Manufacturer: Ghirardelli
Cocoa Content: 86%
Manufacturer Website
Rating: B-

Today's tasting is Ghirardelli's dark chocolate bar with the highest percentage cocoa, the Midnight Reverie. The Midnight Reverie is deep ebony in color with some reddish-orange highlights. The initial flavor impression is unsweetened cocoa. There is notable espresso-like bitterness. Acidity starts out mild and builds to a moderate level with notes of orange, sour cherry, blackberry and citrusy hop flowers. There are some herbal and earthy undertones as well.

Chewing the Midnight Reverie brings out notes of citrus along with faint spice and earthy notes. The Ghirardelli Midnight Reverie has a smooth, creamy mouthfeel that is slightly drying. The finish has espresso, citrus and herbal notes.

The Ghirardelli Midnight Reverie is a decent chocolate with some nice flavor. It is somewhat lacking in the complexity department, and it is missing the powerful chocolate flavor I would expect from a chocolate in the 80%+ cocoa range.

Manufacturer: Pralus
Cocoa Content: 75%
Manufacturer Website
Rating: A-

Today's tasting is the Pralus Madagascar dark chocolate bar. The chocolate is deep ebony in color with red undertones. On the palate there is a rich cocoa flavor up front. A lively acidity highlights red fruit notes and fresh bing cherries. There is a sweet herbal note of fresh mint and a faint roasted peanut undertone.

Chewing the Pralus Madagascar gives vanilla, mint, sweet cherries and tobacco flavors. The Madagascar has a smooth, creamy mouthfeel. The finish fades with cocoa and maraschino cherries. This is another great chocolate from Pralus's "Pyramide des Tropiques" collection. The acid and fruit notes plays very well with the sweet minty undertones in this chocolate.

Manufacturer: Equal Exchange
Cocoa Content: 80%
Manufacturer Website
Rating: A

After a bit of a hiatus, we should be back on track with a bit more regularity in our postings here. We're kicking things off with a fantastic chocolate from Equal Exchange. This is an 80% dark chocolate bar from Panama. The bar is a deep ebony in color with ruby highlights.

The Equal Exchange bar leads with a rich, deep cocoa note, followed by a pleasant bitter kick. The acidity slowly builds to a moderate level with currant and blackberry notes. There is a touch of sea salt and roasted peanuts along with floral highlights and a black pepper spice. The finish has espresso with spice and light roasted undertones. Chewing the chocolate opens up flavors of vanilla, bell pepper, tobacco and a flavor that reminds me of strawberry-flavored licorice. The texture is thick and mostly smooth with some barely perceptable coarseness.

Equal exchange has a great thing going here with this 80% chocolate bar. There is a rich chocolate flavor with plenty of complexity and a nice spice note. This is by far one of the most "snackable" dark chocolates up in the 80% cacao range I've ever had. Highly recommended.

Manufacturer: Lake Champlain Chocolates
Cocoa Content: 80%
Manufacturer Website
Rating: B+

Today's tasting is a dark chocolate from Lake Champlain Chocolates. Their Select Origin African Blend contains cocoa from Tanzania, Ghana and Sao Thome. The African Blend dark chocolate bar is ebony in color with a hint of purple. The initial flavor is a bitter espresso. Acidity builds to a mild-moderate level with blackberry and cherry fruit notes. A wealth of complex flavors make their presence known ranging from peanuts to floral notes to plantains and even edamame.

Chewing the Lake Champlain African Blend bar opens up sweet fruit notes of banana and ripe kiwifruit. The finish has nuttiness, some herbal notes and faint black coffee. The African Blend is thick and creamy in texture, although there is some noticable grittiness.

The Lake Champlain African Blend is a well-balanced dark chocolate with some nice flavor complexity. While I did have some issues with the texture here, this is still a really good dark chocolate that is worth a try.

Manufacturer: Pralus
Cocoa Content: 75%
Manufacturer Website
Rating: A

Up for tasting today is another selection from Pralus's "Pyramide des Tropiques". Today's selection is a dark chocolate whose cocoa comes from the West African country of Ghana. The Pralus Ghana is deep ebony purple with ruby highlights. A pleasant bitter cocoa presents itself to the palate first. Powerful floral aromatic flavors show up next. The acidity level is on the mild-to-moderate side. Hazelnut and pomegranate flavors are here along with toasted notes and some roasted peanuts.

Chewing the Pralus Ghana dark chocolate releases more complex aromatic flavors including fresh cut grass, floral notes, tobacco and cherries. The finish has dark roast coffee along with some tobacco notes. The mouthfeel has a nice creaminess to it.

The Pralus Ghana is my favorite so far as I work through their "Pyramide des Tropiques" chocolate sampler. There is a nice bitter kick that is well-balanced with the other flavor characteristics. The flavor alternates between roasted notes and aromatics without ever clashing or producing an off-taste. The Pralus Ghana is a great, complex dark chocolate that I recommend highly.

Manufacturer: Pralus
Cocoa Content: 75%
Manufacturer Website
Rating: B+

Up next is another tasting from Pralus's dark chocolate "Pyramide des Tropiques". Today we have the Pralus Trinidad up for review. The Trinidad is deep brown in color with merlot highlights. The first impression on the palate is a rich chocolate flavor with a noderate bitter kick. The flavors that open up are earthy with herbal and vegetal notes, similar to grilled asparagus. There is a hint of spice. A mild acidity is present that gives rise to some citrus and black cherry notes.

Chewing the Pralus Trinidad opens up more earthy notes along with some tobacco. There is a slight grittiness to the texture as the chocolate melts on the tongue. The finish is well-balanced with smoke, bitterness, slight acidity and herbal earthiness all present. The lingering herbal and bitterness do lend themselves to a slightly medicinal taste on the tail end.

Overall, the Pralus Trinidad has a good chocolate flavor. Like many other selections from the Pralus Pyramide, the taste profile of the Trinidad is very distinct. The Trinidad focuses on aromatics, herbs and earthy flavor notes to create a unique chocolate experience.

Manufacturer: Michel Cluizel
Cocoa Content: 66%
Location: Venezuela
Manufacturer Website
Rating: B+

Our next review from Michel Cluizel's 1ier Cru de Plantation line is the "Concepcion" from Venezuela. The Concepcion bar is deep brown in color with faint purple hues. On the palate, the Concepcion has a nuttiness with peanut and walnut notes. There is a moderate acidity that brings out citrus, blackberry and dark cherries. Vanilla, roasted notes and "grilled" notes are also detectable.

Chewing the chocolate opens up notes of grilled vegetables, earthy/mushroom flavors and sweet lemonade citrus notes. The finish has a nuttiness along with a bitter note that combine to leave the impression of hazelnuts. The Concepcion's mouthfeel is smooth and creamy.

While the Concepcion didn't quite "wow" me the way the other chocolates from the 1er Cru de Plantation line have, this is still quite a tasty chocolate. Michel Cluizel's chocolates always seem to have just the right texture, along with balanced acidity and complex flavor. What more can you ask for?