Sharffen Berger Pistachio Dark Chocolate 72% Cacao

About: This is what I wrote about Scharffen Berger elsewhere:

Created on "vintage European Equipment" sounds better than "made on old stuff we bought on Ebay." It's not as if good Californian wine needed vintage casks to dominate the world wine market. But that's okay. Mr. Scharffenberger and Mr. Steinberg have created a great artisan chocolate product, bought in 2005 by the Hershey company, which has made as successful chocolate company out of selling crappy chocolate. In the last years it doesn't seem like Scharffen Berger got worse, so... whew.

I like the brand, which I see as a fairly widely available and consistently good daily bar. It's the equivalent of a good table wine that you know will satisfy, though it may not leave you breathless and willing to spend inordinate amount of money and time to get Just The Right Vintage.

Flavor: The flavor comes and goes quickly. It's solid, not bitter, full, and rounded. The pistachios are subtle - it's not like a coffee or ginger that hits you between the eyes and lets you know it's there. If the bar has a shortcoming, it is the not-so-deep and not-so-lasting flavor. But don't get me wrong, the depth that's there is good.

Texture: Smooth and creamy. The softly crunch pistachios are pleasant and add a rich creaminess to the overall experience. The chocolate itself is quite smooth, I have to say. And if you think of this as your daily chocolate, you will feel you're living very well!

My rating: 8,  on the scale of 1-10, where 10 means 'mind shockingly good' and 1 means 'would not bother'. I like.


Back to the list of bars