Kraš Dorina Tamna

I found this chocolate bar in the same chocolatier in downtown Dubrovnik as the Kraš Napolitanke wafers.

Surprise! When I examined the label more carefully, I discovered I had purchased a diet bar, sweetened with Stevia instead of sugar. Still, it was 50% cacao, so how bad could it be? Answer: not bad. Not good either. It tasted like a somewhat bland, mildly dark chocolate bar with a hint of mint flavor, which I expect came from the Stevia. My co-workers didn’t like it, but they didn’t mind it either. So there was that.

Indi Nicaragua Chocolate

I got this bar at the Indi chocolatier in Pike Market in Seattle.

Like their Ecuador Heirloom bar, this bar was also 72% cacao. And it tasted like it, with a deep rich chocolate flavor. However, I didn’t taste much of a singular note like the Ecuador bar, or the two Friisholm bars that came from Nicaragua. I mean, it was still great chocolate, but it didn’t taste like a single origin bar, and the Ecuador bar was so much richer. Still, I have one more bar to try from this chocolate maker, and my hopes are high.

Indi Ecuador Heirloom Chocolate

Robert took me to visit a new chocolatier, Indi, hidden in the back of Pike Market. It was a small place, but the owners were there and explained everything about their chocolate making. They roasted and conched the beans themselves, and every bar is single origin and 72% cacao. I tried this one first.

OMG! This chocolate was fantastic! It was creamy smooth and super rich tasting, far more deeply chocolatey than 72% cacao. I would have guessed 85%, easily. And it had a wonderful earthy singular note that I found absolutely wonderful. This bar is easily the best chocolate I have had in 2017, and it’s probably in my top 5 of all time and certainly in my top 10.

I wanted to go get another one immediately, but Robert reminded me that I had bought two others, from different countries. Expect those reviews soon.

Josophan’s Dark Belgian Chocolate With Freeze-Dried Passionfruit

I bought this bar during my trip to Australia last month, and I took it up to Robert’s place in Seattle over Memorial Day so we could try it together.

Yum! This bar was really good. I am already a fan of Josophan’s dark chocolate, but add a freeze-dried fruit, especially a delicious and exotic one like passion fruit, and that’s a winner. The chocolate was rich and deep, and the passion fruit was in crunchy, flavorful bits spread throughout the bar. We ate about half this bar almost immediately, and we were saving the rest for the next day, but it accidentally got all eaten up.

Haigh’s Belize 63% Bar

I found this single origin bar at Haigh’s Chocolate Shop in Sydney.

Last year, I found single origin Ecuador and Dominican Republic bars at the same store. Like those bars, this one was very chocolatey and had its own signature aftertaste, in this case a cherry and citrus flavor that lingered after the chocolate was eaten. I really liked it, and so did my co-workers. I think Haigh’s shines when it makes single origin bars.

Haigh’s Centenary Edition Bar

I got this bar at the Haigh’s store in the Queen Victoria building in downtown Sydney. That’s the building on the cover of this label!

The back of the label explained that this bar was their Centenary Edition. Haigh’s has been making chocolate in Australia for over 100 years.

I shared this bar at work, for the first chocolate eating meeting since my return from Australia. And despite it being just 52% cacao, the chocolate flavor was quite pronounced, and everyone enjoyed it. I still think their 70% bar is better, but this one was no slouch, and it has a much prettier label!

Josophan’s Fairtrade Dark Belgian Chocolate

While in Sydney, I bought some more chocolate at my favorite chocolatier, Josophan’s.

This bar was small but good. The chocolate did not taste as dark as I expected, so it was probably around 50%, give or take. It had a somewhat floral note to its chocolate flavor, but it was not a single-origin bar.

All in all, this was a good bar, but not nearly as good as their dark chocolate hazelnuts or their single-origin São Thomé bar. Those were fantastic, and I think they have spoiled me a little. And yes, I bought those both again, and they were just as good the second time.