Valor Dark Chocolate with Banana

My absolute favourite combination for a chocolate fondue is banana, thus I was excited to see this chocolate bar by the Spanish chocolatier Chocolates Valor, S.A. (I've always thought someone should make one). Too, this is a dark chocolate bar; at 70% cacao content, a very dark one (even better - dark chocolate with banana). The ingredient listing looks good, chocolate processed with alkali, sugar, cocoa, cocoa butter, fructose, banana pulp, natural flavour, soy lecithin and citric acid.

How does it taste? Did I set myself up for too much of a disappointment. It certainly smells good, opening the package, looks very dark and snaps well. And the early indications are, that my beautiful Bride enjoyed it when she ate it earlier in the day. So, it does taste good, the chocolate though is perhaps a little too bitter for the combination of banana and chocolate, or perhaps there needed to be more banana (in a fondue, it's banana with a chocolate coating that makes it good). Overall, good but not great. I think I would buy this bar again.

Valor Dark Chocolate with Hazelnuts

I have tried several of this Spanish company's offerings, Chocolates Valor, S.A., and have liked most of them, I was intrigued by this bar, because it was dark chocolate, it contained whole hazelnuts, and it was so big (250 g) (which cost $7). The ingredient listing leads me to believe that it meets the requirements of being dark chocolate (ie. has more than 49% cacao, but not much more), but otherwise looks good, sugar, chocolate processed with alkali, hazelnuts, cocoa butter, soya lecithin (as an emulsifier) and vanillin (artificial vanilla).

How did it taste? Despite my expectations, it tasted like a dark milk chocolate, "sweet dark chocolate" is how I would describe it. I liked the crunchy whole hazelnuts, which worked well with the chocolate. Overall, I would rate this in the middle of the pack, I would eat it over other bars, but if I had better bars in the house, then not.

Valor Dark Chocolate with Mint

I have liked the combination of mint and chocolate in other products, and I like it in this chocolate bar from the Spanish company Chocolates Valor, S.A.. Like the other Valor bars I have eaten lately, this has a cocoa content of 70%, and the chocolate itself is fairly good tasting. The ingredient listing is fairly good, chocolate processed with alkali, sugar, cocoa, cocoa butter, soy lecithin and peppermint natural flavour. I think that I would eat this bar again.

Valor Forest Fruits

The second of the several different bars I got from the Spanish company Chocolates Valor, S.A., this one features a cacao content of 70% and the inclusion of dried forest fruits, namely raspberries and blackberries. The fruit, dried as it was, was fairly disconcerting, crunchy like nuts, but of a different consistency, I don't know that I liked it. Nor did it really taste much like raspberries or blackberries, I suppose there was an underlying fruit flavour behind the dark chocolate, but I've tasted chocolate with fruits that have been way better. The ingredient listing is fairly good, chocolate processed with alkali, sugar, cocoa, cocoa butter, glucose syrup, dried raspberries, fructose, dried blackberries, soy lecithin (as an emulsifier), citric acid (as an acidulant - to make it tart), sodium alginate (as a thickening agent) and natural flavours (likely vanilla, but perhaps raspberry and/or blackberry flavours). I don't think that I would choose this bar again, among the range of chocolate offerings that Valor has.

Valor Dark with Toffee

Having eaten a couple of not as good chocolate bars, I though that I would cleanse my palate with some good dark chocolate. This offering from Valor in Spain, one of several that I purchased, contains pieces of toffee. I would think that the very sweet flavour of toffee would not pair with the bitterness of good chocolate, but this one seemed to work, or at least I was in the mood for it, as I consumed the whole bar in one day at work. The ingredient listing looks good, with 70% cacao content with beans from Ghana, Panama and Ecuador (I like Ecuadorian beans), chocolate processed with alkali, sugar, cocoa, cocoa butter, glucose syrup, butterfat, soy lecithin, salt and honey natural flavour. I would likely buy this bar again.