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 **.