Valrhona Le Noir Amer 71% Cacao

This is the last of the three open tastings.

Matthew: Intense. 8
Steve: Clean, citrus flavors. Nice finish. 8
Hallie: Tastes like chocolate with an undertone of dirt. 7

www.valrhona.com

Be sure to compare this bar to the Valrhona Le Noir 56% Cacao and the Valrhona Le Noir Extra Amer 85% Cacao.

Chocolove Chocolatour Tanzania 76% Cocoa

This is the second of three open tasting with the Sales Productivity Chocolate Club.

Steve: Astringent. Some fruit flavors. Smooth finish. 7

Matthew: Creamy, light. 7

www.chocolove.com

Chocolove bars usually have a love poem on the inside wrapper, but this special bar is part of the "Chocolatour" series, and includes a travelogue. Here's the entry for this bar:

Greetings from Tanzania

Flying into Dar es Salam, I sat with my nose pressed to the window, glancing away only briefly to check our position on the map. Below was Lake Victoria, shimmering in the sun like a million diamonds. The Serengeti plain conjured images of classic safari with endless miles of animals stretching to Mount Kilamanjaro. We swung wide over the Indian Ocean to make our approach, the island of Zanzibar loomed verdant and lush on the horizon. My heart raced with excitement as my eyes were filled with the crystal turquoise waters, white sand beaches and towering palm trees. Thoughts of snorkeling and surfing by day then exploring and dining in historical Stone Town on Zanzibar at night streamed through my head. It was easy to forget what I came here for.

Tomorrow, I'll travel inland to the Morogoro region to visit cocoa fields. The southern highlands are the agricultural heartland of Tanzania. I look forward to exploring the crops along the Uluguru Mountains in the shadow of ancient forests over 25 million years old.

Galler Heritage Noir 70

In August I once again hosted the Sales Productivity team's Chocolate Club tastings. This is the first of three "open tastings" that week.

Steve: Rich chocolate -- nutty. Some bitterness. Some coffee notes. 7

Divya: Smooth, slightly bitter (but good for 70% cocoa). 8

Matthew: Smooth, creamy, "light". 7

www.galler.com

The Chocolate Tree: Cranberry 55% cacao Hand crafted organic chocolate

I normally only review plain, dark chocolate, but as I was wandering Edinburgh in June, I came across a set of very pretty chocolates. These were all combined with different ingredients: ginger, pepper, orange. I selected the cranberry.


The chocolate is 55% cocoa, and the cranberry does enhance the flavor. It gives a piquant sweetness that is a nice blend of flavors. The chocolate appears well made, and has little aftertaste on its own. With the cranberry, the aftertaste is -- cranberry! Very enjoyable.

From the Label:
Made in East Lothian
www.the-chocolate-tree.co.uk URL changed to:

www.choctree.co.uk 

Tcho Dark Chocolate "Chocolatey" Ghana 70% Cacao

The theme for this Tcho bar is "Chocolatey" -- and that it is. It nearly hits you over the head with an intense dose of chocolate flavor -- there are some side flavors -- hazelnut comes through. Not much bitterness, just enough to keep the flavor ringing. While it's a respectable enough bar, I am not a fan of such strong chocolate taste. I like it more subtle. 6

http://www.tcho.com



You may remember that I first came across Tcho at the San Francisco Chocolate Salon this spring. You can read my comments about Tcho's Flavor Wheel at the Chococheck post I made for the salon.

Patric Chocolate Madagascar Sambirano Valley Micro-Batch Dark Chocolate 67% Cacao

When chewed, the fruit flavors jump out from this chocolate. Citrus, plum, cherry. When melting in the mouth, the flavors creep slowly from the chocolate. Very nice. 8

$8 / 1.75 Oz. ($4.57/Oz. -- pricey)

http://www.patric-chocolate.com

Cariad Welsh Dark Chocolate 70% Cocoa

I recently traveled to Great Britain for vacation, and visited Wales during the trip. One stop was to the Welsh National Assembly building, a beautifully built structure, very airy, though it reminded me of Danish modern styling. In the gift shop were a number of Welsh originated products, and I picked up a couple of chocolate bars. This is the first of the two.

This bar reminds me of another British chocolate that I reviewed in 2007, Caley's. It has the same milk-chocolate overtones and cloying sweetness. There's also significant bitterness in the aftertaste, though the milk/sweet tastes is more prominent earlier on. A sign of "good chocolate making" is a crisp snap when breaking the bar -- this bar has almost no snap. Indeed, that's the feeling I have about this chocolate -- no snap. 4

http://www.chocolateconnfection.co.uk

£3.49/100g

From the label: "Manufactured in Wales using quality Belgian Chocolate"