Cachet 80% Uganda Dark Chocolate

About: Cachet is a Belgian brand. On my first eating of this brand, I wrote: "Not much Cachet here, I have to say. I was disappointed. "  But on second eating, I'm far less disappointed. Maybe that first encounter was just bad luck. Or maybe this bar was made with better beans.
  


Flavor:  In absence of strong competitive chocolate, this tastes fine. It's not overly processed, and the flavor is earthy, if not particularly fruity.I find it quite nice, and so it gets a +1 for flavor. Where it perhaps falls short is that the flavor isn't as long lasting and rich as some of the fresher, better bars.

Texture: Nice and creamy. Really pretty excellent, so another +1.

My rating: For a solidly good texture and a solidly completely-okay flavor, a good 7 on the scale below.

Rating Value	Meaning
1	Really bad chocolate. There's something just really really wrong here in almost every imaginable respect.
2	A bar with this rating has at least two drawbacks.
3	A bar where something is starting to get seriously wrong.... for example, really weak flavor with an otherwise acceptable texture.
4	This bar is below average, but just slightly. Mostly it's not worth eating again. Something isn't quite up to par, for example a poor texture but fine flavor.
5	This is an average good bar that's worth eating. There's nothing really wrong with it, but also nothing particularly spectacular. Or, perhaps it has a good characteristic that's evenly counter-weighted by something weak.
6	A solidly good bar with one characteristic that's above par, for example a great texture.
7	An solidly good chocolate that has two above par characteristics, but nothing mind-blowing. Good, above average flavor, but nothing to die for.
8	An excellent bar with no weaknesses and at least one characteristic that's super.
9	An awesome bar to die for with amazing texture and flavor.
10	You have been touched by God.

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L.A. Burdick Single Source 68%-74% Chocolate

About: Founded in 1987 by Larry and Paula, a husband and wife team who fell in love with chocolate and with style. The chocolates are nicely presented and expertly made. I had a drinking chocolate at their Boston store, which was not super impressed with. It was a bit grainy and not well mixed. But.. the bars are superb.

Flavor:  Very good. I really need to describe each single source bar separately, and I'll edit this post to do so. The one I've had was delicate, fruity, full flavored, and rich.

Texture: Creamy. Excellent.

My rating: For a solidly good texture and a solidly completely-okay flavor, a good 8 on the scale below for flavor, texture, and artisanship. 

Rating Value	Meaning
1	Really bad chocolate. There's something just really really wrong here in almost every imaginable respect.
2	A bar with this rating has at least two drawbacks.
3	A bar where something is starting to get seriously wrong.... for example, really weak flavor with an otherwise acceptable texture.
4	This bar is below average, but just slightly. Mostly it's not worth eating again. Something isn't quite up to par, for example a poor texture but fine flavor.
5	This is an average good bar that's worth eating. There's nothing really wrong with it, but also nothing particularly spectacular. Or, perhaps it has a good characteristic that's evenly counter-weighted by something weak.
6	A solidly good bar with one characteristic that's above par, for example a great texture.
7	An solidly good chocolate that has two above par characteristics, but nothing mind-blowing. Good, above average flavor, but nothing to die for.
8	An excellent bar with no weaknesses and at least one characteristic that's super.
9	An awesome bar to die for with amazing texture and flavor.
10	You have been touched by God.

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Signature Select Dark Chocolate 78%

About: This is the Vons/Safeway supermarket generic brand, supposedly upscaled by calling it "Select." (Interestingly, "select" seems to be widely used as "crap value" by other manufacturers, such as Pearl Izumi, manufacturer of cycling clothing.) I don't pay attention to the cost, perhaps because in the cost/benefit analysis I religiously calculate on every single aspect of my life from toilet paper to tip toeing through the tulips, the benefit of chocolate far outweighs any potential cost. But I think this is a cheap bar, and you may want to keep that in mind when sitting to eat it. Just lay back and think about the money, honey. Because the experience itself may leave something to be desired.

Elah Dufour Novi

Flavor:  Look.... you're eating chocolate, so stop whining. And honestly, if you're just eating it alone without comparing to another bar, it's completely fine. It's chocolate, not sour or bitter. It's not burned. The flavor won't fill your every sense and leave you shocked. The fruity notes are subtle here. But I'd eat this happily if there are no other options.

Texture: Quite okay. This isn't a brittle hard bar. Moderately creamy.

My rating: For a solidly good texture and a solidly completely-okay flavor, a good 5 on the scale below.

Rating Value	Meaning
1	Really bad chocolate. There's something just really really wrong here in almost every imaginable respect.
2	A bar with this rating has at least two drawbacks.
3	A bar where something is starting to get seriously wrong.... for example, really weak flavor with an otherwise acceptable texture.
4	This bar is below average, but just slightly. Mostly it's not worth eating again. Something isn't quite up to par, for example a poor texture but fine flavor.
5	This is an average good bar that's worth eating. There's nothing really wrong with it, but also nothing particularly spectacular. Or, perhaps it has a good characteristic that's evenly counter-weighted by something weak.
6	A solidly good bar with one characteristic that's above par, for example a great texture.
7	An solidly good chocolate that has two above par characteristics, but nothing mind-blowing. Good, above average flavor, but nothing to die for.
8	An excellent bar with no weaknesses and at least one characteristic that's super.
9	An awesome bar to die for with amazing texture and flavor.
10	You have been touched by God.

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