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If you’ve read any of our other reviews, you may be familiar with our thinking about dark chocolates: in general, we believe the sweet spot for dark chocolate is somewhere between 60% and seventy percent. Here then, is a chocolate that makes a strong case for one just outside our sweet spot spectrum.
Made by Hägeland from Belgium, this is another of the fashionable single source chocolates; in this bar, cocoa from Costa Rica is the focus. Like other chocolates we’ve tried from this region, we get a strong earthy, woody, almost smoky flavor from the chocolate.
What’s nice about this particular chocolate, unlike some of the darker, more bitter chocolates we’ve had, is that it is not overly bitter, or rough. It is smooth, but not creamy, and it doesn’t have an overly complex flavor. It’s straight out enjoyable.
Check out other review of another Hägeland chocolate we tried out…

One of two dark chocolates made by Hägeland that we’ve tried, this is a middle-of-the-road 57% dark Belgian chocolate. Mixed in we find pear granules and almonds, an interesting combination of notes for this chocolate. The pear hits a clear, high note, nicely complementing the sweetness in bittersweet chocolate. Then the almond’s middle kicks in, matching well with the bitterness. It’s a nice little harmony going on in here.
A little side note – one which we do not find well explained on the packaging – is that Hägeland is a well-known fruit producing region of Belgium. Known for pears, apples, and strawberries, the region also produces wine!
Getting back to the wine, um, I mean chocolate, this is tasty dark fruity chocolate, without being too fruity or too sweet. I’d be interested to see if there’s a pepper and strawberry version…

I tell you folks, if you’re in a store somewhere, and they sell chocolates, and they carry some or all of the Dagoba line, you need to pick one and try it. I happened to be in the Hershey’s store in Times Square (yeah, I know, but that’s another story) and quietly hiding on an endcap somewhere were some of Hershey’s other prized possessions: Dagoba and Scharffen Berger chocolate bars!
Yes, dear reader, Hershey’s owns Dagoba, and has since 2006? 2007? (Note: and Joseph Schmidt, too) Dagoba represents a nice organic trophy for their collection – I would imagine Hershey dare not tear it down and replace it with some slick over-marketed Special Dark/Dove amalgam of chocolate atrocity.

Anyway, on to the more interesting topic: this chocolate. We’ve had a number of Dagoba chocolates, some more interesting than others, and some, like the organic single origin line, have very distinctive flavors. This one, with its fruity floral focus, is just okay. I know, right? Weird hearing me say a chocolate is just ‘okay?’

Well, it is okay – it’s got a fairly good consistency and decent mouthfeel; the lavender is not overbearing, and the bits of blueberries are not too big or chewy. It’s in the right league of cacao levels – we like it in the upper 50s to mid 60s. So, it’s okay enough to enjoy. But it doesn’t knock my socks off. And that, dear reader, is the whole point of our pathetic part-time journey: to find a chocolate that knocks my socks off.

When tasting dark chocolate, and we’ve tasted a lot – we seek a flavor and mouthfeel experience that tries to hit all the right buttons: The chocolate should be creamy, but not too creamy. It should have the consistency as it melts on your tongue that is not too crunchy or crumbly, but should not melt too fast or oily.
When the piece you’ve just tasted has fully melted, and you’ve swallowed it, and you’re swishing around the last bits left in your mouth, enjoying those last few notes as it fades away – those last glimmers should match what you enjoyed earlier, not just the bass notes, or the higher citrus flavors, but as much of the spectrum of flavors as possible.
In terms of flavors, chocolate is a really hard thing to qualify, and dark chocolate is even harder. Dark chocolate, in an ideal universe, is the Lagrange point between the bitterness of cocoa, the sweetness of cane sugar, and the silkiness of butter. We see dark chocolates with all different amounts of cocoa: 40%, 50%, 60%, 70%, even 90%. From our experience, it’s in the narrower band from 50 to 60 percent that we most often find harmonious experiences.
While a true physical balance can only be determined mathematically, it is in the taster’s mouth, and only there, that such a true dark chocolate balance can be sensed, judged and enjoyed.
It is here, in this oddly old-fashioned packaged chocolate bar, that we find as close to perfection as we have found. From Iceland (again! more north/colder = better chocolate), it is a 56% cocoa dark chocolate bar, in an unassuming white paper and wax paper wrapping. It is damn near perfect. Now I just to find myself more!

The more chocolates we try, the more I seem to think that the further north (colder) they come from, the better the chocolate. Case in point: B.T. McElrath’s Chile Limón bar, from Minnesota.
This is a chocolate bar that wants to be a truffle. In terms of our rigid criteria in meeting awesomeness, this one has it: dark chocolate – not too bitter, not too sweet, nice crisp finish; milk chocolate – creamy, sweeter – again not too sweet. As far as the extras, they through in two of our favorites: chili peppers and lime.
However, as we are apt to criticize, let this not escape a similar fate: we think the chili is masked a little bit too much by the milk chocolate. It should be allowed to flourish a little more, especially on the finish. Similarly, the lime comes through, but not strong enough. I get the higher notes, but the challenge with lime is to get the full spectrum of its flavor across. Lime has a broader citrus range, and it tastes like some of it is missing here.
Finally, as much as I love the name, I hate its outer package. It looks like a Target-branded chocolate bar, with trying-to-be-cool Freehand typeface…

I can’t say that I have ever had a chocolate from Dagoba that I didn’t like. And here I find another flavor of theirs that I have not had tried! Dark chocolate – 74% cocoa – with cherries and cranberries. Simple, elegant mix of sweet, and bitter dark chocolate. Just throw in some pop rocks… just kidding.

Seriously though, this is kind of chocolate bar you want to have around to satisfy your fix. It gets the job done, it has bits of sweet dried fruit, it has a nice solid, rich chocolate base, and throw in a little vanilla to round the edges.

Finally, we get to the third of three Dolfin chocolate bars in our Belgian-pepper trifecta. And, I think this might even the best of the three.
First we have dark, 60% cocoa, Belgian chocolate: nicely balanced. Smooth. Delicious.
Next, add white pepper and cardamom. Yum-my. Really – an interesting and savory mix. The white pepper has such a light flavor, and the savory gingery cardamom…
This is really a wonderful journey, though, in trying all three of these Dolfin bars together really allows you to experience the variety of peppers and cocoa percentages (32 to 52 to 60 percent). After all three, not only are we a little wired, but eager to try more Dolfin bars…

Another fantastic Belgian chocolate, this time a dark – 52% cocoa – from the Belgian chocolatier Dolfin. This one is purely pink – peppercorns, that is.
We know well enough know to expect a solid chocolate from the Dolfin folks, and this is no exception. Smooth, nicely balanced, just enough sweet, just enough bitter, and the pink peppercorns gives just the right hint of ‘light’ pepper. That’s the beauty of a bar like this – it really makes you appreciate the subtle difference between a lighter, higher note from pink peppercorn, as opposed to the earthier, more pungent black pepper. (what about white pepper, you ask? there’s a chocolate for that.)
So now we’re two-thirds of the way through our Dolfin pepper chocolate trifecta. Read on…

Dolfin is a fantabulous Belgian chocolate maker. They have a number of interesting sounding chocolates, so on a recent trip to NYC we picked a couple up to try. Two words made this an easy pick: hot masala.
For the uninitiated, what exactly is hot masala? It’s essentially a spice mix: start with ginger, add cloves, black pepper, cardamom, and cinnamon.
What an awesome flavor combination: creamy, vanilla-y milk chocolate, and then the flavors creep in and take over.
I need to make a mention of the fantastic gourmet packaging, too: this chocolate is packed exactly like a pouch of rolling tobacco. Inner plastic pouch, wrapped in a plastic wrapped paper wrapper. An absolute pleasure to open and handle! This was not too expensive either, $3.95 for a 70g bar.
Needless to say, if you come across this bar, try it.

Another interesting chocolate we picked up courtesy of our friends at Chelsea Market Basket in NYC. It has ginger flavor, and, unexpectedly, guarana extract. Yes, it’s Red Bull in a chocolate. Even more bizarre, is the marketing on the back panel of the chocolate. See, from the front, you read “Sexy” first, then “Fine Belgian Dark Chocolate.” Then, on closer reading, the smaller type: “Ginger” and finally, “Energizing” well, of course its energizing silly, it’s chocolate!
Ok, so back to the back – there’s a violator across the panel that says:

Advantages
1 bar = 3 cups of coffee

Now, what the heck is this? Chocolate as a energizer bar? How bizarre is this?
We should have known when we read:”NewTree Sexy is chocolate in stilettos… …Naturally stimulating guarana extract adds an extra perk for a seductive treat.”
Ahh… it’s not an energizer or monster bar, it’s a Viagra bar. Yup.
Ok, it’s 73% cocoa, it’s Belgian chocolate. It’s got some ginger shavings. I think the ginger is purely to hide that weird guarana taste. The chocolate is good, it’s smooth, and balanced. The jury is still out on this one.

No bones about it, the folks at Chuao make some really good chocolates. We especially love the Spicy Maya. But this one folks, this might actually have too much going on.
There’s the chipotle chile first, then the the salt, and then – are you ready for this? – popping candy. Yes – pop rocks in chocolate. It’s an interesting effect – you sense the texture – as if there’s cocoa nibs or nuts. Then they dissolve, and pop! The effervescence overwhelms your tongue. But you’re still processing the smoky chipotle and savoring the salt. Then there’s all this popping going on.
It has such a nice smoky heat to it, the chocolate is a nice, smooth, 60% Venezuelan chocolate (like all of Chuao’s bars). The first taste or two was great, but then the popping was too distracting – I really want this bar with out the pop rocks.

Hachez makes some fantastic German chocolates. We last reviewed their Strawberry and pepper dark chocolate, and just recently found this one. Again, their combination of Ecuadorian cocoa, and fruit prove to be an interesting mix.
This German chocolate is smooth, creamy and rich – 77% cocoa – and the blueberry is just enough of a subtle hint to offset the bitterness of the dark chocolate. The crunchiness of the nibs holds everything together nicely.
But, not to be overly critical: it’s almost too dark – the blueberry is almost not enough.

Among the many Belgian chocolates I recently found at Chelsea Market Basket, this was one of the most interesting I tried. Now, it’s important to note that I say interesting – it is not my favorite, but I am glad I got to try this.
You open this bar up – it’s a delicious smelling 54% Belgian chocolate. You take a bite, and wham! Right away you’re blindsided with the szechuan pepper. It doesn’t sneak up on you, it doesn’t gracefully enter the chocolate room, it jumps on top of your tongue and rodeo rides it until you give up. And after you give up, it’s still around – remember you were eating chocolate? The pepper lingers on the back of your tongue like Anbesol.
Alright, so perhaps I’m a little over the top. Try this chocolate and you tell me. I can see where this might turn some people off. Me, I like it: I think it’s interesting.

This was an interesting find – kudos to Chelsea Market Baskets in New York City for the recommendation. Made in Italy, in the laboratorio Don Puglisi, it comes in a plain wrapper, tied with a red string, and a card:

Handmade in the Aztec tradition, the unique opaque patina and rustic, brittle texture are the result of a cold production process that maintains the full flavor of each ingredient.

Opaque patina indeed – one first glance it appeared that the chocolate had melted and resolidified. This is exactly the appearance the card warns about: one closer inspection you can see the actual granules of cane sugar used.
So, on with it: how is this chocolate? Awesome, simply awesome. It’s almost an unchocolate. You take a piece into your mouth and bite into it; it’s more like a chocolate sugar cube. The sugar dissolves, mixing into the 45% cocoa, and then 15-20 seconds later, the chili kicks in – medium spicy, just the right amount.
The best way to summarize this bar? It’s like eating a spicy hot chocolate – you feel like you should be drinking it.

Speaking purely as a marketer, this intrigued me on the level of curiosity. Would this compare to other dark chocolates we have sampled? Was this merely a branded version of an organic chocolate produced by some larger chocolate concern? Would this hold up? Would it have been worth it?
In short, to my best estimation, the answer to all of these is yes.
This seems to have higher acidic note, but is grounded with a berry note – blueberry? blackberry? currants? – that keeps the taste interesting.
It has a good mouthfeel – it is creamy, smooth, but it has a waxier feel than average.
It’ll make you feel good, as it’s made with Rainforest Alliance Certified cocoa, and proceeds benefit Newman’s Own Foundation.
But, it still tastes a little generic. I got spoiled with that Dagoba bar – after that, this is like going to a Hershey’s bar.