Review: Bonnat Chuao

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

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

chocolate maker Bonnat bar Chuao 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-dark brown PANTONE 19-1015 Bracken texture smooth with text imprint and scoring aroma earthy (musty, soil), roast, hint of molasses and allspice snap hard taste roast (smoky), blueberry, strawberry melt less smooth length short finish faintly fruity

Bonnat is a fourth-generation family chocolate maker in Voiron, France. In additional to many truffles and mixed chocolates, they make several pure regional chocolate bars, including this Chuao. The family motto is "What is good to the taste is great for the soul."

As with the other Chuao bars we've reviewed, the Bonnat Chuao had the same PANTONE 19-1015 Bracken coloration, perhaps with a hint of Mustang (PANTONE 19-1217). It was a slightly darker brown (as with the Amano, and in contrast with the medium brown of the Amedei or Coppeneur).

The aroma of this bar was quite complex, with a predominantly earthy scent of soil and mustiness. I also smelled something roasted, but couldn't identify anything more specific. We also found hints of many other aromas: sweet, allspice, molasses, and berry.

This chocolate had an initial roast flavor, that was clearly smoky to me, but Lindy experienced it simply as roast. The melt was less smooth, again similar to the Amano and nothing like the lovely creaminess of the Amedei or Coppeneur Chuaos. As the chocolate melted, two berry flavors were revealed: blueberry and strawberry.

A short delay after the chocolate disappeared, we were left with a faintly fruity flavor. This fruity finish was remarkable in that it was so unlike the mild bitterness, acidity, or dryness typical of nearly all dark chocolates.

Bonnat Chuao is the fourth chocolate bar we've reviewed made exclusively from cacao from the Chuao region of Venezuela. We were happily surprised as it exceeded our expectations and was second only to Amedei's spectacular bar. It's also the most affordable Chuao chocolate, at only $2.83 per ounce. Lindy rated it 4 stars and placed it 4th among her ten favorite bars so far. I placed it 3rd among mine.

There isn't a list price for Bonnat Chuao, but you can find it at Chocolopolis for $9.99.

UPDATE 20 November 2012: As of today, the price at Chocolopolis has risen to $21.75. The lowest price I found today for purchasing Bonnat Chuao online is $15.90 at Chocosphere.

Review: Amano Chuao

Lindy's Rating: 8.0 (previously ***)

Richard's Rating: 8.0 (previously ***)

chocolate maker Amano bar Chuao region Venezuela plantation (blend) cacao trees Criollo year (unknown) size 56g ~ 2oz cocoa solids 70% added fat cocoa butter sweetener cane sugar emulsifier (none) flavoring vanilla other ingredients (none) list price $9.95

color medium-dark brown PANTONE 19-1015 Bracken texture smooth with text imprints and scoring aroma coffee, earthy, musty, hint of coconut snap hard taste strong blackberry, plum, hint of earthy melt less smooth length short finish slightly dry

Amano is a small U.S. chocolate maker founded by Art Pollard in Orem, Utah. They only began publicly selling chocolate bars in 2006, and released their first bar made exclusively from Criollo cacao beans from Chuao, Venezuela, just this year.

The first thing we noticed about Amano's Chuao bar is that it is a darker brown than the other Chuao bars we've reviewed. Breaking the pieces to test the snap revealed a couple of air pockets in the chocolate, indicating imperfect tempering.

This chocolate had a surprising coffee aroma, with an earthy background we decided was musty, and a hint of coconut. The taste of the Amano Chuao was an intense blackberry, some plum, and yet also just a bit earthy. The melt was less smooth, but not grainy; just not as smooth as other comparable chocolates. Sadly, the flavor didn't last long, but the finish left no bitterness -- we were left with only a slight dryness.

Overall, we were both a little disappointed by Amano's Chuao bar, having had high expectations from this respected chocolate maker using top quality beans. We both ranked this bar in our respective top 10, but it was noticeably below the other Chuaos we've tasted.

Review: Ghirardelli Twilight Delight

Lindy's Rating: 5.0 (previously **)

Richard's Rating: 5.0 (previously **)

chocolate maker Ghirardelli bar Twilight Delight™ region (unknown) plantation (blend) cacao trees (unknown) year (unknown) size 100g ~ 3.5oz cocoa solids 72% added fat cocoa butter sweetener sugar emulsifier soy lecithin flavoring vanilla other ingredients (none) list price $3.95

color dark brown PANTONE 19-1217 Mustang texture smooth with text and image imprints, scoring aroma soil, smoky, coffee, vanilla, spice snap hard taste raspberry, brown sugar, earthy (all mild) melt smooth length short finish slightly bitter

Ghirardelli's Twilight Delight™ is one of three unflavored chocolate bars in their Intense Dark™ line of chocolates. It has 72% cocoa solids; the other bars are Evening Dream™ with 60% and Midnight Reverie™ with 86%. Note that Ghirardelli has trademarked the many names of their chocolates.

Given our past experiences with Ghirardelli chocolates, Lindy and I had low expectations for this chocolate bar, but we were both pleasantly surprised.

The aroma of the bar was smoky and earthy soil, with coffee, vanilla, and spice. The taste was mild, with the flavors of raspberry, brown sugar, and earthiness. Twilight Delight™ had a smooth melt and short length, and left a slightly bitter aftertaste.

This chocolate wasn't especially remarkable, but Twilight Delight™ is a reasonable choice for an unexpected chocolate craving (along the lines of Lindt Excellence or Green & Black's Organic Dark bars).

Review: Trader Joe's 72% Dark Chocolate

Lindy's Rating: 3.0 (previously *)

Richard's Rating: 4.0 (previously **)

chocolate maker (unknown) bar 72% Dark Chocolate region (unknown) plantation (blend) cacao trees (unknown) year (unknown) size 500g ~ 17.6oz cocoa solids 72% added fat cocoa butter sweetener sugar emulsifier soy lecithin flavoring (none) other ingredients (none) list price $4.99

color darkest brown PANTONE 19-1217 Mustang texture ridged top, smooth sides, scoring aroma allspice, sweet, earthy snap hard taste brown sugar, roasted melt smooth length minimal finish slightly acidic or bitter

Trader Joe's Pound Plus Belgian chocolate bars are so big that they probably shouldn't be considered bars. At 500 grams, they weigh more than a pound, and are 5 to 10 times bigger than a typical artisan bar. For the price of only $4.99, these Pound Plus bars are a fantastic bargain, and top our Chocolate Value chart at only $0.28 per ounce.

The color of the 72% Dark Chocolate bar was an extremely dark brown. It gave off a clear aroma of allspice and sweetness, with a somewhat less obvious earthy scent. The taste was dominated by a brown sugar sweetness, and also had a roasted flavor. The melt was smooth.

Unfortunately, the chocolate flavor disappeared within seconds, providing only minimal length. The finish was slightly acidic to me, and somewhat bitter to Lindy.

Overall, I found this to be a decent chocolate, and certainly an exceptional value. Lindy enjoyed it, but felt there wasn't enough chocolate flavor. Both of us think this bar, like the 54% bar, is too sweet.

Chocolate Value

As you've probably noticed, we do not consider price as a criterion in evaluating chocolate on this site. Our ratings and rankings are independent of price. However, we recognize that price is relevant and have always posted a list price for any chocolates that have them. For those that don't, we include a reference price for purchasing them online in the text of the review.

I thought it might be interesting to separately look at the relative prices of some of the chocolates we've reviewed. To that end, I added a best chocolate values page to this site that we will maintain as we continue to review chocolate bars.

Trader Joe's chocolates are, by far, the best deal, with the Pound Plus bars coming in at a mere 28 cents ($0.28) per ounce and the others well under $1 per ounce. At the other extreme is Domori's Porcelana bar, priced at almost $8 per ounce.

You can find the best chocolate values page by clicking the Chocolate Value link in the Pages section on the top right of the home page.

Review: Pralus Papouasie

Lindy's Rating: 6.5 (previously **)

Richard's Rating: 6.5 (previously **)

chocolate maker Pralus bar Papouasie region Papua New Guinea plantation (blend) cacao trees Trinitario year (unknown) size 100g ~ 3.5oz cocoa solids 75% added fat cocoa butter sweetener sugar emulsifier soy lecithin flavoring (none) other ingredients (none) list price €3,79

color dark brown PANTONE 19-1015 Bracken texture smooth with text imprint and scoring aroma earthy, musty, allspice snap hard taste smoky, sweet cinnamon, hint of orange melt smooth length short finish very slightly bitter

As suggested by the name of this bar, which is French for Papua, Francois Pralus's Papouasie is made from Trinitario cacao beans from Papua New Guinea.

Papouasie is another dark brown chocolate from Pralus, but Bracken in color rather than the Dark Red Brown of Le 100%. The appearance of the bar is otherwise quite similar to Le 100%, with identical scoring and imprint. This bar had a hard snap that caused tiny pieces of chocolate to flake off at the break, so it was slightly messy.

The aroma was earthy, which we later clarified as musty, along with the scent of allspice. Note that the musty aroma was not unpleasant at all, just the most specific description we thought of to reflect the earthy smell.

The taste of this bar was interesting. There was an overall smoky flavor, along with what Lindy identified as a sweet cinnamon with a hint of orange. We both liked the taste, though were disappointed that the flavor disappeared so quickly (short length). There was little finish, with only a very slight bitterness.

Ultimately, we both enjoyed this chocolate enough to add the bar to our respective top ten rankings.

Pralus Papouasie is available at Chocolopolis for $9.50.

Review: Pralus Le 100%

Lindy's Rating: 7.5 (previously **)

Richard's Rating: 8.0 (previously ***)

chocolate maker Pralus bar Le 100% region Madagascar plantation Pralus cacao trees Criollo year (unknown) size 100g ~ 3.5oz cocoa solids 100% added fat cocoa butter sweetener (none) emulsifier (none) flavoring (none) other ingredients (none) list price €4,00

color dark brown PANTONE 19-1526 Dark Red Brown texture smooth with text imprint and scoring aroma cocoa, floral, mint, red fruit snap medium-hard taste woody, burnt, not bitter! melt creamy length long finish slightly acidic

MORE RECENT REVIEW: Pralus Le 100%

Francois Pralus's Le 100% is the first artisan bar we've reviewed made of 100% cacao beans. We had mixed feelings about tasting a chocolate without any added sweetener. I wanted to love it and we both feared it might taste like the awful, intensely bitter, unsweetened baking chocolate squares bought at the grocery store that we remembered from our childhood.

The cacao beans that Pralus uses are from their private plantation of Criollo trees on the island of Nosy Be, Madagascar, where they are grown, harvested and fermented. They are then transported to their factory in Roanne, France, where they are roasted, conched, etc., and made into chocolate.

Le 100% is certified organic (with the French Agriculture Biologique, which is recognized as meeting all EU regulations for organic food). Now, on to the review!

The thick bar was surprisingly easy to break, and the snap was softer than we expected, perhaps due to the warmer than usual temperature that day. This pure chocolate smelled of cocoa, but there were also aromas of something floral, mint, and red fruit. The melt was nicely creamy, probably as a result of the added cocoa butter.

As for the taste, I found it woody and Lindy experienced it as a flavor of burnt ashes (but not ashy). Both of us were surprised by the complete lack of bitterness. Lindy noticed some acidity. The length was long, as we could still taste the flavors a minute after consuming the chocolate. The finish was slightly acidic, but again, not bitter.

Overall, neither of us especially liked the taste. Lindy found it unpleasant, and it wasn't something I would seek out. I don't think there is anything lacking with this chocolate; it's just that neither of us have yet acquired a taste for 100% chocolates.

However, Le 100% is an organic pure chocolate made from Criollo cacao beans, so if you're interested in trying a 100% chocolate, this is probably a good one (and it might be nice with a full-bodied red wine ;)

Pralus Le 100% is available at Chocolopolis for $7.99.

Review: Divine 70% Dark

Lindy's Rating: 5.0 (previously **)

Richard's Rating: 5.0 (previously **)

chocolate maker Divine bar 70% Dark region Ghana plantation (blend) cacao trees (unknown) year (unknown) size 100g ~ 3.5oz cocoa solids 70% added fat cocoa butter sweetener sugar emulsifier soy lecithin flavoring vanilla other ingredients (none) list price $3.60

color medium-dark brown PANTONE 19-1518 Puce texture lined with scoring aroma vanilla, floral snap medium-hard taste vanilla, molasses or brown sugar melt smooth length short finish very slightly bitter

MORE RECENT REVIEW: Divine 70% Dark

Divine Chocolate is 45% owned by the Kuapa Kokoo cooperative of Ghana cacao farmers. All of their chocolate products are fair trade certified. You can read more about Divine Chocolate, its interesting history, and their fair trade chocolate on their website. Divine makes several chocolate bars and other chocolate products, but the 70% Dark is their only unflavored dark chocolate.

The Divine 70% Dark bar gave off an immediate aroma of vanilla, with an added floral scent. Lindy also noticed some sort of spice, perhaps clove. This chocolate also tasted strongly of vanilla and sweetness. Lindy experienced the sweetness as molasses; I did as brown sugar.

The melt was smooth, though for me it was a bit less smooth. The flavor of the chocolate disappeared quickly, lasting just long enough to give it a length of short rather than minimal. The finish was minimal, with just a very slight bitter aftertaste.

Divine 70% Dark is available online directly from Divine at the price of 3 bars for $10.79, as well as at over 1100 retail stores in the U.S. and hundreds in the U.K., Canada, Europe and Japan. You can use Divine's StoreFinder application to find a retail outlet in the U.S.

Criterion: Color

You may have noticed that we recently started using standard PANTONE colors rather than our previous light, light-medium, medium, medium-dark, and dark brown descriptions of color.

Lindy and I were both a bit frustrated using the darkness of browns as our description of the color of chocolates. We wanted to find a standard to use instead. We decided to choose a book rather than a website, because it is difficult to adjust monitors to display colors accurately.

We had high hopes that the PANTONE standard colors in The PANTONE Book of Color would provide complete and accurate color descriptions that could be referenced by anyone.

However even with this reference book, we found that the colors of chocolates do not often have exact matches among the standard colors. We're choosing what we think is the closest color, but as a result, multiple chocolates that have somewhat different colors end up labeled with the same standard color. Still, we feel the addition of PANTONE colors is definitely an improvement on our previous descriptions, and hope you think so, too.