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.