Chocolove Strong Dark Chocolate

The American chocolatier Chocolove makes their bars from Belgian chocolate. This one features dark chocolate, and, as I've said before, is a showcase for their chocolate. The ingredient listing is good, cocoa liquor, sugar, cocoa butter and soy lecithin. The cacao content is at 70%.

How does it taste? Being a showcase for their chocolate, I think that this is a very tasty and enjoyable bar, bearing repeat samplings (similar to their Organic Dark Chocolate one at 73%). The chocolate snaps well and melts well in the mouth. The chocolate tastes fruity without the addition of vanilla. I would say that I would buy this bar again.

Camino Coconut

The Canadian chocolatier Camino uses mostly Fair Trade ingredients to make their chocolate bars; they . This one features coconut. The ingredient listing looks good, cacao mass, golden cane sugar, coconut flakes, cacao butter, whole cane sugar and ground vanilla beans (the coconut flakes are not Fair Trade). The cacao content is at 65%.

How does it taste? I like the flavour combination of coconut and dark chocolate certainly, and have enjoyed it in other bars. The chocolate itself is not the most flavourful and is not smooth, but it is a pleasant eating bar, especially if you like that combination. I don't think that I would buy this bar again.

Chocosol 5 Chili Bullet

The Canadian chocolatier Chocosol makes wonderful flavourful chocolate, sold in a variety of farmer's markets (to which they use pedal power to transport the chocolate). This one is a spicy one, featuring 5 kinds of chilis and spices. The ingredient listing, as always, looks good, cacao, raw sugar, cacao butter, 5 kinds of chilis, allspice, achiote (source of the natural colour annatto) and sea salt. There is no indication of the cacao content.

How does it taste? Like all the other bars I've tasted, this one is excellent chocolate, very flavourful, and the chili is not too powerful or overwhelming (my 5 year old niece has eaten it, and liked it). There are chili seeds on the bottom, but these are not hot. I would definitely buy this bar again, or any of their excellent offerings.

Chocolove Organic Dark Chocolate

The American chocolatier Chocolove makes their bars from Belgian chocolate,. This one features Organic dark chocolate, and, as I've said before, is a showcase for their chocolate. The ingredient listing is good, cocoa liquor, sugar and cocoa butter. The cacao content is at 73%.

How does it taste? Being a showcase for their chocolate, I think that this is a very tasty and enjoyable bar, bearing repeat samplings. The chocolate snaps well and melts well in the mouth. The chocolate tastes fruity without the addition of vanilla. I would say that I would buy this bar again.

Chocolove Ginger Crystallized in Dark Chocolate

The American chocolatier Chocolove makes their bars from Belgian chocolate, and I've enjoyed a few of their offerings. This one features crystallized ginger with dark chocolate. The ingredient listing is good, cocoa liquor, sugar, cocoa butter, soy lecithin, vanilla and crystallized ginger. The cacao content is at 65%.

How does it taste? I find this one comparable to Green&Black's Ginger, the ginger in it is strong and, like the other, also sweet at the same time, not sharp like ginger can be (though, I like ginger when it is sharp). The chocolate is good and snaps well. I would say that I would buy this bar again.

Zazubean Nutbar

The Canadian chocolatier Zazubean, whose chocolate is made in Switzerland, has many interesting combinations of flavour ingredients; this one features coconut and almond, as well as camu camu (a superfruit from Peru with a high Vitamin C content). The ingredient listing looks good, cocoa mass, cane sugar, coconut flakes, cocoa butter, almonds, Camu Camu and vanilla. The cacao content is at 70%.

How does it taste? I like the combination of coconut and dark chocolate, and this bar is no exception. The almonds are small pieces and not so forefront in flavour, and while you can rest assured that you will be getting a dose of Vitamin C from the Camu Camu, you won't be able to taste anything (Camu Camu on its own has a good flavour, sweet). This is a bar that I would buy again, but not my first choice.

Munz Dark Swiss Chocolate with Whole Hazelnuts

The Swiss chocolatier Maestrani makes a number of different chocolate bars, this one features two things I like, dark chocolate (60% cacao content) and whole hazelnuts (20%). The ingredient listing is just okay, cocoa mass, sugar, hazelnuts, cocoa powder, cocoa butter, butterfat (milk), soya lecithin and vanillin.

How does it taste? I'm always pleased when I find a bar combining hazelnuts and dark chocolate, most of the ones made are with milk chocolate. The chocolate is quite tasty, though the hazelnuts don't taste fantastic, and I quibble about the distribution of the whole hazelnuts - some pieces have none or one, some 3 hazelnuts - better care would make this a more enjoyable bar. I would buy this bar again.

Taza Chocolate 70% Dark

The American chocolatier Taza Chocolate makes minimally processed chocolate using stone mills according to Mexican practices. This one is a showcase of their small batch, sundried cacao beans, these ones coming from Dominican Republic, as there are no additional flavours; the ingredient listing is good and short, cacao beans, cane sugar, cocoa butter and whole vanilla beans. The cacao content is at 70%.

How does it taste? The chocolate is fairly good, a good showcase of their chocolate, though the bar is not great, and suffers from the crunchiness of the sugar and cacao beans, because of the relatively large size of the stone ground ingredients - smaller size means smoother product, as your tongue can not distinguish very small size, interpreting the chocolate as smooth. I would, though, eat this bar again, given the chance.

Zazubean Lunatic

Zazubean is a Canadian chocolatier whose Organic bars are manufactured in Switzerland, they make bars out of interesting combinations. This one features mint and cacao nibs, along with maca. The ingredient listing is good, cocoa mass, cane sugar, cocoa nibs, cocoa butter, maca, vanilla and peppermint oil. The cacao content is at 73%.

How does it taste? Mint and chocolate goes well together, but, in this bar, there is an underlying bitterness that could be attributed to the maca or the cacao nibs. The crunchiness of the cacao nibs is a little disconcerting and off-putting. This is one of my least favourite of the Zazubean bars that I've tasted, and I doubt that I would buy it again.

Whole Foods Market Costa Rica Dark Chocolate

Whole Foods Market sells a lot of products, both organic and whole food, and has their own line or brand for things like sugar and flour. I was intrigued to see that they have now come up with their own line of chocolate bars, this one features cocoa sourced exclusively from the Duacari region of Costa Rica. I enjoy coffee from Costa Rica, their beans are world renowned, but they also grow cacao. The bar itself is made in Belgium, a country known for making good chocolate. The ingredient listing is good, chocolate liquor, sugar, cocoa butter and natural vanilla flavour; the cacao is Rainforest Alliance Certified. The cacao content is at 71%.

How does it taste? The chocolate at first reminds me of Costa Rican coffee, very flavourful but not with the bitterness associated with some cacao. There is a definite fruitiness to this cacao, what they describe as intense and rich and smoky (I would quibble about the intense part, like Costa Rican coffee, this chocolate is smooth and rich). This bar cost about $4-5. I would buy this bar again.

Newman's Own Organics Super Dark Chocolate

I've enjoyed Newman's Own Organic Coffee, and was intrigued by this offering from them (there are six different bars in their line). The ingredient listing looks good, chocolate liquor, evaporated cane juice, cocoa butter, soy lecithin and vanilla; all ingredients are Organic, the chocolate is Rainforest Alliance Certified cacao. The cacao content is at 70%.

How does it taste? I must say I'm pleased with this bar, tastes great and melts well in the mouth, smells good. It reminds me of the coffee that I enjoy; the chocolate has a "coffee" taste to it. I would definitely buy this bar again.

Next Organics Dark Chocolate Coconut

Tropical Valley Foods makes several healthy chocolate-coated snacks, basically organic dried fruit coated with chocolate; this one features coconut. The cacao content is at 70%.

How does it taste? I didn't care much for their banana one, this one tastes much better, but I am not tempted to buy this again.

Zazubean Hottie

The Canadian chocolatier Zazubean makes interesting chocolate from cacao beans in the Dominican Republic and Ecuador, with interesting combinations of ingredients; this one features chili and cinnamon and yerba mate (a South American herbal caffeine substitute). The ingredient listing is good, cocoa mass, cane sugar, cocoa butter, cinnamon, yerba mate, vanilla and chili pepper. The cacao content is at 70%. The bar is actually manufactured in Switzerland for Zazubean. It's tagline is Get Fired Up.

How does it taste? Well, this one is definitely about the cinnamon, though you can also taste the chili pepper, the heat is definitely there, so think spicy cinnamon. The yerba mate was lost in the flavour, but perhaps it gave me the energizing effect without the herbal taste I normally associate with it. The chocolate snaps well and tastes good. Cinnamon is a flavour I don't really care for, so I don't think I would buy this bar again.

Zazubean Flirt

The Canadian chocolatier Zazubean makes interesting chocolate from cacao beans in the Dominican Republic and Ecuador, with interesting combinations of ingredients; this one features raspberry and cherry and acai (a South American superfruit). The ingredient listing is good, cocoa mass, cane sugar, cocoa butter, raspberries, acai, cherries and vanilla. The cacao content is at 70%. The bar is actually manufactured in Switzerland for Zazubean.

How does it taste? Well, this one is mostly about the raspberry, if you like them, then this bar is for you. I found them to be not so dry but still very crunchy. The chocolate is tasty, snaps well and smells good. I didn't get the cherries at all, the acai might have been there, just a little bit. I don't think that I would buy this bar again.

Zazubean Cheeky

The Canadian chocolatier Zazubean makes interesting dark chocolate bars with unique flavours; this one features banana, salted toffee and maca. The cacao content is at 70%, while the cacao beans come from Dominican Republic and Ecuador. The ingredient listing is good, cocoa mass, cane sugar, toffee (cane sugar and whole milk powder), cocoa butter, bananas, sea salt, maca and vanilla. Most of the ingredients are Organic, while many of them are FairTrade. The bar is made in Switzerland. The tagline is "Be the Sassy Monkey".

How does it taste? The chocolate is good tasting, and melts well in the mouth. I don't get the banana at all, and the maca, if anything, has an underlying taste that might come from the chocolate, I can't tell. The salted toffee is very crunchy, I mean very crunchy, a little disconcerting. Overall, I would say that this is a good bar, not really that "Sassy", but not one I would buy again.

Nestle Sublime

My colleague brought this back from Peru the other week, it's a favourite in Peru. It's essentially a chocolate bar with peanuts, and fairly good tasting if the chocolate is a little sweet, somewhat offset by the saltiness of the peanuts. Interesting, but not and no way my favourite.

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.

Pacari Los Rios

The Ecuadoran chocolatier Pacari Chocolate makes wonderfully tasting chocolate bars using cacao beans from Ecuador; I've come to see that these beans make for an excellent chocolate bar. This one features beans from the Los Rios region in central est Ecuador. Pacari is an artisanal chocolate maker, they craft their chocolate in small batches using the finest ingredients. The ingredient listing looks good, cacao beans, evaporated cane juice and sunflower lecithin. The cacao content is at 72%.

How does it taste? As with all the bars that I've tasted from Pacari, this one makes for an excellent chocolate experience; the chocolate is smooth and melts well in the mouth, smells good and snaps well. Despite the high price for this what I call half-size bar, I would definitely buy this bar again.

Taza Chocolate Chipotle Chili

The American chocolatier Taza Chocolate makes Mexican-style chocolate using Oaxacan stone mills. This one features chipotle chili powder; chipotles are smoke-dried jalapeno peppers from Mexico. The ingredient listing is good, organic cacao beans, organic cane sugar and organic chipotle chili powder. The cacao content is at 70%.

How does it taste? Whereas the Guajillo Chili didn't have much heat, this one packs a greater punch. Mixed with the smokiness and the bitterness of the chocolate, this bar makes for an interesting flavour. There is still the underlying crunchiness of the sugar, less so than bars with less cacao content I've tasted. Overall, I would say this is one of the more flavourful bars from Taza, and one I would eat again.

Taza Chocolate Ginger

The American chocolatier Taza Chocolate makes artisan chocolate using traditional Mexican (Oaxacan) stone mills. This one features the flavour of ginger. The ingredient listing is good, organic cacao beans, organic cane sugar and organic powdered ginger. The cacao content is at 70%. The ingredients are also all Organic.

How does it taste? Normally enjoying ginger, in chocolate and in other dishes, I wonder why powdered ginger was chosen over stone grinding ginger slices or using ginger juice, that would have provided for a better flavour. There is a definite ginger flavour to this bar, which I enjoyed. The chocolate itself did not have quite the same amount of crunchiness to it; because it's 70% cacao content, that would lead me to believe that it's the sugar that isn't ground enough in their other chocolate bars, and leads to the disconcerting crunchiness. While this is one of my more favourite of Taza's offerings, I don't think that I would buy this bar again.