Review: Valrhona Le Noir Extra Amer 85%

Richard's Rating: 5.0

chocolate maker Valrhona bar Le Noir Extra Amer region Africa plantation (blend) cacao trees (unknown) year (unknown) size 100g ~ 3.5oz cocoa solids 85% added fat cocoa butter sweetener sugar emulsifier soy lecithin flavoring vanilla extract other ingredients (none) list price N/A

color medium-dark brown texture smooth, imprint, lines, scoring, scuffing aroma roast, earth, vanilla, nut, spice, fruit snap hard taste earth, roast (tobacco, coffee), bitter, fruit (citrus) melt smooth length short finish bitter, somewhat tannin

Le Noir Extra Amer is one of Valrhona's lower priced quality chocolate bars. It contains a blend of cacao, like that of Le Noir Amer we reviewed earlier, but has higher cacao content.

Le Noir Extra Amer contained 85% cocoa solids (beans plus added cocoa butter) and was made with cacao beans from Africa. The ingredients of this chocolate were cacao beans, sugar, cocoa butter, soy lecithin, and vanilla extract.

The large 100 gram bar was scored into eight big pieces, each imprinted with diagonal parallel lines. There was also a Valrhona imprint shared among four of the pieces. The bar came wrapped in brass-colored foil inside a paper wrapper. The lot number of the chocolate reviewed here was 11138 and the best before date was October 2012.

The color of the chocolate was a medium dark brown that was nearly dark brown and noticeably darker than Le Noir Amer. The bar looked good: the surface was smooth, with some minimal scuffing. The bar had a hard snap.

The chocolate had a roast and earthy aroma, with additional scents of vanilla, nut, spice, and fruit.

It tasted of earth and roast as well, with the roast consisting of both tobacco and coffee flavors. Bitterness was clearly present, along with a fruit flavor that included some citrus.

The melt was smooth. The chocolate flavor after the chocolate was gone lasted about 15 to 20 seconds, giving it a short length. The final aftertaste was bitter and somewhat tannin.

There is no list price for this chocolate, but I purchased Valrhona Le Noir Extra Amer at Trader Joe's for $2.99. As you can see on our Best Chocolate Values page, $0.85 per ounce is a bargain for this 85% chocolate bar.

Review: Divine 70% Dark

Richard's Rating: 5.5

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 lecithin flavoring vanilla other ingredients (none) list price $3.99

color medium-dark brown PANTONE 19-1015 Bracken texture smooth, scoring, lined, scuffing aroma roast (tobacco), earth, spice, vanilla, coconut snap medium hard taste roast (cocoa, hint of tobacco), sweet (molasses), vanilla, fruit, hint of earth melt smooth length short finish very slightly bitter

Divine Chocolate is part-owned by the Kuapa Kokoo cooperative of cacao farmers in Ghana. They make fair trade chocolate and two unflavored dark chocolate bars: 85% Dark and this one: 70% Dark. Both are single origin chocolates made with cacao from Ghana.

This chocolate contained 70% cocoa solids and had ingredients of cocoa mass, sugar, cocoa butter, soy lecithin, and vanilla. The 100 gram bar was scored into 24 pieces, each imprinted with horizontal and vertical lines separated in half with a diagonal line. It came enclosed in brass-colored foil inside a black paper wrapper covered with gold Adinkra symbols. The best before date was February 2013.

70% Dark had a medium-dark brown Bracken (PANTONE 19-1015) color. The surface was smooth with some scuffing. The snap was medium hard.

The aroma of this chocolate was a tobacco roast with earth. Scents of spice, vanilla, and coconut were also present.

The chocolate tasted of a cocoa roast, with little of the tobacco or earthiness of the aroma. There was a sweet molasses flavor as well as vanilla and some fruit I didn't identify.

70% Dark had a smooth melt. The chocolate flavor lasted about 10 to 15 seconds after the chocolate was gone, giving a short length. The finish was very slightly bitter.

Overall, 70% Dark was superior to 85% Dark, lacking the bitter flavor and much of the bitter aftertaste. It's one of the better chocolates at the $1.25 per ounce and under price points, as you can see on our Best Chocolate Values page.

You can purchase 70% Dark for $3.99 in the U.S. directly from Divine USA or for £2.00 in the U.K. directly from Divine.

Review: Divine 85% Dark

Richard's Rating: 5.0

chocolate maker Divine bar 85% Dark region Ghana plantation (blend) cacao trees (unknown) year (unknown) size 100g ~ 3.5oz cocoa solids 85% added fat cocoa butter sweetener sugar emulsifier lecithin flavoring vanilla other ingredients cocoa powder list price $3.99

color medium-dark brown PANTONE 19-1314 Seal Brown texture smooth, imprints, scoring aroma roast (coffee), vanilla, earth, spice, coconut snap hard taste roast (coffee, cocoa), earth, nut, somewhat bitter melt smooth length short finish bitter

Kuapa Kokoo is a cooperative of cacao farmers in Ghana that helped establish the Day Chocolate Company in 1998 to make a fair trade chocolate bar from their cacao. In 2007, Day Chocolate became Divine Chocolate. Kuapa Kokoo owns 45% of Divine Chocolate. You can read more about the interesting history of this company on their website.

Divine makes two single origin unflavored dark chocolate bars: 70% Dark and 85% Dark. 85% Dark obviously contained 85% cocoa solids, and was made from cocoa mass, cocoa butter, sugar, cocoa powder, soy lecithin, and vanilla. Note the addition of cocoa powder to this chocolate.

The full 100 gram bar was scored into 24 pieces, each with either an imprint of the stylized Divine name or an Adinkra symbol. It came enclosed in brass-colored foil inside a black paper wrapper with reflective Adinkra symbols. The best before date was April 2013.

The medium-dark brown color of this chocolate was Seal Brown (PANTONE 19-1314). The surface was smooth with some spots of adhered chocolate bits. The snap was hard.

The aroma of 85% Dark contained scents of a coffee roast, vanilla, earth, spice, and coconut.

85% Dark tasted primarily of a coffee and cocoa roast. Flavors of earth and nut were present. I also found it somewhat bitter.

The melt was smooth, though towards less smooth. The length was short, with the flavor lasting 15 to 20 seconds after the chocolate was gone and leaving a bitter aftertaste.

You can purchase 85% Dark for $3.99 in the U.S. directly from Divine USA or for £2.00 in the U.K. directly from Divine.

Review: Valrhona Grand Cru Abinao 85%

Lindy's Rating: 6.0

Richard's Rating: 6.0

chocolate maker Valrhona bar Abinao region Africa plantation (blend) cacao trees Forastero year (unknown) size 70g ~ 2.5oz cocoa solids 85% added fat cocoa butter sweetener sugar emulsifier soy lecithin flavoring vanilla extract other ingredients (none) list price $6.99

color medium brown PANTONE 19-1015 Bracken texture matte, smooth flower, asymmetric scoring lines aroma roast, fruit (raisin), earth, sweet (molasses) snap hard taste ashy, fruit (raisin), roast, sour melt more smooth length short finish tannin, slightly bitter

Africa was the source of Forastero cacao beans for Abinao 85%, one of Valrhona's Grand Cru line of chocolates. Valrhona made this chocolate from cocoa beans, sugar, cocoa butter, soy lecithin, and natural vanilla extract. Cocoa solids (both beans and cocoa butter) totaled 85%. The thin 70 gram bar was formed as normal for their Grand Cru bars: a matte texture with smooth imprints of a flower and the Valrhona name. The score lines were asymmetric, giving 25 pieces of varied sizes. The particular bar we reviewed had a best before date of December 2011.

Abinao had a medium brown Bracken (PANTONE 19-1015) color and the bar had a hard snap. The chocolate revealed aromas of roast, raisin, earth, and a sweetness Lindy recognized as molasses.

The taste started with an initial ashiness that quickly faded behind a strong raisin flavor. Roast was obviously present, and we tasted some sourness. There seemed to be hints of other fruit, too, but we couldn't identify them.

The melt was smoother than typical after a somewhat slow start. We rated it more smooth. The length was short, with only about 10 seconds of chocolate flavor after the chocolate was gone. The final aftertaste was tannin, with a slight bitterness.

For delivery in the U.S., you can purchase Valrhona Abinao 85% online for $6.99 directly from Valrhona or for $5.65 from Chocosphere. For delivery in the U.K. (and Europe), you can purchase it online for £3.55 from Chocolate Trading Co.

Review: Askinosie Tenende Tanzania

Lindy's Rating: 7.5 (previously ***)

Richard's Rating: 7.5 (previously ***)

chocolate maker Askinosie bar Tenende Tanzania region Africa plantation (blend) cacao trees Trinitario year 2011 size 85g ~ 3.0oz cocoa solids 72% added fat cocoa butter sweetener cane juice emulsifier (none) flavoring (none) other ingredients (none) list price $8.00

color medium-dark brown PANTONE 19-1317 Bitter Chocolate texture smooth with character imprints and scoring aroma earth, fruit (fig), roast (tobacco), floral snap medium hard taste initial slight bitterness, roast, fruit (berry, citrus), tannin melt smooth length short finish somewhat acidic, somewhat tannin

Askinosie is the passionate creation of Shawn Askinosie. He established a chocolate making business based on personal relationships, beginning with the farmers who grow the cacao. Although not certified due to the added costs, Askinosie makes single origin organic chocolate using fair trade practices (including profit-sharing). Their dark chocolate bars include San Jose Del Tambo, Ecuador, Cortés, Honduras, Soconusco, Mexico, Davao, Phillipines, and this bar: Tenende, Tanzania.

Tenende Tanzania came packaged environmentally, wrapped in biodegradable and compostable NatureFlex™ inside a waxed paper bag tied with string from the biodegradable sack in which the beans were shipped to their factory.

This chocolate was a single origin bar made of Trinitario cacao beans from farms of the woman-led UWATE farmer group in Tenende, Tanzania. It was developed as a project of Chocolate University, a partnership of Askinosie and Drury University to benefit the homeless children of Springfield, Missouri. Students learned about entrepreneurship and making chocolate from bean to bar, and 13 traveled to Tanzania and met the cacao farmers. The project also funded a new village well.

Rather than a best before date, Askinosie provides the date the bar was finally packaged as a "Choc-o-lot #", and using this number you can read the history of making the chocolate from beans to bar of this production run of chocolate bars. On their homepage, you enter the Choc-o-lot number (in the case of the bar we reviewed: 030911) and on the next page select the type and origin of the bar to see its history.

Tenende chocolate was made from 72% cocoa solids, with 28% organic cane juice and 3% (of the 72%) added cocoa butter made from the same cacao beans. The 85 gram bar was scored into 18 pieces, each with a single letter of "Askinosie chocolate". The color of the chocolate was a medium-dark brown Bitter Chocolate (PANTONE 19-1317). The bar had a medium hard snap.

The aroma of Tenende was predominantly earthy, with additional scents of dried fig and something floral. We also noticed a roast that we were able to identify as tobacco after smelling a fresh break.

Lindy tasted a slight initial bitterness as the chocolate began to melt. We then experienced roast and a gradually building fruit flavor that included berry (perhaps cherry) and citrus. The flavor of tannin was present as well.

The melt was at the far end of smooth, nearly more smooth, but not quite. The flavor lasted about 15 to 20 seconds after the chocolate was gone, giving it a short length. To Lindy, the final aftertaste was somewhat tannin; to me, it was somewhat acidic.

Overall, Lindy and I both rated Tenende a low ***. This chocolate won a Silver at the Academy of Chocolate's 2011 Awards.

You can purchase Askinosie Tenende Tanzania online in the U.S. directly from Askinosie for $8.00, or if you'd like to combine it with the purchase of other chocolate, you can buy it from Chocolopolis for $7.99.

Review: Francois Pralus Caracas

Lindy's Rating: 7.0 (previously ***)

Richard's Rating: 6.0 (previously **)

chocolate maker Pralus bar Caracas region Ghana, Venezuela plantation (blend) cacao trees Forastero, 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 €4,00

color medium-dark brown PANTONE 19-1015 Bracken texture smooth with text imprint and scoring aroma sweet, earthy, spice, hint of smoke snap hard taste sweet, fruit (coconut), almond, hint of tart melt smooth length short finish very slightly acidic

Caracas is a misleading name for this chocolate bar from Pralus. It is not a single-origin bar from Venezuela, as it includes beans from Ghana. The Trinitario label is also misleading, as this chocolate is made from a mixture of both Forastero and Trinitario cacao beans.

Pralus Caracas is made of 75% cocoa solids, sugar, added cocoa butter, and soy lecithin. This bar was packaged as usual for Pralus chocolate bars: paper wrapper over gold foil-covered chocolate. The 100 gram bar we reviewed had a best before date of 6 August 2011.

The bar was scored into 24 small pieces and one large piece (that is the same size as 8 small ones) with the "Pralus" imprint. The color of Caracas was a medium-dark brown Bracken (PANTONE 19-1015). It had a hard snap.

This chocolate had aromas of sweetness, some earthiness, and a spice that I thought might include cinnamon. Lindy also noticed a hint of smokiness.

Caracas tasted sweet, and included flavors of fruit, coconut, almond, and a hint of tartness. Lindy playfully described it as the "Almond Joy" chocolate due to the coconut and almond flavors, even though it tasted nothing like Almond Joy candy.

The melt was smooth, and the length short. The finish was not bitter, with the aftertaste being only very slightly acidic. Overall, Lindy rated Caracas a low *** and I rated it a high **.

You can purchase Pralus Caracas online directly from Pralus for €4,00, or from Chocolopolis for $9.50.

Review: Hägeland Uganda

Lindy's Rating: 6.0 (previously **)

Richard's Rating: 6.0 (previously **)

chocolate maker Hägeland bar Uganda region Uganda plantation (blend) cacao trees Forastero year (unknown) size 100g ~ 3.5oz cocoa solids 80% added fat cocoa butter sweetener sugar emulsifier (none) flavoring vanilla other ingredients (none) list price N/A

color dark brown texture smooth aroma strong earthy (mushroom), smoky, spice (not quite clove), hint of nuts snap medium-hard taste earthy, coffee, hints of smoke, ash, and fruit melt smooth length minimal-short finish slightly bitter

This Hägeland Uganda bar comes to us thanks to Phillip (who hosted our recent blind chocolate tasting). He found this bar at a Walmart store.

Hägeland is a Belgian chocolate maker that distributes their chocolate exclusively through Walmart in the United States. The bars are not presently available online, nor in all Walmart stores, and the prices vary by store. I phoned several local Washington State Walmarts until I found them currently available at the Federal Way Walmart Supercenter for $2.28 (usually $2.99).

Hägeland's Uganda bars are made from Forastero cacao beans from Uganda. The color of this bar was a dark brown and unleashed a strong earthy aroma that we decided was mushroom. Other aromas we noticed included a smoky roast, a spice we couldn't quite identify that seemed similar to clove, and a hint of nuts.

I found the taste similarly earthy, but Lindy found the flavor to be more of a roast that she experienced as coffee. We also both tasted hints of ash, smoke and fruit. The melt was average and the length was on the minimal side of short. The final aftertaste was a slight bitterness.

Overall, a good ** bar that we both found more interesting than what we consider the standard of **, the Lindt Excellence bars, and sometimes less expensive, too.

Review: Guylian Extra Dark

Lindy's Rating: 6.0 (previously **)

Richard's Rating: 5.5 (previously **)

chocolate maker Guylian bar Extra Dark region West Africa plantation (blend) cacao trees (unknown) year (unknown) size 200g ~ 7.1oz cocoa solids 70% added fat cocoa butter sweetener sugar emulsifier soy lecithin flavoring (none) other ingredients (none) list price N/A

color medium brown texture text imprints, lines, and scoring aroma molasses, roasted nuts snap hard taste roasted nuts, sweet, ashy melt less smooth length short finish slightly acidic

Guylian is a second generation Belgian chocolate maker that produces primarily chocolate pralines and truffles, and is famous for its chocolate sea shells. They also produce a few chocolate bars, including a no sugar line that uses Maltitol as a sugar substitute. Guylian currently makes only one dark chocolate bar, the Extra Dark. By the way, the company is named from a combination of the founders first names: Guy and Liliane Foubert.

I received the last two squares of a Guylian Extra Dark bar from a friend of mine to whom it had been given as a gift. He wanted to give us an opportunity to try this chocolate that isn't generally available in the US (thanks Edward!)

The Extra Dark appears to be typically distributed in 100 gram bars, but the one reviewed here was a 200 gram bar. According to the Guylian website, the cacao beans used to make this bar are a blend (of probably Forastero beans) from Côte d’Ivoire and Ghana. This medium brown chocolate had a gray surface, likely due to improper storage at some point during its journey to us.

The aromas revealed by the Extra Dark were that of molasses and roasted nuts. The taste was quite similar, with a less specific sweet, but the same general roasted nuts. I also noticed an ashy flavor.

This chocolate was brittle, and shattered when chewing pieces (again, perhaps related to storage). The melt was less smooth, but not at all grainy. While the chocolate flavor lasted only a short time, there was no bitter aftertaste as the flavor faded away, leaving only a slightly acidic finish.

We both rated this bar **, though Lindy liked the roasted nut flavor a lot, and would have considered a higher rating had there been a bit more complexity to the aroma or taste, a better melt, or greater length.

I couldn't find a list price for this bar, but there was a sticker on the wrapper indicating a regular price of $7.00 (and discounted price of $4.99). For 200 grams, the Extra Dark is inexpensive, roughly the same value as the Lindt Excellence bars, and just as good.

Review: Pralus Ghana

Lindy's Rating: 5.0 (previously **)

Richard's Rating: 5.0 (previously **)

chocolate maker Francois Pralus bar Ghana region Ghana plantation (blend) cacao trees Forastero 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 €4,00

color medium-dark brown PANTONE 19-1518 Puce texture smooth with text imprint and scoring aroma ashy, smoky, spice, hints of vanilla, cherry, and coffee snap medium hard taste coffee, spice (cinnamon) melt creamy length minimal finish somewhat bitter

Francois Pralus Ghana is a certified organic chocolate bar made from Forastero cacao beans in Ghana. It was one of the bars we tasted at our recent blind chocolate tasting. Although it was ranked lowest among the bars at that event, both Lindy and I felt it should have ended up somewhere nearer the middle.

The aroma of this bar was a bit weaker that the other bars at the tasting, but interesting none the less. People detected scents of ash, smoke, and spice, along with hints of vanilla, cherry, and coffee. The taste was experienced more consistently, with nearly everyone noticing coffee and spice. Lindy and one other person identified the spice flavor as cinnamon.

The melt of this bar was creamy and better than any of the other bars we tasted that evening. Sadly, the flavor disappeared quickly after the chocolate and left a somewhat bitter aftertaste.

Unfortunately, we did not take an opportunity to photograph the opened chocolate bars at the tasting, so I only have a picture of the wrapper.

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.

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.