deRochonnet Delights Dark Chocolate

This bar provides a nice chocolate experience. Rich cocoa on first taste. The aftertaste has a strong edge of bitterness. Some cherry notes are apparent.  7.4

I received this bar from my brother, who lives in the town where it is made, Midlothian, Virginia. The bar does not list the cocoa content, but I would estimate it to be at least 65% cocoa.

The business card that my brother included indicates that the owner has done extensive study on the practice of making chocolate. As my review indicates, the bar has great taste, though I did see some surface defects on the bar's front (I circled an example in the picture). This is a very minor point, and it does distinguish bars made by small manufacturers and those made by high-volume manufacturers.

www.deRochonnetdelights.com

Peet's Dark Chocolate 72% cacao

I'm having a hard time distinguishing this bar from the previously reviewed 64% cacao Peet's chocolate bar.  It has the same rich cocoa taste, with a possible under-layer of cinnamon. This bar tastes a little more bitter, and not in a nice way. 6.9

Dandelion Elvesia 2011 Dominican Republic 70% cacao

The contrast between this bar and the Madagascar bar from Dandelion reviewed earlier is stark. Where that bar was fruity and flavorful, this one is bitter and monotone. The bitterness persists in the aftertaste. The flavor palette is earthy. I am mostly reminded of walnut as I taste this bar, though I would still go more with "earthy" than "nutty."

This bar is representative of other cacao from its region (it reminds me of Ecuador, Nicaragua, Costa Rica and Venezuela bars that I have tasted) and will provide you with a robust chocolate experience. 8.0

Cocoa Purists

My friend @RandGalt sent me a link to this article.  For the record, I have never used the word "leather" to describe any chocolate that I have reviewed!

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-21847447

... However the makers of a bar I reviewed in 2007 did utilize "leather" in their label notes:

Terra Nostra Organic- Dark Chocolate

(See the Comments to the post.)

Dandelion Ambanja Madagascar Feb 2012 Harvest 70% cacao

Great flavor bursts from this bar, citrus, cherry and some vanilla. Relatively low bitterness and a nice
refreshing aftertaste. The label suggests "strawberry" and an "almond-caramel finish." I am not getting the strawberry, but given the suggestion I can agree that there might be some caramel and possibly almond in the package. Well executed. 9.2

The label gives a lot of detail on this bar's manufacture. It's listed as "Batch No. 1," and the batch was by "AN" and the bar was packaged by "MG."  While we may not know who is behind these initials, knowing who performs each step is a good way for Dandelion to control quality of production. This would not work with a high-volume manufacturer, but works for smaller houses.

Valrhona Ampamakia 2012 Madagascar 64% cacao

This is a classic Madagascar-origin chocolate, full of citrus flavor and tartness. It is fairly bitter, but that is complemented by the flavor profile. The aftertaste retains mostly the bitter edge, but again the original flavors persist. Very enjoyable. 8.5

Artisan du Chocolat Haiti 72% cocoa

Rich, earthy cocoa taste, no significant side-flavors. Slight bitterness rings in the upper palate. There is a sharp fall-off in the aftertaste. Not very memorable. 6.8

www.artisanduchocolat.com