Bahen 70% Madagascar

About:  This is a bean-to-bar chocolate - nothing but beans and sugar - made in Australia on vintage equipment. It's unclear if the vintage equipment makes this better; I tend to think technological advances can make things much better (think California wine industry, for example), but I am sure the price was right. The company is named after the founder, and they make a handful of dark chocolates with various flavorings.

Flavor: This chocolate has a complex flavor, which I struggled to capture. It was a whirlwind of flavors that came and went. So.. high five for that. The flavor comes on slowly. Take your time, let it melt. It then becomes raison-ish, full flavored, and ends with slightly sour cranberry notes.

Texture: Somewhat brittle with a smooth, yet ever so slightly grainy finish.

My rating:  Good chocolate. Really very good. But overall about a 6 for above average flavor.

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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Lindt 72% Cacao Extra Fondente Chocolate

About:  Lindt is a well known Swiss chocolate maker with claims to making chocolate since 1845. They have a broad product line of chocolates and excellent distribution world wide. While this bar looks a lot like other Lindt chocolate, it's different. Aside from the Italian packaging, it doesn't taste like the other 70%-ish Lindt bars that are widely sold.

Flavor: This bar has a slow-to-onset flavor that becomes deep and very earthy. The flavor is long lasting with an dynamic profile that ends with notes of dates or prunes. It's a unique tasting chocolate that's worth tasting just because it's so different.

Texture: Rather brittle, especially for being only 72%. It's possible my bar was brittle due to warming and cooling or some other reason, because it's initially off putting. Even after the chocolate melts in the mouth, it has a powdery, slightly grainy texture. But the deep flavor compensates for the weakness in texture.

My rating:  The unique flavor would warrant a 7 or 8, but with the texture, it goes back down to an overall 6. But then again, the flavor is worth tasting. So let's settle on 7.

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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Tessa Chocolaterie Dark Chocolate Truffles

About: Tessa Chocolaterie is an Austin, Texas bean to bar chocolate maker. They have a small shop where they make the chocolates, and the place smells of chocolate goodness. The picture shows a generic box, in which I bought a dark chocolate truffle. They didn't have dark chocolate bars on sale when I was there, and from their web site, it's not clear that they actually sell stand-alone dark bars. Too bad, because the truffles were great.


Flavor: The fresh truffle was better than the ones I had after a few weeks. There was a rum flavor that became stronger with time, and which I found overwhelmed the chocolate. The fresh truffle was full flavored, though light on fruity notes. Hints of smokey flavor mixed nicely with the deep, earthy chocolate.

Texture: Smooth, but that's not a trick with a butter-filled truffle.

My rating: A nice 7.

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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Artisana Organics Venezuelan Criollo Cacao Chocolate 75% Dark

About:  Artisana Organics has a product line of organic products from nut butters (grow up and stop giggling) to oils to chocolates. They sell 65% , 75%, and 85% chocolates made from Criollo beans.

The Criollo bean was once the most popular source of chocolate, but the tree is more susceptible to disease, and it has now become relatively rare.

Flavor: This bar has a complex flavor, but not at all fruity. It does have notes of tobacco, with a sort of subtle smokey after taste. +2

Texture: Every so slightly brittle, but with a smooth finish.

My rating: A nice 7.

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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Blanxart 76% Brasil Single Origin Organic Dark Chocolate

About: This bar is made in Barcelona, which (many years ago) was a center for chocolate manufacturing. I have had a number of Spanish bars from Barcelona without being overly impressed. This bar comes from a bean grown in a plantation "deep in the Amazon forest" - a variety called trinitario cacao. The marketing tells us the flavors of the Amazon are absorbed in this bar. Let's hope not.

By the way, don't be fooled by the rough paper wrapping and rather subdued marketing here. This is an excellent chocolate. 

Flavor:  The packaging tells us that this chocolate has the flavors of roasted hazelnut, with hints of licorice, vanilla (doy! they added that flavor), and lemon. Initially, when you bite in, there's nothing. A kind of darkness before the dawn. Then the sun rises, and the flavors come out, and there are many flavors here. Wow. The earthy chocolate is followed by a hint of lemon - they weren't lying - which comes and resolves to sweet/sour fruity berry something-or-other. I was impressed and delighted. +2

Texture: Wow... very smooth. Nicely done! +2

My rating: Tricky.. I hesitate to give it a 9, but.. it's superb. Maybe somewhere between an 8 and a 9. This is a bar worth getting and eating. It's not your run-of-the mill good chocolate. It's excellent and an experience. Ok.. 9.

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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Chocolove xoxox Extreme Dark Chocolate 88%

About: Chocolove is manufactured in Boulder Colorado, where they claim the dry, mountain air is part of their secret "European tradition" chocolate making. Um.. okay. The chocolate, at least according to the web site, is a founder's pursuit of a dream. A guy that eats two chocolate bars a day who developed a passion for chocolate and founded a company and the rest is history. \

They currently make about 24 varieties of chocolate, with this bar being the darkest of them all.

Flavor:  Like many high cocoa content bars, the flavor takes a while to come. I'd not say that it's very fruity, but it's a deep, pleasing flavor with only a hint of bitterness. +1 

Texture: Good and smooth.Very nice. Not brittle. I like.

My rating: A very good bar with a solid 7. For above average texture and solid, if not overwhelmingly subtle, flavor.

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'Amourette 91% caco extra smooth chocolat noir

About: L'Amourette is a chocolate manufacturer in San Francisco that makes a line of seriously dark and flavored chocolates, including bean-to-bar chocolates and chocolates (like this one) that include other flavorings (vanilla here) and separate cocoa butter. The passion for chocolate is underscored by the fact that there isn't any milk chocolate in sight. It's all 72% or above, w00t!



Flavor:  At 91%, this is not a sweet bar. The flavor takes a while to come on (as is often the case) but lasts nicely. The vanilla is subtle, but there isn't much in the way of fruity tones.

Texture: Good and smooth. 

My rating: A very good bar with a solid 7. Flavor is good, but not exceptional. Texture is good, but not exceptional.

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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Dandelion Chocolate 70% Venezuela

 

About: Dandelion is a bean to bar manufacturer in San Francisco. They make a variety of chocolate bars, all seriously chocolaty. They "roast, crack, sort, winnow, grind, conch, and temper small batches of beans and then mold and package each bar by hand." And bless them, there's no milk chocolate in sight! It's all 70% plus.  They started in 2010 by opening a store after playing around with chocolate for a while and getting encouragement. Their website gives a great background on chocolate and  chocolate making - very nice.



Flavor:  They state this chocolate has "notes of almonds, chocolate fudge, and dulce de leche." I'm not sure I taste that, but I taste a lot. Certainly it's more an earthy chocolate rather than a fruity chocolate, though I taste notes of raisins and dates. Ultimately, it doesn't matter. Your chances of getting this particular batch are slim. But as a representative of what Dandelion can do, this bar shines.  Flavor +2

Texture: Smooth, though just slightly brittle. Creamy finish. 

My rating: A very good bar with a solid 8. 

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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Organic Nirvana 72% Dark Chocolate

 

About: The packaging on this chocolate makes it look a little like a generic store brand. I had low expectations. Moreover, the announcement that it's "from Belgium" is just bad marketing. The chocolates are manufactured in Brugge, mecca for tourists and mosquitoes (but not window screen salesmen). There isn't much to read about their passion for chocolate, though they have a broad confectionery product line that spans past just chocolate. But all that underwhelming presentation is contrasted by amazing chocolate. Really amazing. 


Flavor:  Wow. Talk about fruity notes! This chocolate explodes with flavors, and you will immediately taste the berries. I had to go back and see if they put in flavoring, because the flavor just explodes! The chocolate is rich, full-flavored and delivers. +2

Texture: Smooth and creamy. Perhaps not outstandingly so, but no complaints.

My rating: A very good bar with a solid 8. Go get some. 

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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Cocoa Parlor Royal Dark 88 Peruvian Single Origin

About: Cocoa Parlor is a shop in Southern California that hand makes chocolates. This bar contains cocoa beans and sugar. Period. They have a range of dark chocolate, starting from 100% cocoa, down to 35% for people that want to waste their time. But just the fact that every bar is marked with its percentage prominently tells you that you're dealing with people that are passionate about chocolate.

The emphasis on vegan, gluten free, noy-free, organic, fairly traded chocolate seems unavoidable - their clientele must be mostly hippies. But you can't fault them for chocolate love.


Flavor:  The flavor is smooth. It's not very fruity and it's not as rich and earthy as you might get from a bar that's ostensibly fresh and bean-to-bar. And though  I found it completely good, I wanted to love it and be forced to emit some exclamation such as "omg, the flavor." But no.. it's fine. It's good. It stops there.

Texture: Very smooth and creamy. So many high percentage bars are brittle and almost crunchy - nott this. Very pleasant. Melts nicely in the mouth. Solid +1.

My rating: A very good bar with a solid 6 that could almost be a 7. Almost. 

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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Sweetriot 85% Dark Chocolate

About:  I have to admit they had me at "<-- Scan me : )" on the back label. So much that I didn't gag and splutter at the "Antioxidant, No Soy, No Dairy, Gluten Free, Non-GMO, Kosher, Vegan" stuff. Oy!

The company marketing does a fantastic job of creating an image of sweet innocent desire to combine a passion for chocolate with social justice for a new generation. It's very much presented on a first name basis from Sarah, the founder. And while the number of products is small, with a handful of bars and some chocolate covered nibs, it's all dark. Dark, dark, dark, so you know there's ideology here. No sane company would avoid some sort of mass-appeal sweet abomination!


Flavor:  The flavor is rich and earthy, with notes of currant, but while it's full flavored and comes on well, it's not very aromatic. The fruity notes are hints, and you won't - or rather, I didn't - come away saying "this is to die for." It's okay to get injured for, though, and it's above par for an 85% bar. It's only slightly bitter, and only slightly sour.

Texture: Smooth, creamy, and pleasant. Solid +1.

My rating: A very good bar that should get a 6, but I want to give it a 7 because Sarah's smile is all over her web site, and she seems sincere and innocent (or I'm just gullible), and the flavor is really, really okay. 

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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Lake Champlain Peruvian Dark 70% Organic Chocolate

About: What is "Lake Champlian Chocolates" you may ask? It's chocolate, dummy, what do you think? This is chocolate made in Vermont, USA, by a company with a broad line of chocolate bars, chocolate powder, and other chocolatey treats. Their web site is a chocolate lover's delight. They discuss everything from  chocolate tasting to chocolate pairing (which beer DOES go best with dark chocolate?).

It's a family bean-to-bar business that's grown since 1983, and the passion for chocolate comes through in both the website and the chocolate itself. This bar describes itself as a "smooth dark chocolate with juicy notes of ripe red berry," and I think that hits it on the head.


Flavor:  "Smooth dark chocolate with juicy notes of ripe red berry." It's all good and +1 for flavor.

Texture: Smooth, creamy, and pleasant. Solid +1.

My rating: An excellent bar with a solid 7, for being above average. I've had bars with more flavor, but this is a great go-to bar that satisfies.

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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Endangered Species Natural Dark Chocolate with 88% cocoa

About: A chocolate that tries to appeal to pull your heartstrings with pictures (and a brand name) of endangered species should set off warnings. It's fair trade, it's gluten free (!), it's non GMO, and it's certified vegan. I suspect it's even not tested on live animals, wow! Since 10% of the proceeds are donated to "non-profit partners that protect and support wildlife" (a somewhat vague phrase, to my mind, but you can't put a legal contract on a chocolate wrapper), it's an appeal to "do good, never mind if it tastes good."

Well, there is a fairly broad set of chocolate bars behind this brand, and even a chocolate spread. The online blog is a strange mixture of chocolate recipes intermingled with "Tips for a healthy ocean" or success stories resulting from their donation. Want to see a happy African child while indulging in dark chocolatey hedonism? You've found a home.

This is not a bean-to-bar chocolate. It's made from liquor and perhaps you can taste that. I'm not sure I can, but I can tell that while this bar is dark dark dark and doesn't suffer suffer suffer too much from the commonplace over roasting or over fermentation, it's not going to take any part of my heart or much of  my stomach.


Flavor:  It's 88% and so you expect some bitterness. But you could hope for a more fruity flavor and slightly less burned flavor. For that - the carbon overtones - I give it a -1. 

Texture: Quite nice for 88%, where many bars are ever so brittle. This bar is smooth and relatively creamy.

My rating: Nice and dark, and can satisfy a craving for something very dark. But the slightly burned flavor left me slightly disappointed, so I ended up at 4.

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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Trader Joe's 73% cacao super dark chocolate

About:  Trader Joe's sells other people's chocolate, and I don't know whose. They don't make it, but they do sell many variations. Interestingly, these chocolates get ranked very differently by different websites. Their 85% bar, which I found to be overwhelmed by vanilla flavoring and brittle as glass has been ranked high by some. And this bar, which is quite nice, has been ranked low. At the same time, other people agree with my rankings. So.. why are you even reading this? That said, go get their 72% chocolate. It's excellent, and I think slightly better than this one.


Flavor:  This is a dark, earthy chocolate with notes of raisin and a bit of sourness that's not overwhelming. The flavor is strong with solid follow-though. You don't have to wait for it to come in, and it's lasts and lasts. 

Texture: Nice and creamy. Really pretty excellent.

My rating: For a solidly good texture and a solidly completely-okay flavor, a good 6 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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