao Tome 70% Premium Dark Chocolate Single Origin

From the package: "Rich and robust chocolate notes and hints of aromatic coffee"

I would agree with the coffee 'hints'-- I don't drink coffee, and that might be why my first reaction to this chocolate was not positive. The chocolate is indeed rich -- maybe too rich. There is little apart from the strong chocolate note. Not memorable. 6

Green & Black's Organic Bittersweet Dark Chocolate 70% cocoa content

Chalky, bitter, earth tones 6

Recchiuti Fudge Brownies

While I'm on a Recchiuti kick, one last detour from this blog's theme. The other indulgence that I have at the Recchiuti store is their brownies. They are $2 each, so a little more affordable than the S'Mores Bites. They are excellent brownies -- rich chocolate and just the right amount of chewiness.

I visit their store in the Ferry Building, at the foot of Market Street in San Francisco, on the Embarcadero. I found myself visiting the Ferry Building a couple of years ago when they had their Thursday night market running until 8pm, since I couldn't make it there before then.

There's another chocolate store at the Ferry Building, Scharffen Berger. another local chocolatier. I tend to come back to Recchiuti more often, though, drawn by the S'Mores and the brownies. If you haven't visited the Ferry Building, there are many other interesting food stores and a few restaurants. Well worth a stroll next time you're in the City by the Bay.