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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 [...]

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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, [...]

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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 [...]

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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 [...]

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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 [...]

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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… [...]

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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 [...]

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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 [...]

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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 [...]

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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 [...]

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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 [...]

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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 [...]

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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 [...]

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Dagoba has a phenomenal line of organic, single origin chocolates. We tried another in the line this past weekend, called “conacado,” after the Conacado Fair Trade co-op in the Dominican Republic.
This is truly a wonderful chocolate – the flavor covers a wide spectrum of sweet tart fruit (cherry? cranberry?), coffee, hazelnut, and vanilla.
This hits it [...]

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Picked this interesting chocolate up while down in Cancún, Mexico. Marketed as a traditional, Aztec-style chocolate, this massive 200g bar had me at “Chile.”
“It tastes sweet and a little bit spicy. And, it feels smooth and good.” – 5-year-old.
This really is quite interesting, both from taste and consistency perspectives. The mouthfeel is not at all [...]

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