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.

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.