Review: Endangered Species: Supreme Dark

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

Richard's Rating: 5.5 (previously **)

chocolate maker Endangered Species bar Supreme Dark region (unknown) plantation (blend) cacao trees (unknown) year (unknown) size 85g ~ 3.0oz cocoa solids 72% added fat cocoa butter sweetener beet sugar emulsifier soy lecithin flavoring vanilla other ingredients (none) list price $2.99

color medium-dark brown PANTONE 19-1015 Bracken texture smooth, with branch imprints and scoring aroma roast (tobacco, smoky), coconut, woody, acidic, sweet snap hard taste fruit (coconut), roast (tobacco, cocoa), sweet, nutty melt slow start, smooth to more smooth length short finish acidic, sweet coconut

UPDATE: Endangered Species has reformulated this chocolate to use cane sugar rather than beet sugar, and has renamed the bar to Natural Dark Chocolate.

Unfortunately, Lindy has been swamped with making a (hopefully final) round of revisions to her Ph.D. dissertation, so she hasn't been able to taste with me recently. I'm going to go ahead and review a few bars in her absence, and later update the reviews with her perspective when she gets to them. Note: updated February 11th, after tasting again with Lindy.

Known as Endangered Species's "chimp bar" due to the picture of the chimpanzee on the cover, Supreme Dark has 72% cocoa solids and uses beet sugar as a sweetener. The color was a medium-dark brown closest to Bracken (PANTONE 19-1015). This bar was scored into 15 pieces, each with their imprint of what appears to be a stylized sparse tree or branch.

Supreme Dark had a hard snap. Its aroma included a roast that smelled like a smoky tobacco, a tropical fruit in the form of coconut, a woody scent, a clear sweetness, and a surprising acidity.

As suggested by its aroma, the taste of this chocolate had both coconut and roast flavors, the latter of which was primarily tobacco in nature, but also contained some cocoa. Lindy noticed a generally nutty flavor. Substantial sweetness was also present.

Supreme Dark took several seconds to begin to melt, but soon became smooth. Lindy found it to be more smooth. The flavor lasted 10 to 25 seconds, solidly in the short duration. The finish was acidic to me, but Lindy was left with an aftertaste of sweet coconut.

This chocolate maker donates 10% of its net profits to organizations conserving species or habitat. The inside wrapper of the Supreme Dark provides compelling information about the plight of chimpanzees.

Review: Endangered Species Extreme Dark

Lindy's Rating: 3.0 (previously *)

Richard's Rating: 5.0 (previously **)

chocolate maker Endangered Species bar Extreme Dark region (unknown) plantation (blend) cacao trees (unknown) year (unknown) size 85g ~ 3.0oz cocoa solids 88% added fat (none) sweetener beet sugar emulsifier soy lecithin flavoring vanilla other ingredients (none) list price $2.99

color medium-dark brown PANTONE 19-1314 Seal Brown texture smooth, with branch imprints and scoring aroma roast (cocoa, coffee, smoky), earthy (straw), spice, sweet snap hard taste bitter, roast (burnt, smoke, tea) melt smooth length medium finish bitter

UPDATE: Endangered Species has reformulated this chocolate to use cane sugar rather than beet sugar, and has renamed the bar to Natural Dark Chocolate with 88% Cocoa.

Endangered Species is another chocolate maker doing good in the world. Ten percent of their net profits are donated to organizations dedicated to conserving species or habitat. Created in the Rogue Valley of Oregon in 1993, they have since relocated to Indianapolis, Indiana. The motto of Endangered Species is "Savor chocolate. Save our planet." Some of their chocolates are organic, though Extreme Dark is not. They also have a terrific URL: chocolatebar.com.

At 88% cocoa solids, Extreme Dark has the highest cocoa content of the bars made by Endangered Species. The inside wrapper of each bar of chocolate provides information about a particular endangered species. Extreme Dark informs you about black panthers (including both leopards and jaguars).

Extreme Dark has a medium-dark brown color and is scored into 15 pieces, each with an imprint of what appears to be a stylized sparse tree or branch.

There were several aromas from this chocolate, including roast and straw. The roast was complex, and included cocoa, smoky, and coffee. Lindy also noticed a sweet smell, and I detected some spice.

The taste was less interesting, or at least hidden behind a strong bitterness. Lindy found only a burnt taste. The roast came through for me, including a clear smoky flavor as well as a weak black tea.

The melt felt smooth to me and more smooth to Lindy. The flavor lasted 25 to 35 seconds, giving a medium length. The final aftertaste was bitter.

Lindy rated Extreme Dark * primarily due to its bitterness. I felt it deserved **.