Zokoko Solomon Islands Guadalcanal 78% cacao

Quite bitter chocolate, with a puckery aftertaste. Plum flavor can be noticed. 7.7

Ingredients: Cocoa beans, sugar, cocoa butter, emulsifier (sunflower lecithin)

www.zokoko.com

Uniconf Dark Chocolate 80% cacao

I found this bar in a Russian food store in Oakland. The chocolate was respectable, tasting slightly better than other mass-market bars I have tasted. However the Russian writing on the label intrigued me. I asked a Russian-speaking friend with whom I work to translate the label. The large script says "Dark Chocolate," not too surprising. However the writing in the red oval apparently says "Red October" -- a reference to the 1917 Russian Revolution, and the start of the communist Soviet state.

A first for Choco Check -- communist chocolate!

The bar's ingredients include vanilla, so there is no Chocolate Check rating.

www.uniconf.ru

Fruition Bolivia 74% Dark

Strong cacao flavor with a bitter taste at the front. Some caramel flavor in the mix. Fairly short lasting aftertaste, but still bitter. 7.8

Ingredients: cocoa beans, cane sugar

$11.49 for 60g (2.12 oz)

Palette De Bine Haiti 70% cacao

Rich clear chocolate taste, with a citrus element and some molasses flavor. Short lasting aftertaste. 9.1

Palette De Bine Vietnam Lâm Đồng 72% cacao

Very flavorful bar, I notice anise, pepper, blackberry smoke. Smooth taste through to the aftertaste, which is gentle but persistent. 9.6

Ingredients: cocoa beans and organic sugar cane

The label on the cover of this bar reads: "International Chocolate Awards Americas 2015 Bronze"

Tcho Ecuador "Nutty" 65% cacao

This bar wears its flavor profile on its name -- "Nutty." Certainly has a nutty flavor, and does not have that metallic aspect that I mentioned in my review of their previous "Nutty" bar, which was from Peru: http://chococheck.blogspot.com/2010/06/tcho-nutty-peru-70-cacao.html. Also mentioned on the label is "hints of espresso," and I concur with this as well -- mild coffee flavor in the background. 8.0

This is the first Tcho bar I have reviewed in a while. They used to have their factory in San Francisco, not far from my office, but they are now located across the bay in Berkeley. This makes it harder for me to drop by to see what's cooking, though their bars are widely available in area stores.

Letterbox Ecuador Costa Esmeraldas 70% cacao

Very nice flavor balance. Some earthiness and smoke is in the mix, but there is also sweetness and anise.  Aftertaste is smooth with a touch of bitterness. 8.3