Safeway SELECT Extra Dark Chocolate with Cranberry & Orange

Evaluation Date: January 2012

Cocoa Content: 72%

Purchased @: Safeway

Theo Rating: 7 - "I agree. This sample was a little too "fruity" for good dark chocolate."

Broma Rating: 8 - "Though this is very, very good, I'm rating it one notch lower than the blueberry sample. They are both good, I prefer the other."

Lillie Belle Farms

Evaluation Date: November 2012

Cocoa Content: 74%

Purchased @: PCC

Theo Rating: 7 - "The appearance, aroma and texture were all good for this sample, but I found the dark chocolate taste and the sweetness were below what I prefer."

Broma Rating: 7 - "I like the cocoa content of the sample, but I'm not happy with the fruity taste that is so prevalent. Something about the combination of the Venezuelan and Dominican Republic cocoa beans has introduce this interesting, but not pleasing flavor."

HERSHEY'S SPECIAL Dark

Evaluation Date: August 2011

Cocoa Content: 45%

Purchased @: "just about anywhere"

Theo Rating: 8 - "I found this to be a good, basic dark chocolate. Since it is widely available, it's a good choice when the more exotic varieties are hard to find."

Broma Rating: 8 - "Agreed. This is a very "stand by" good dark choc that always delivers, is easily found and fills the need for a dark chocolate snack!."

ORIGINAL LILY'S Dark Chocolate

Evaluation Date: April 2012

Cocoa Content: 55%

Purchased @: Issaquah PCC

Theo Rating: 4 - "The aroma was good, but the dark chocolate taste was not strong enough. The Stevia sweetner was good, but not the same as cane sugar. If the cocoa content were higher, this could be a better bar."

Broma Rating: 5 - "Two factors stand in the way of a higher rating for Lily's. (1) the cocoa content is so low that it is nearly lost (2) the Stevia sweetener is more demanding of attention than is the cocoa level. ( do like the packaging, very much!)"

WHOLE FOODS Organic Tanzania Schoolhouse Project

Evaluation Date: Feb 2013

Cocoa Content: 72%

Purchased @: Whole Foods

Theo Rating: 10 - "Another excellent dark chocolate! I didn't enjoy it quite as much as a previous Whole Foods sample, but it was almost as good."

Broma Rating: 10 - "Yes, this is an organic bean source, but with only one percentile difference in cocoa content, you wouldn't expect there to be much of a difference between this and the previous Whole Foods sample. And there isn't!! They are both a "10"."

endangered species Chocolate natural DARK

Evaluation Date: May 2012

Cocoa Content: 72%

Purchased @: Charleston

Theo Rating: 8 - "Excellent dark chocolate, but I would have liked it to be a little sweeter."

Broma Rating: 9 - "Noting that we have evaluated another "Endangered" sample, I like this 72% even better. This is a great example of a higher percentage "dark" that can still satisfy and achieve a high rating in this evaluation."

B.T. McElrath Chocolatier Dark Chocolate Bar

Evaluation Date: January 2014

Cocoa Content: 70%

Purchased @: Shoqualmie Lodge

Theo Rating: 8 - "This chocolate was little “off.” I also would have liked a little smoother consistency and a little sweeter taste."

Broma Rating: 8 - "It is very interesting that another McElrath bar was the 2nd evaluation that we did! It was hybrid bar (with Sea Salt) that did not score well. This sample is a very nice dark chocolate that I can highly recommend! I gave it an "8" only because if had a slight "burnt" flavor."

Chocolates El Rey APAMATE Carenero Superior

Evaluation Date: October 2011

Cocoa Content: 74%

Purchased @: Salt Lake City

Theo Rating: 3 - "Again, the wrapper looked good, but the chocolate tasted bad and got worse. Perhaps the cocoa beans it was made from were old!"

Broma Rating: 4 - "This sample has plenty of cocoa buzz, but the flavor just isn't worth writing home about. Something about it isn't pleasing and drops this way down the list in its rating."

SHAMAN Organic Chocolates

Evaluation Date: June 2013

Cocoa Content: 82%

Purchased @: Whole Foods

Theo Rating: 5 - "Not Sweet Enough."

Broma Rating: 5 - "Its hard to appreciate this dark choc sample. The cocoa content is too biting and the texture isn't pleasing. I'll give it a 5"

Cadbury Royal Dark

Evaluation Date: June 2010

Cocoa Content: ?? %

Purchased @: Albertsons

Theo Rating: 9 - "The more I review the savoring of this dark chocolate, the more I'm inclined to make it a 9. It was very smooth, sweet and rich!"

Broma Rating: 8 - "Very "Nestles-SemiSweet-Choc-Chip-like" in flavor and consistency. A nice after-lunch chocolate afternoon treat"

NEWMAN'S OWN Organics (The Second Generation) Dark Chocolate

Evaluation Date: June 2012

Cocoa Content: 70%

Purchased @: Issaquah PCC

Theo Rating: 10 - "No question. This one was EXCELLENT!"

Broma Rating: 10 - "This is a great dark chocolate that I would recommend to anyone. This is a perfect sample of balance. I'm calling this one a "10"."

GHIRARDELLI INTENSE DARK EVENING DREAM

Evaluation Date: April 2013

Cocoa Content: 60%

Purchased @: Safeway

Theo Rating: 9 - "Even though this sample was advertised to be a 60% dark chocolate, it tasted like one with a higher percentage. It wasn't quite enough for me to give it a 10, but it was excellent!"

Broma Rating: 10 - "What a pleasant and surprising dark chocolate. The 60% declaration set my expectation very, very low. We've only seen two samples, to date, in the 60% range that received a rating above a "7". This is a very nice balance of texture, sweetness and a good kick of cocoa content!"

"Madecasse Chocolate bean-to-bar in Madagascar"

Evaluation Date: September 2012

Cocoa Content: 80%

Purchased @: Whole Foods

Theo Rating: 4 - "This sample seemed that it was either too old or had been stored at too high a temperature. It was not as smooth as I had hoped and tasted a tiny bit grainy and bitter. Otherwise it was a decent dark chocolate"

Broma Rating: 4 - " Again, another sample, with tremendous potential, tainted by aging or high temperature storage. I liked the content and taste, but the brittle & grainy texture was unacceptable."

THEO Organic Fair Trade MINT

Evaluation Date: May 2012

Cocoa Content: 70%

Purchased @: Boehms Chocolates

Theo Rating: 5 - "The strong mint flavor was good, but overwhelmed the dark chocolate flavor."

Broma Rating: 5 - "This was not a good example of good balance in a "Combo" dark chocolate. The mint was too strong and it was easy to consider this a mint "candy" verses a dark choc."

Askinosie Chocolate DAVAO Philippines

Evaluation Date: October 2013

Cocoa Content: 77%

Purchased @: Chocolopolis - Seattle

Theo Rating: 9 - "I found the initial taste of this sample too bitter, but the follow-on taste was almost perfect! Thus, I would only give it a 9. With a tad more sweetness, I would have given it a 10."

Broma Rating: 10 - "A wonderful dark chocolate "kick" accompanies this balanced (sweetness, smoothness, cocoa-ness) sample!"

GODIVA Extra Dark Santo Domingo Chocolate

Evaluation Date: March 2014

Cocoa Content: 85%

Purchased @: Safeway

Theo Rating: 8 - "I loved the color, texture and dark chocolate taste, but as you say it was a tad too bitter. For me, if it had had some more sweetness, I would have given it a 9. My rating is an 8."

Broma Rating: 9 - "A very impressive dark chocolate that comes in the perfect sized chunks. The cocoa content carries it just over the line in to the "bitterness" level that reduces its pleasing taste."

ALTER ECO DARK BLACKOUT Organic (Ecuador)

Evaluation Date: March 2013

Cocoa Content: 85%

Purchased @: QFC

Theo Rating: 8 - "I liked the smoothness of this dark chocolate and its flavor, but the bitterness was a little too much for me. I prefer it a little sweeter."

Broma Rating: 8 - "Besides a repackaging of a previous dark choc (June 2012)  this new version is made from cocoa from Ecuador rather than Bolivia. With that clarity, I also report that this is an excellent dark-dark chocolate. The bitterness level is very striking and enjoyable."

ALTER ECO Fair Trade Dark Choc Crunchy roasted nibs

Evaluation Date: February 2011

Cocoa Content: 73%

Purchased @: PCC

Theo Rating: 8 - "I liked the "chocolatiness" (is that a word?) of this dark chocoate, but I'm still deciding if I like the "grainyness" of the NIBS."

Broma Rating: 8 - "I really like this! It’s a perfect blend of the Trader Joe's NIBS with a much higher content of great strong dark chocolate. It is a delicious & different experience and concoction that screams "dark chocolate!""

CHOCOLAT-BOX XOCOLATA NEGRA BARCELONA AMETLLA Almond

Evaluation Date: February 2015

Cocoa Content: ??%

Purchased @: Cannes, France (Airport)

Theo Rating: 9 - "A very good sample, but I would have preferred no chips. They were of good flavor, but I like the pure and smooth dark chocolate."

Broma Rating: 9 - "First of all, understand that this is a hybrid. (it has small bits of almond embedded in the dark choc) Now, understand that this is one of the best "hybrid dark chocolates" that I've ever sampled!"

GUYLIAN Belgian Chocolate No Sugar Added (DARK)

Evaluation Date: March 2011

Cocoa Content: 54%

Purchased @: Dallas / Ft Worth Airport

Theo Rating: 8 - "I found the "nose" not as good as I like for dark chocolate, and the artificial sweetner was detectable as not being cane sugar. Otherwise, it was a pretty good chocolate."

Broma Rating: 8 - "Interesting that the other 54% content (NEWMANS OWN) evaluation also scored well. This is a very pleasing choc that makes you wish you had bought more!"