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.