Review: Lindt Excellence 85%

Lindy's Rating: 5.0 (previously **)

Richard's Rating: 5.0 (previously **)

chocolate maker Lindt bar Excellence 85% year (unknown) cacao trees (unknown) region (unknown) size 100g ~ 3.5oz plantation (blend) cocoa solids 85% fat cocoa butter sweetener sugar emulsifier (none) flavoring bourbon vanilla other ingredients (none) list price $3.50

color medium-dark brown texture stripes of smooth & matte aroma cherry, roast snap very hard taste earthy, roast (coffee), grapefruit melt slow start length short finish bitter

Lindy and I tasted four bars today, including the Lindt Excellence 70%, which has been updated to merge Lindy's tasting notes and add her rating, and the Lindt Excellence 85% reviewed here.

The color and texture were nearly identical to that of the 70%. The snap was a bit harder. The aroma of cherries was much stronger than in the 70%, and overwhelmed any subtler scents other than some roast. Surprisingly, that cherry aroma did not come out in the flavor, and instead this bar tasted earthy and of roast coffee. Lindy also noticed a grapefruit flavor. The length was longer than the 70%, but still short. The finish was more bitter. Overall, we both liked this bar slightly more than the 70%. Another solid bar in the inexpensive category.

UPDATE: As of 20 April 2013, the best price I found for purchase online in the U.S. was $3.50 from World Wide Chocolate. However, you can frequently find Lindt Excellence bars on sale for $2.00 or less at local groceries and pharmacies.