Review: Lindt Excellence 90% Supreme Dark

Richard's Rating: 4.5

chocolate maker Lindt bar Excellence 90% region unknown plantation blend cacao trees unknown year unknown size 100g ~ 3.5oz cocoa solids 90% added fat cocoa butter sweetener sugar emulsifier (none) flavoring bourbon vanilla other ingredients cocoa powder list price $3.95

color dark brown PANTONE 19-1314 Seal Brown appearance smooth, imprints, scoring aroma roast (smoke, cocoa), vanilla, earth snap hard taste earth, roast (smoke), bitter melt smooth length short finish bitter, somewhat sour, slightly acidic

Lindt changed the formulations of their Excellence line of chocolate bars since our reviews of them in 2010. For the high content bars, they added cocoa powder processed with alkali.

Lindt 90% Supreme Dark had additional ingredients of cocoa butter, cocoa powder, sugar, and bourbon vanilla beans. There was no added emulsifier (none of the soy lecithin that was added in the 70% bar).

Inside a paper box, the 100 gram bar came enclosed in foil. The bar was scored into 10 pieces, each with imprints of the cursive Lindt name above six diagonal lines. The best before date was May 31, 2014.

The color of 90% was a dark brown Seal Brown (PANTONE 19-1314). The bar had a smooth surface and overall nice appearance. The snap was hard.

This chocolate had an aroma of roast, vanilla, and earth. The roast contained both smoke and cocoa scents.

An initial earthy taste transitioned to a smoky roast flavor. I also tasted vanilla and a strong bitterness.

The melt was smooth. The chocolate flavor lasted about 15 to 20 seconds after the chocolate was gone, giving a short length. The finish was that strong bitterness, along with some sourness and a little acidity.

You can purchase Excellence 90% online for $3.95 directly from Lindt or for only $1.96 currently on sale at World Wide Chocolate.