Ginger Elizabeth Bittersweet 70% cocoa

Clean, bright taste, with an almost gingerbread cookie background texture. Perhaps I'm imaging this given the name of the maker, but it's definitely gingerbread, not "ginger." Faint sweetness, almost no bitterness and a very clean finish. Nicely done! 8.4

www.gingerelizabeth.com

Republica Del Cacao Los Rios Ecuador 85% cacao

Rich aroma of chocolate and a robust and sharp cocoa taste. Quite bitter, with a long aftertaste. There's a hint of chalkiness, but it does not get in the way of the experience. Some faint apricot notes. 7.1

www.republicadelcacao.com

Mast Brothers Ocumare De La Costa 75% cocoa

Quite bitter, with a chalky aftertaste. Not a profile that gets much interest from me. The tasting notes from the label lists: "raisins, tea, licorice, apricots." I do not taste much of these flavors, though the most likely flavor I taste is the raisins (or more like prunes -- a bit sweeter than raisins). 6.7

This is another region chocolate that I've been underwhelmed by. The Coppenaur Ocumare bar was beautifully made, a very nice looking bar, but I only rated it a 7.0. I was told when I bought that bar that Ocumare region beans are very sought after, thus the high price. Okay, that's fine -- it's just not a taste that excites me. I rated the Unique Origin Ocumare bar higher at 8, and noted a sweetness and "tang". I taste neither of these with this bar. The Amano Ocumare Grand Cru got a 7 rating, but my notes read more generous, referring to fruit notes and a smooth finish. Perhaps the manufacturing side is much more important in how the Ocumare beans turn out than the beans themselves.

$12 / 2.5 oz (at Mietta in San Francisco)

Moonstruck Dark Chocolate 68% cacao

Surprisingly bitter for a 68% cocoa chocolate. Some rich cocoa flavor and a bit of an aftertaste. Few side flavors, perhaps some walnut taste in the background. 6.9

Alce Nero Cioccolato extra fondente 71% cacao

Very rich cocoa flavor. Low bitterness, though a strong cocoa aftertaste. Some latent orange notes. 7.9

www.alcenero.it

Rob's Really Good Life Changing Italian Dark Chocolate 72% cocoa

With a name that includes "life changing" in it, this chocolate has set a pretty high bar for itself. Does it reach it? No, but it's a quite respectable bar. There some slight chalkiness, but no dominating bitterness. There is sweetness, but it is not cloying. There are slight citrus notes, but no strong flavors. The wrapper has a cute "user guide" that I'll post in a comment.

Maybe not life changing, but certainly life enhancing. 7.5

RobsReallyGood.com

Madecasse Madagascar strong & complex 80% cocoa

This bar had a uneven surface texture, which means it may have experienced some damage from my keeping it in my roll-bag for two months. So it may not be the best representative of this chocolate.

The chocolate had little side flavors and had a sharp bitter edge. 6.2

I tasted the bar with my niece and her family, and these are their ratings:

Michael -- it is okay, not special 5
Will -- really dark 4
Dianna -- bitter, don't like it 3