White Label Vietnam Ben Tre 72% cacao

The taste notes I find with this bar are caramel, raisin and a touch of smoke. The bitterness is mild and the aftertaste is gentle. 9.2

Kad Kokoa Thailand Chiang Mai 70% cacao

The initial experience of this bar has berry and faint citrus notes, but a thread of bitterness lingers in the background. This provides a nice contrast, and results in an aftertaste which is moderate. 8.2

www.kadkokoa.co

This may well be the first bar made from Thai cacao reviewed on ChocoCheck.

Auro Philippine Paquibato 70% cacao

There are roasted and earthy taste aspects to this bar. The roasted parts lean towards charcoal while the earthy parts are somewhat woody. The bitterness is prominent, leading to a lengthy aftertaste. 7.5

Ingredients: Cacao mass, organic muscovado sugar, cacao butter

Another Philippine origin bar from Auro was tasted in 2018: Auro Philippine Savoy 70% cacao.  The source plantation appears to be different (see the Comment on the post).

I needed to look up what is muscovado sugar and I discovered, "Muscovado sugar is unrefined cane sugar that contains natural molasses."

Cacao Hunters Aracua 70% cacao

There is an earthy element to this bar's taste, leaning towards mushrooms. This is paired with a spice cake taste, which blends nicely. The aftertaste is mild and on the sweet side. 8.8

Stonegrindz Bolivia 70% cacao

This bar has a fruit-forward taste palette. Ripe banana and fresh fig are notes of note, with a buttery texture in the background. The bitterness is mild and the aftertaste is persistent. 9.5

This is another well-made bar from Stonegrindz. A previous bar reviewed here was the Stonegrindz Ecuador Esmeraldas 70% cacao. That bar was noted to have won a Bronze award, and this bar took down a Sliver. Will gold be next?

Fruition Madagascar Sambirano 74% cacao

There is a buttery texture to this bar on first tasting, with malt and caramel notes. Also noticeable is plum and rum raisin tastes as the bar melts. It is mildly bitter with a brief and clean aftertaste. 9.2

I usually only post the website of chocolate makers on their first appearance on ChocoCheck, but the first posting for Fruition was Fruition Bolivia 74% Dark. For whatever reason there was no website posted. Here is their site:

www.fruitionchocolateworks.com

Dick Taylor Peru Piura Blanco 80% cacao

There is an earthy element to this bar, and prominent bitterness from the relatively higher cacao content. The taste elements range from mushrooms to fig to toast. The aftertaste is persistent and carries the experience along with it. 9.0