Steiner & Kovarik Extra Dark 70% cacao

Fairly bitter for a 70% bar. Flavor is rich with caramel and molasses. The aftertaste is strong, but declines quickly. 8.1

Ingredients: cocoa mass, sugar, cocoa butter, emulsifiers: soya lecithin and E476.

www.prazskacokolada.cz

My colleague Kyle brought this bar back with him from his recent European trip. Thanks, Kyle! This is the first bar on ChocoCheck from the Czech Republic.

The bar has a nice mold, which features the company name.

Harper Macaw Brazil 70% cacao

Very smooth chocolate, with floral and strawberry notes. It has a gentle aftertaste, which tapers off nicely. 9.0

Compare to Harper Macaw Brazil 67% cacao.  This bar adds the qualifier "rainforest" to the source.

Solomon Islands Pakpaskato / North Vela 72% cacao

The tasting notes on the label are: "Cherry / Almond butter / Dried Apricot" I get all three of these flavors, especially the almond butter -- there is a rich, buttery texture to the bar with an almond edge to it. The aftertaste is even, not very bitter, and persistent. 9.3

This is a small bar, with "exclusive release" on the label. The note card inside the bar describes how the Dick Taylor team met with cacao farmers in Solomon Islands to discuss farming and harvesting techniques, and the beans used with this bar were from one of those farmers who has been consistently growing high quality beans. These were the "winning beans" from Solomon Islands Chocolate Week.

Dick Taylor Guatemala Lanquin 70% cacao

There is a sharp stab of bitterness on tasting, developing into a blend of sweetness and spice. 7.9

The bar's tasting notes are: "Plumeria / Blackberry Peach Cobbler / Espresso." I think that bitter/spicy element might track to their espresso note. I am lost on the cobbler, though I can see the blackberry element. As for the plumeria, that's a tough one, as I have not experienced its fragrance for a while.

Brasstown Venezuela Guasara 70% cacao

Fairly bitter, with a smoky flavor. Aftertaste is mild, though. Label suggests these flavors: "citrus, guava, ginger." I would concur with only the ginger note. 8.2

Harper Macaw Brazil 67% cacao

The bitterness is quite low for this bar, which has a caramel flavor base with nutmeg notes. The bar is thin, a profile that enhances flavors as the bar melts in the mouth. 8.9

Note: The "Best Enjoyed By" date for this bar is October 1, 2017. However, the bar does not appear degraded in quality, visually or in taste.

 www.harpermacaw.com

Brasstown Ecuador Manabi 75% cacao

Robust flavor, fairly bitter. The label mentions "floral notes, honey, coffee." I concur on the coffee aspect, but floral and honey not so much. My summation would be "earthy." Long aftertaste due to the higher bitterness. 8.5

I previously reviewed another Brasstown bar from Ecuador: Brasstown Ecuador 75% cacao  The label does not list the province of origin, so it may be from a different province than Manabi.