List: Chocolate Bars Without Cane Sugar

Several people have e-mailed us with requests for finding chocolate that is made on equipment without any exposure to nuts, lower glycemic chocolate that is sweetened with something other than sugar, chocolate without lecithin, and other criteria. I've answered those questions individually, but now I'll begin posting and maintaining such information on the site as well.

This posting is the first of them, listing chocolate bars that are made either without a sweetener or with a sweetener that is something other than cane sugar.

Chocolate Bars Without Cane Sugar (sweetener)

• Chocolat Bonnat 100% (none)
• The Chocolate Conspiracy Dark Bar (honey)
• Coppeneur Hacienda Iara 100% (none)
• Fine & Raw 78% (agave nectar)
• Gnosis Dazzling Dark (agave nectar, coconut palm nectar)
• Gnosis Simplicity (agave nectar, coconut palm nectar)
• Grenada Chocolate Company 100% (none)
• Indahphoria Dominican Republic (coconut sugar)
• Pacari Raw 100% (none)
• Francois Pralus Le 100% (none)
• Stirs the Soul Blissful Dark (dates)
• Stirs the Soul Dark (agave)
• Stirs the Soul Honey Dark (honey)
• Stirs the Soul Origins Ecuador (agave)
• Stirs the Soul Origins Madagascar (agave)

Please see our permanent Chocolate Lists page (link at upper right) for current information.

Review: Bonnat Équateur

Richard's Rating: 7.0

chocolate maker Bonnat bar Équateur region Ecuador 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-dark brown PANTONE 19-1012 Dark Brown texture smooth, scoring, text imprint, slight scuffing, slightly uneven sheen, tiny bubbles aroma roast (tea, cocoa), earth, floral, sweet (honey), fruit (fig) snap hard taste earth, roast (tea), sweet (caramel, honey), fruit (berry, fig), tannin melt smooth length short finish somewhat tannin, slightly sour

French chocolate maker Bonnat makes single origin Équateur with cacao from Ecuador. The ingredients and proportions are Bonnat's typical ones: 75% cocoa solids (cacao beans plus added cocoa butter) and 25% sugar.

The big 100 gram bar was scored into 32 small pieces around a central block with the "BONNAT Voiron" imprint. It came wrapped in foil-sided wax paper inside a paper sleeve. The best before date was August 2013 (Lot A).

Équateur had a medium-dark brown Dark Brown (PANTONE 19-1012) color. The surface of the bar was smooth with slight scuffing and a slightly uneven sheen. There were some tiny bubbles present. Unfortunately, it arrived broken (along the second vertical scoring line, as seen in the photo above). The bar had a hard snap.

The aroma consisted of roast, earth, floral, sweet and fruit scents. The roast was a combination of tea and cocoa. The sweetness smelled of honey. The fruit seemed to be a dried fruit, most like that of fig.

The chocolate tasted of earth, a tea roast, sweetness and fruit. The fruit flavors included berry and fig. I tasted both caramel and honey in the sweetness. There was some tannin present as well.

The melt was smooth. The chocolate flavor lasted about 15 to 20 seconds after the chocolate was gone, giving Équateur a short length. The finish was somewhat tannin and slightly sour.

You can purchase Bonnat Équateur online for $8.45 in the U.S. from Chocosphere or for £4.95 in the U.K. from either Chocolate Trading Co. or Mortimer & Bennett.

Review: Grenada Chocolate Company 100%

Richard's Rating: 7.0

chocolate maker Grenada bar 100% region Grenada plantation (blend) cacao trees Trinitario year (unknown) size 85g ~ 3.0oz cocoa solids 100% added fat (none) sweetener (none) emulsifier (none) flavoring (none) other ingredients (none) list price $4.60

color medium-dark brown PANTONE 19-1015 Bracken texture smooth, scoring, image imprint, bubbles, slightly uneven sheen aroma roast (tobacco, cocoa), earth, floral, dairy (cheese) snap very hard taste earth, fruit (grapefruit), roast (cocoa), bitter, sour, tart, hint of chalk melt more smooth length medium finish somewhat bitter, somewhat tannin, slightly sour

Tree to bar chocolate maker Grenada Chocolate Company crafts their bars locally in Grenada. We've previously reviewed their 71% and 82% chocolate bars. This is their newest unflavored bar: 100%. It contains no ingredients other than Trinitario cacao beans, not even added cocoa butter. All of their bars are USDA and CERES certified organic.

100% was formed in the same shape as Grenada's other bars: three ounces with a stylized image of cacao imprinted in the center third of the bar. The two sides were each scored into 4 pieces. The bar came wrapped in heavy brass-colored foil-sided wax paper inside a paper sleeve. The best before date was 28 October 2013. The number 257 presumably indicated the batch number.

The color of 100% was darker than 71%, just barely still medium-dark brown Bracken (PANTONE 19-1015). The surface of the bar was smooth with many bubbles and a slightly uneven sheen. The bar had a very hard snap.

The aroma of this chocolate was similar to that of 71%: a roast of tobacco and cocoa, earthiness, floral and a dairy like that of cheese.

100% tasted earthy, with flavors of fruit that I experienced as grapefruit and a cocoa roast. The taste was also bitter, sour, and tart, with a hint of chalkiness.

The melt was more smooth, nearly creamy. The length was medium, with the chocolate flavor lasting 35 to 40 seconds after the chocolate was gone. The finish was somewhat bitter, somewhat tannin, and slightly sour.

This new chocolate was a surprisingly great addition to the world of 100% bars. While not at the level of the superb Pralus Le 100%, it would rank highly among the others.

You can purchase Grenada 100% online for $4.60 in the U.S. from Chocosphere or for £3.45 in the U.K. from Chocolate Trading Co.

Review: Grenada Chocolate Company 71%

Richard's Rating: 7.0

chocolate maker Grenada bar 71% region Grenada plantation (blend) cacao trees Trinitario year (unknown) size 85g ~ 3.0oz cocoa solids 71% added fat cocoa butter sweetener cane sugar emulsifier soy lecithin flavoring vanilla beans other ingredients (none) list price $4.60

color medium-dark brown PANTONE 19-1015 Bracken texture smooth, scoring, image imprint, bubbles, slightly uneven sheen aroma roast (tobacco, cocoa), floral, earth, dairy (cheese), sweet snap hard taste floral, roast, sweet (honey), earth, spice, fruit (berry), wine, bitter, acidic melt more smooth length short finish bitter, slightly sour

Grenada Chocolate Company is a tree to bar chocolate maker whose solar-powered factory is only a mile from where they ferment their cacao beans. Their cooperative includes more than 150 acres of organic cacao farms growing Trinitario cacao. With the recent addition of a 100% bar, they now make four unflavored chocolate bars: 60%, 71%, 82%, and 100%.

All of their bars are USDA and CERES certified organic. Grenada is one of the few makers that actually presses cocoa butter from their own cacao beans. The ingredients of 71% were cocoa beans, cane sugar from a cooperative in Paraguay, cocoa butter, soy lecithin, and vanilla beans from Costa Rica.

Grenada 71% came in a three ounce bar that had a stylized image of cacao imprinted in the center third of the bar. The two sides were each scored into 4 pieces. The bar came wrapped in heavy brass-colored foil-sided wax paper inside a paper sleeve. The best before date was 20 January 2013. The number 181 presumably indicated the batch number.

The chocolate had a medium-dark brown Bracken (PANTONE 19-1015) color. The surface of the bar was smooth with many substantial bubbles and a slightly uneven sheen. The bar had a hard snap.

71% smelled strongly of tobacco, especially from a fresh break. Some cocoa was also present in that tobacco roast. Other scents in the aroma included floral, earth, a dairy that reminded me of cheese, and sweetness.

The taste of 71% was initially floral, followed quickly by roast, honey sweetness, earth, and spice flavors. As the chocolate melted, I tasted berry fruit and wine, along with some bitterness and acidity.

The melt was more smooth. The chocolate flavor faded quickly after the chocolate was gone, with the sweetness lasting a while longer. I judged it a short length, with the chocolate flavor dissipating within 15 seconds. The final aftertaste was bitter and slightly sour.

This chocolate won a Silver in the Best Dark Organic Bar category at the 2008 Academy of Chocolate Awards.

You can purchase Grenada 71% online for $4.60 in the U.S. from Chocosphere or for £3.45 in the U.K. from Chocolate Trading Co.

Ranking: best Costa Rica single origin chocolate

Here are my personal ranking results from two rounds of blind tasting of the Costa Rica single origin chocolate bars we have reviewed. You can see all of our current ranking results on the Chocolate Rankings page.

Dandelion was the clear winner for me. I thought the next three were quite good as well. Note that the qualities of each chocolate differ, and you might prefer the flavor, aroma, or texture of a lower ranked chocolate to that of one ranked higher. Click on a name to see a detailed review of that chocolate bar.

Dandelion Upala, Costa Rica Escazú Guapiles, Costa Rica Potomac Upala 70% Ritual Costa Rica Theo Costa Rica Potomac Upala 82%

Review: Potomac Upala 82%

Richard's Rating: 5.5

chocolate maker Potomac bar Upala 82% region Costa Rica plantation (blend) cacao trees (unknown) year (unknown) size 57g ~ 2.0oz cocoa solids 82% added fat (none) sweetener sugar emulsifier (none) flavoring (none) other ingredients (none) list price $8.00

color medium-dark brown PANTONE 19-1015 Bracken texture smooth, scoring, uneven sheen, bubbles aroma earth, roast (coffee), sweet (molasses), fruit (berry), vinegar snap hard taste roast (coffee, cocoa), earth, tannin, acidic, fruit (berry), sour melt more smooth length short finish sour, somewhat tannin

U.S. bean to bar chocolate maker Potomac makes two single origin unflavored chocolate bars with cacao beans from Upala, Costa Rica: Upala 70% and Upala 82%.

Upala 82% was made with only 82% cacao beans and 18% sugar. The two ounce bar was scored into 10 pieces and came wrapped in foil-sided paper inside a paper sleeve. The sleeve was stamped with a best before date of February 2013 from batch # 12050.

The color of Upala 82% was a medium-dark brown Bracken (PANTONE 19-1015). The surface of the bar was smooth with an uneven sheen and tiny bubbles. The bar was formed better than the 70% we reviewed a few days ago, without the larger bubbles and unevenness on the bottom. The bar had a hard snap.

Upala 82% had an aroma nearly identical to that of Upala 70%, with earthy, roast, sweet, and fruit scents. The roast seemed to be coffee, the sweetness molasses, and the fruit some sort of berry. The primary difference was an added vinegar scent.

The taste was less similar. It contained the coffee and cocoa roast and a strong earthiness, but the berry fruit flavor was less obvious, and there was sourness along with the tannin and acidity. I tasted none of the caramel sweetness of the 70%.

The chocolate melted more smoothly, again in a sort of "fudgy" manner. The length was short, with the chocolate flavor lasting about 15 to 20 seconds after the chocolate was gone. The finish was sour and somewhat tannin, which I found slightly unpleasant.

You can purchase Upala 82% online for $8.00 directly from Potomac or, to combine it with other brands of chocolate, for $7.99 from Chocolopolis or World Wide Chocolate, or for $8.00 from Cocova.

Event: Northwest Chocolate Festival ON SALE

Groupon has a terrific deal on now for a one day or weekend ticket to the 2012 Northwest Chocolate Festival on September 29 and 30. I haven't yet written a posting about this year's event, but here's my posting about the 2011 event and you can read about this year on the Northwest Chocolate Festival website.

You can purchase a one-day pass for either Saturday or Sunday for only $15 (vs. $28.77 online or $30 at the door) or a full weekend pass for only $30 (vs. $56.65 online or $60 at the door). This is my favorite chocolate event of the year, and this offer is likely the best price you'll find to this year's event.

The deal runs through Wednesday, but there are a limited quantity available, and it may sell out before then. Here's a direct link to the deal.