Ananda Chocolate - Chocobane!

Ananda Chocolate is a Dutch chocolatier; they make chocolate locally, in this case from Ecuadorean cacao beans. The cacao content of this bar is 70%. The ingredient listing is good, cacao beans, dried banana puree, cacao nibs and non-gmo lecithin. All ingredients save the lecithin are Organic.

How does it taste? Horrid. OK, perhaps not so harsh a word, I tried by eating the whole bar, but this bar does not taste good at all to me. I can't taste the banana puree, or at least it does not taste like banana and chocolate together tastes (it should taste great!), rather there is a bitterness to this that is off-putting, not good bitter, like dark chocolate should be. The chocolate doesn't melt well and tastes chalky. The cacao nibs are also lost or non-existent in flavour. I like that they use Organic and non-GMO ingredients, and that the bar is wrapped in a biodegradable package rather than the regular foil. I just can't see me wanting to ever buy let alone eat this bar again.

Gustaf's Traditional Dutch Double Salt Licorice

Not for everyone's taste, and certainly my boss said it must be an acquired taste, the salted licorice flavour is quite salty. Avoid too, if you are on a low salt program. Eat in moderation.

I find double salt licorice interesting, and remember eating them, enjoying them, when young; I also like eating hard-boiled eggs with lots of salt, too. Well, salted nuts might be as salty. These taste like I remember. Oddly enough, I found these in Canada, my boss couldn't find them in the Netherlands.

They are authentic, they have the "DZ" for "Dubbel Zoute" on each piece.

Verkade Puur

The second bar I got from the Netherlands chocolatier Verkade is a pure Dark chocolate, though at only 55% cacao content. The ingredient listing is not bad, sugar, cocoa mass, cocoa butter and soya lecithin.

How does it taste? I prefer the Hazelnoot one over this, but, so saying, I did like this. It is sweet for a dark bar, but the bar snapped well and tasted good. I think I would eat this bar again, if I were in the Netherlands.

Verkade Hazelnoot

My boss had occasion to be in the Netherlands for a little while, and he kindly bought me a couple of large Dutch chocolate bars, one Dark and one Milk with Hazelnut. Verkade has been making chocolate since 1886; these bars were around everywhere he looked, so I would guess they are popular. This is a milk chocolate, as such the ingredient listing is not great, sugar, 25% hazelnuts, cocoa butter, whole milk powder, cocoa mass, soya lecithin and natural vanilla flavour. This is a Fair Trade product.

How does it taste? Fairly good; the hazelnuts are quite big and tasty and fresh. I find it sweet, but kind of a honey sweet. I'm intrigued as to whether there is a Dark Hazelnut or other nut version. If I were in the Netherlands, I think I would try this bar again.

Droste Extra Dark Chocolate Pastilles

This dark chocolate, with 75% cacao content, made by the Dutch chocolatier Droste, produces its chocolate in pastille, or wafer, form; the hexagon shaped box the chocolate comes in is unique. The ingredient listing is good, chocolate liquor, sugar, cocoa butter, soy lecithin (as an emulsifier), and vanillin (artificial flavour). This package was on sale for $2.

How do they taste? Pretty good, smooth chocolate, melts quite well.