Review: Bonnat Porcelana

Lindy's Rating: 9.5 (previously ***)

Richard's Rating: 8.5 (previously ***)

chocolate maker Bonnat bar Porcelana region Venezuela plantation (blend) cacao trees (unknown) year (unknown) size 100g ~ 3.5oz cocoa solids 75% added fat cocoa butter sweetener sugar emulsifier (none) flavoring (none) other ingredients (none) list price N/A

color medium brown PANTONE 19-1015 Bracken texture smooth with text imprints and scoring aroma strawberry, spice snap very hard taste butter, toast, raisin or grapes melt smooth length short finish ashy, slightly bitter

MORE RECENT REVIEW: Bonnat Porcelana

The Bonnat Porcelana is the third bar made from Venezuelan Porcelana cacao beans that Lindy and I have reviewed.

The aroma of this Bonnat Porcelana bar was fairly typical of chocolate made from Porcelana cacao, smelling of strawberry and spice, similar to Domori's bar. The chocolate tasted of butter, bread, and something roasted, which we combined to describe as toast. I also noticed a flavor of raisin. Lindy detected a flavor of grapes.

Unfortunately, the flavor of this chocolate faded relatively quickly, lacking the length of both the Domori and Amedei Porcelanas.

Like the other Porcelana bars, the Bonnat is expensive. However, given its substantial 100 gram size, it is certainly less costly by weight than Amedei's 50 gram bar and Domori's 25 gram bar.

Bonnat Porcelana is available from Chocolopolis for $19.99.

Review: Rogue Piura

Lindy's Rating: 9.0 (previously ***)

Richard's Rating: 9.0 (previously ***)

chocolate maker Rogue bar Piura region Peru plantation Juan Tirado cacao trees (unknown) year (unknown) size 60g ~ 2.1oz cocoa solids 75% added fat (none) sweetener cane sugar emulsifier (none) flavoring (none) other ingredients (none) list price $8.99

color medium brown PANTONE 19-1015 Bracken texture smooth aroma floral, clove, roast, red fruit snap very hard taste grapefruit, earth, hint of nuts melt less smooth length long finish tangy

Rogue is a tiny independent U.S. chocolate maker in Minneapolis, MN. The founder, Colin Gasko, is passionate about the chocolate he produces and goes to great lengths to ensure quality in every step of the process from cacao tree to shipping the resulting chocolate bars.

Rogue's Piura bar was made from four bags of cacao beans that he purchased from Juan Tirado's small organic farm in Piura, Peru. Fewer than 4,000 bars are being sold.

The ingredients of the Piura bar were simply cocoa beans and cane sugar. The texture was similarly simple: smooth and without any imprints or scoring, suggestive of its production by a small, low-volume chocolate maker. The color was a medium brown with an orangish tint.

This chocolate gave off a floral aroma, with scents of clove and a red fruit, perhaps cranberry. Rogue's Piura had an unusual and interesting flavor that we both liked: a citrus that Lindy perceived as grapefruit and I thought might also have some lime, as well as a hint of nuts. Lindy found the taste somewhat tart.

The melt was smooth, but less so than most other chocolates with a smooth melt. The flavor of this chocolate lasted quite a while: almost a minute for me, and more than a minute for Lindy. Unlike many chocolates, there was no final bitterness; instead there was a pleasant tanginess left from the citrus taste.

Review: Trader Joe's 73% Super Dark

Lindy's Rating: 4.0 (previously **)

Richard's Rating: 3.0 (previously *)

chocolate maker (unknown) bar 73% Super Dark region (unknown) plantation (blend) cacao trees (unknown) year (unknown) size 100g ~ 3.5oz cocoa solids 73% added fat cocoa butter sweetener cane sugar emulsifier (none) flavoring (none) other ingredients (none) list price N/A

color medium brown texture smooth with text imprints and scoring snap hard aroma floral, coconut, roasted nuts taste sweet, plastic melt smooth length medium finish bitter

Trader Joe's 73% Super Dark bar is made from all organic ingredients.

Lindy smelled roasted nuts and a floral aroma. I also noticed the floral scent, along with coconut. In tasting the bar, Lindy felt its sweetness was the strongest flavor, with some slight bitterness. To me, the flavor was moldy and plastic. Lindy confirmed the taste of plastic, but not the moldy taste I experienced. For me, the melt was smooth, and the length was short. For Lindy, the melt was on the creamy side of smooth, and the length was medium.

Review: Trader Joe's Dark Chocolate Lover's 85%

Lindy's Rating: 2.0 (previously *)

Richard's Rating: 2.0 (previously *)

chocolate maker (unknown) bar Dark Chocolate Lover's 85% region Colombia plantation (unknown) cacao trees (unknown) year (unknown) size 100g ~ 3.5oz cocoa solids 85% added fat cocoa butter sweetener sugar emulsifier soy lecithin flavoring vanilla other ingredients (none) list price N/A

color dark brown texture smooth with text imprints aroma strong vanilla, hint of caramel snap brittle taste overwhelmingly chalky, hint of burnt melt smooth length minimal finish minimal

MORE RECENT REVIEW: Trader Joe's Dark Chocolate Lover's

Trader Joe's Dark Chocolate Lover's 85% bar has cacao beans from the Tumaco region of Colombia.

This bar had a strong vanilla aroma, with an added hint of caramel. Sadly, an overwhelming chalky flavor killed enjoyment of this chocolate, and perhaps hid more subtle flavors, although Lindy noticed a slight burnt taste as well. The length was minimal, with the flavor fading almost immediately after the chocolate. Fortunately, the finish of this bar was negligible.

This was the worst "quality" dark chocolate that either Lindy or I have reviewed, and thus the first one star dark chocolate for each of us :-(

Review: Amedei Porcelana

Lindy's Rating: 10.0 (previously ****)

Richard's Rating: 9.5 (previously ***)

chocolate maker Amedei bar Porcelana region Venezuela plantation (unknown) cacao trees Criollo year (unknown) size 50g ~ 1.8oz cocoa solids 70% fat cocoa butter sweetener cane sugar emulsifier (none) flavoring vanilla other ingredients (none) list price N/A

color medium-dark brown texture smooth with text imprints aroma musty, berry, floral snap very hard taste malt, almond, coffee, hint of vanilla melt creamy length long finish slightly bitter

MORE RECENT REVIEW: Amedei Porcelana

Amedei Porcelana was the other Porcelana bar that Lindy and I tasted on Thursday.

The color of Amedei Porcelana bar was darker than we expected for a Porcelana, which, with its white cacao beans, typically results in a lighter color chocolate. The most powerful aroma for both of us was a musty scent. Lindy also noticed a berry, perhaps strawberry, and I smelled something floral and perhaps some bread.

This bar tasted strongly of malt and almond. For me, there was also a significant coffee flavor, but Lindy didn't taste that, and instead tasted vanilla. I also noticed the vanilla, but for me it was minimal and far in the background.

The melt made it just past smooth and into creamy. Like the Domori Porcelana, the Amedei Porcelana had great length. The flavor after the chocolate was gone lasted the longest of any of the chocolates we have tasted so far. Lindy particularly liked the slow fading of flavor without any significant bitter finish.

Overall, we felt differently about this bar. Lindy appreciated its many great qualities and ranked it second, behind only the Amedei Chuao. I didn't particularly enjoy the flavor, and ranked it below the Domori Porcelana.

There was no list price for this bar, but it is available online at Chocolopolis for $15.00, and is presently the most expensive bar we've tasted so far.

Lindt on sale at Walgreens

As you may have read in our reviews of the Lindt Excellence 85% and 70% bars, they are not anywhere near our favorites, but they are certainly good chocolate bars at a reasonable price.

At least at local Seattle area Walgreens stores, these bars will be on sale from Sunday, October 17th, through Saturday, October 23rd, at the price of 2 for $3. There is also a $1 off 2 "instant value coupon" available in stores, resulting in the lowest price I've ever seen for this chocolate: only $1 per bar.

Note that this offer is not yet available today; it will begin this Sunday.

Review: Domori Porcelana

Lindy's Rating: 9.5 (previously ***)

Richard's Rating: 9.5 (previously ***)

chocolate maker Domori bar Porcelana region Venezuela plantation (unknown) cacao trees Criollo year (unknown) size 25g ~ 0.9oz cocoa solids 70% added fat (none) sweetener cane sugar emulsifier (none) flavoring (none) other ingredients (none) list price N/A

color medium brown texture smooth with text imprints aroma initial spice, strong strawberry, hint of floral snap hard taste balanced chocolate flavor, strawberry or cherry, bread, butter melt smooth length medium finish dry, ashy

MORE RECENT REVIEW: Domori Porcelana

Domori's Porcelana was one of two chocolate bars that Lindy and I tasted today made from Porcelana cacao beans from Venezuela. The beans from these Criollo cacao trees have a distinctive white color and were named Porcelana for this porcelain-like color.

This tiny chocolate bar was the smallest I've ever seen, a mere 25 grams (less than one ounce)!

Domori's Porcelana is another of the rare chocolates made only of cocoa mass and cane sugar. It had a strong aroma of strawberry. Lindy noticed an initial spicy scent and I found a hint of flowers. The taste was a lovely balanced chocolate with some strawberry or cherry that Lindy described as "pure chocolate flavor". I also tasted something like bread and butter.

Another notable aspect of this chocolate was the length of taste. It was one of the few bars we've reviewed so far whose flavor lasted longer than 30 seconds after the chocolate was gone.

Overall, the Domori Porcelana had excellent chocolate flavor, but both of us felt that it lacked the intensity of a four star chocolate. Lindy remarked that it had the least bitter finish of the chocolates we'd tasted so far.

There was no list price for this bar, but it is available online in the U.S. for $6.50 from Chocolopolis.

Review: Green & Black's Dark 85%

Lindy's Rating: 3.0 (previously *)

Richard's Rating: 4.0 (previously **)

chocolate maker Green & Black's bar Dark 85% region (unknown) plantation (blend) cacao trees Trinitario year (unknown) size 100g ~ 3.5oz cocoa solids 85% fat cocoa butter sweetener cane sugar emulsifier soy lecithin flavoring vanilla extract other ingredients cocoa powder whole milk powder list price N/A

color medium brown texture smooth aroma vanilla, grapefruit, hint of red fruit snap hard taste malted, grapefruit, some bitterness melt smooth length short finish bitter

Like the Organic Dark 70%, Green & Black's Organic Dark 85% bar is certified organic, is made from Trinitario cocoa beans, and uses organic whole milk powder as an extra ingredient. It also adds organic fat-reduced cocoa powder to increase the chocolate flavor and uses less sugar and possibly more vanilla than the 70% bar.

The aroma was similar to the 70%, with the addition of an elusive hint of red fruit. The taste, though, was quite different: a malted flavor was strongest, with the grapefruit more in the background. There was also some bitterness. The melt was a little smoother than the 70%. The length was short, but the malted flavor lasted longer than the grapefruit of 70%. The finish was definitely bitter.

The increased bitterness of the 85% bar made it distinctly less enjoyable, and overall we both liked the 70% better. Lindy liked both the Lindt 85% and 70% better than the Green & Black's. I liked the Green & Black's 70% better than both Lindt bars, but found the Lindt 85% better than the Green & Black's 85%.

As I wrote before, there is no list price for the Green & Black's bars, but I found them in the organic section of our local grocery store for $4.49.

Review: Green & Black's Dark 70%

Lindy's Rating: 4.0 (previously **)

Richard's Rating: 5.5 (previously **)

chocolate maker Green & Black's bar Dark 70% region (unknown) plantation (blend) cacao trees Trinitario year (unknown) size 100g ~ 3.5oz cocoa solids 70% fat cocoa butter sweetener cane sugar emulsifier soy lecithin flavoring vanilla extract other ingredients whole milk powder list price N/A

color medium brown texture smooth aroma vanilla, grapefruit snap hard taste fruity, grapefruit melt smooth length short finish somewhat bitter

Green & Black's Organic Dark 70% bar is certified organic by the California Certified Organic Farmers (CCOF), one of the 97 USDA Accredited Certifying Agents. In addition to being certified organic (for every ingredient other than soy lecithin), this bar is also the first to have organic whole milk powder as an ingredient. It's also notable that Green & Black's call out the use of Trinitario cocoa beans on the front cover.

Lindy and I both had a difficult time identifying aromas beyond the scent of vanilla. I noticed something that seemed to be grapefruit; Lindy clarified the vanilla scent as that of a liquor. The taste revealed a fruity flavor with a hint of citrus, that I experienced as grapefruit. Both of us found the length short, but for Lindy it was nearly minimal. She also found the finish to be more bitter than I did.

There is no list price for the Green & Black's bars, but I found them in the organic section of our local grocery store for $4.49.

Because we tasted the Green & Black's Dark 70% and Dark 85% bars after reviewing the Michel Cluizel Vila Gracinda bar, I retasted them again this morning to confirm our findings, and the grapefruit aroma and taste were even clearer (or perhaps just easier to notice since I was seeking them :)

Review: Michel Cluizel Vila Gracinda

Lindy's Rating: 5.5 (previously **)

Richard's Rating: 6.0 (previously **)

chocolate maker Michel Cluizel bar Vila Gracinda region São Tomé plantation Vila Gracinda cacao trees (probably Forastero) year (unknown) size 100g ~ 3.5oz cocoa solids 67% fat cocoa butter sweetener cane sugar emulsifier (none) flavoring bourbon vanilla other ingredients (none) list price N/A

color medium-dark brown texture smooth with text imprints aroma clove, licorice, red fruit, coffee snap hard taste coffee, roast, somewhat bitter melt less smooth length short finish flat, ashy

Michel Cluizel 1er Cru de Plantation Vila Gracinda is our first bar from Africa, with beans from the Vila Gracinda plantation on the island of São Tomé. I was unable to track down the type of cacao trees planted there, although it seems likely to be the Forastero that is prevalent in São Tomé. If they answer my email with this information, I will update the review accordingly.

When we opened the bar, it happened to be the first time we tasted when it was bright and sunny here in Seattle. Under artificial light, the color appeared darker than most other bars we'd tasted, definitely a medium-dark brown. However, under bright sunlight, the color appeared more of a medium brown. Because we evaluated the color of the other bars under artificial light, we rated the color medium-dark brown.

The potential color discrepancy points out one of our concerns when evaluating chocolate. How do we remain as objective as possible using our criteria? We will try to maintain similar conditions under which we review each chocolate (such as eating nothing during the four hours before tasting, although this is somewhat problematic when we taste more than one bar in a sitting). As we've been reviewing more bars, we have also been refining our criteria, about which I'll write more in a future posting.

With regards to the Gracinda bar, although Lindy and I both smelled clove as one of the strong aromas, we sensed different other fragrances: Lindy noticed red fruit while I noticed licorice and coffee.

Coffee was also the predominant flavor for me, along with roast. Lindy found the taste somewhat bitter, but I didn't experience any bitterness. The length was short, and the finish was flat and ashy, or "unremarkable" as Lindy described it.

UPDATE: As of 28 April 2013, you can purchase Vila Gracinda for 3,85 € directly from Michel Cluizel. The best price I found for purchase online in the U.S. was $5.99 from Caputo's.