Scott's Chocolate Review

So there I was, listening to NPR on the way to work one morning, when I heard a story about how the chocolate industry was trying to "up" its prestige. They've been hiring sommeliers (those wine-tasting-experts) to bring their sharp sense of flavor to the chocolate business.

Special blends of 15% Venezuelan "summer" beans mixed with 40% Argentinean "south-slope" bean and just a hint of … you get the idea.

Not long after that, on last year's birthday, some friends gave me a bar of dark chocolate (Lindt 70%). I didn't really like dark chocolate at the time, but after tasting this I thought "OH! This is why people like dark chocolate. NOW I understand...." It was quite good.

Not long after that, Paula and I found ourselves in an epicurean grocery store that had (I'm not making this up) a chocolate aisle and "The Chocolate Lady" to help you make an informed decision. All those special blends from around the world were at our fingertips.

Why not. Let's see what the chocolate world has to offer. Paula and I bought about $17 of the "prettiest wrapper" stuff and headed home.

Well, that was the start of a lovely exploration of chocolate. I've been "working" on it for over a year now. On out last trip to New York, we returned with about $50 in yummies. Here is my current list of chocolate fun:

(No you know what to get me for my birthday.  <wink>)


1 = "Awful"
3 = "Worth buying again"
5 = "Ambrosia of the Gods"

Antica Dolceria Bonajuto - Dark Chocolate w/ Cinnamon (Italy) 1 Sugar crystals with a bit of chocolate and cinnamon. Must be for cooking.
Antica Dolceria Bonajuto - Dark Chocolate w/ Vanilla (Italy)    
Cavalier - Dark no sugar added (Belgium) 1 Tragic flavor. Worse than a Hershey's Kiss.
CeMoi (Desir Lait) 33%    
CeMoi (Desir Noir) 72%    
Chocolove XOXOX - Dark Chocolate (55%)    
Chocolove XOXOX - Extra Strong (77%)    
Chocolove XOXOX - Ginger (65%) 3 Not bad. An entertaining combination. Ginger distribution can be a bit uneven and therefore sometimes strong.
Chocolove XOXOX - Rich (65%)    
Chocolove XOXOX - Strong (70%) 2.5 A little something is off. More mystique about being 70% than about being good.
Cloud Nine - Dark Chocolate w/ Raspberries 2 Gritty with an off flavor they tried to cover with sweet.  I tossed the rest of the bar out of the car window.
Cloud Nine - Espresso Bean Crunch 2 Gritty with an off flavor they again tried to cover with sweet.  I tossed the rest of the bar out of the car window.
Cote de Or - Belgian Dark (Belgium) 5 Mild. Very good flavor. Cool and very sweet. Not a single off note.
Cote de Or - Belgian Dark w/ Whole Hazelnuts 4 A very good candy bar. Good chocolate. Mild nuts. Fun flavor and texture changes.
Cote de Or - Sensations Intense 70% 3.5 A good warm dark chocolate, but rendered mild by a waxy delivery.
Dagoba - Brasilia    
Dagoba - Chai 3.5 Yummy different flavor.
Dagoba - Chocolate (Milk Chocolate, coffee, & cinnamon, 35%) 3 Too tricky. Flavors don't blend all that well.
Dagoba - Lavender 2.5 Not quite a good combination. A bit too odd.
Dagoba - Lime 3 Very odd, but tasty.
Dagoba - Mint 3.5 Crisp, good chocolate with a mild mint flavor. Good.
Dagoba - New Moon (74%) 5 Very good chocolate. Strong and warm flavor.
Dolfin (Belgium) - Au Lait --    
Dolfin (Belgium) - Café Lait --    
Dolfin (Belgium) - Café Noir --    
Dolfin (Belgium) - Earl Grey --    
Dolfin (Belgium) - Lait Nougatine    
Dolfin (Belgium) - Noir 70%    
Dolfin (Belgium) - Noir Nougatine    
Dolfin (Belgium) - Orange --    
Dove - Dark Chocolate 2 Waxy. Weak flavor. Not worth the time.
Dove - Milk Chocolate    
Droste - Extra Dark 72% 4 A strong warm chocolate. Very bitter (like a sock in the jaw).
Droste - Pastilles Bittersweet 4 A good sweet dark.
Droste - Pastilles Extra Dark 4 Very strong. A little waxy. Barely  sweet. Quite good.
Droste - Pastilles Milk 3 A good sweet milk.
El Rey - Gran Saman Dark Chocolate 70% (Venezuela) 4 Very flavorful. Gritty finish.
Ghiradelli - Dark Chocolate 4 A strong tart flavor. Someting slightly off. Well worth the time.
Ghiradelli - Milk Chocolate 4 Finally, a good milk chocolate.
Godiva - Dark    
Godiva - Milk    
Green & Black`s - Organic Dark (70%)    
Green & Black`s - Organic Maya Gold (55%) 4 Mostly a citrus flavor with other spices mixed in. Crispy good chocolate.
Jacques  Torres - Bittersweet 2 A local (Brooklyn, NY) chocolate. Waxy/greasy with a somewhat weak flavor.
Lindt - Bittersweet (signature) 4.5 Rather sweet. With a moderate but very good chocolate flavor.
Lindt - Bittersweet w/ Hazelnuts 4.5 Way yummy. Very good chocolate with a mild warm nut to accent the sweet.
Lindt - Dark 70% 5 The gold standard in fine dark chocolate. Strong warm flavor.
Lindt - Dark 85% 3.5 Almost too bitter to eat. Intense chocolate experience.
Lindt - Swiss (white label)   <same as signature>
Master Choice - Dark Bittersweet 3.5 Rather sweet. A tad gritty. Good chocolate.
Neuhaus - Plain Dark Chocolate. 52%(Belgium) 2 Starts good, but then an ashy taste takes over (too an impressive degree).
Newman`s Own - Sweet Dark Espresso 2 Fairly weak chocolate. Strong coffee flavor without being complementary.
Perugina - Bitterswet 3 Fine, but not a spectacular chocolate.
Perugina - Dark Chocolate 3 Strong but waxy flavor. Sweet. Not bad, but something is off.
Perugina - Dark Chocolate w/ Almonds 3.5 A very yummy treat. Good chocolate with nuts to soften the sweetness.
Rapunzel - Bittersweet (70%)    
Rapunzel - Semi Espresio (51%)    
Rapunzel - Semisweet (55%)    
Scharffen Burger - Bittersweet 70% 4 Thoroughly yummy.
Scharffen Burger - Mocha 62% 3 Good chocolate, but very gritty with the coffee beans.
Scharffen Burger - Nibby Bar 62% 5 A bit gritty with the chocolate beans, but one of the best chocolate flavors I've found.
Scharffen Burger - Semisweet 62% 3.5 A perfectly good little chocolate.
Seattle Chocolates - Pike Place Espresso DC 3.5 Fairly good chocolate with a strong coffee flavor. Rather gritty. Somewhat soft and waxy chocolate texture.
Shaman`s - Heart (raspberries) 4.5 Rich full flavor. Raspberries don't interfere and add just a little.
Shaman`s - Secret (dark chocolate) 5 Excellent. Strong, warm flavor.
Shaman`s - Song (milk hazelnut)    
Shaman`s - Vision (dark w/ coconut) 4 Tiny coconut flakes in good chocolate. Nicely balanced flavor. Fun crumbly texture too.
Sinfonia - Chocolate w/ Crunchy Hazelnut Cream Filling 1 A disastrous waste of chocolate.
Suisse - Bittersweet/Noir 70% 2.5 Carefully made chocolate, but with a weak waxy flavor.
Taste Therapy - Cinnamon Vanilla    
Taste Therapy - Niroli Orange 3.5 A chocolate lover's candy bar. Yummy
Taste Therapy - Tiramisu 3.5 A chocolate lover's candy bar. Yummy.
Terra Nostra - Dark Truffle (57%) 3.5 A standard chocolate taste. Soft texture from the truffle. Not bad.
Terra Nostra - Dark w/ Raisin & Pecans 3.5 A very sweet candy bar, but pretty good chocolate.
Terra Nostra - Intense Dark (73%) 3.5 Not bad. Just a hint of a chemical taste.
Valor Chocolates - Pure Dark Chocolate (70%) 2.5 A fairly good chocolate spoiled by a strong ashy / bitter taste.
Valrhona - Le Noir Amer 71%(France) 3.5 Oddly, not that good. The flavor starts well, but fades without a finish.
Valrhona - Le Noir Noisettesw/ hazelnut 61% 4 A tasty candy bar with strong smooth chocolate.