Chocolate Tasting 1999

See also: Chocolate 2001 Tasting 2000 Tasting 98 Tasting Recipes

This year we divided the chocolates into two categories, bittersweet - with chocolate solids between 53% and 66%, and dark - with 70-85% chocolate solids.

Bittersweet

		Taste	Texture	AfterTaste	Total
65%	Chocolove	35	32	30	33
61%	Valrhona Le Noir Gastronomie	34.5	30.5	30	32.4
56%	Cote d'Or Noir	33	29	30	31.3
57%	Chocolaterie Bernard Callebaut (Canada)	32	29.5	27.5	30.3
66%	Valrhona Caraibe	31	30.5	27	29.9
?	Donnelly	30.5	33.5	24.5	29.8
53%	Trader Joe's Pound Plus Bittersweet	30	29	27	29
60%	Callebaut	28.5	27.5	25.5	27.5
59%	Swartenbroeckx	26	28.5	25	26.4
58.5%	Fran's Bucare Natural Bittersweet	27.5	28	22	26.3
59%	CafÈ Tasse Noir	22.5	27	22.5	23.6
55%	Rapunzel Pure Organic Semisweet	18	20	16.5	18.1
	Average	29.0	28.8	25.6	28.1

Dark

		Taste	Texture	AfterTaste	Total
70%	Poulain Ligne (sans sucre)	39.5	36	37	38
70%	Morinaga	37.2	39.5	34	37
70%	Cote d'Or Noir de Noir	35	39.5	32	35.4
71%	Valrhona Le Noir Amer	36	34.5	31	34.4
70%	Chocolove Strong Dark	34	35.5	34	34.4
72%	Michel Cluizel Chocolat Amer Brut	35.5	32.5	32.5	34
71%	Hediard Chocolat Noir Amer	34.5	34	33	34
74%	NestlÈ Noir	36.5	32	30	33.8
76%	Yves Thuries Noir Grand Cru	36	32.5	29	33.4
70%	Lindt Excellence	33	35	30	32.8
77%	Swartenbroeckx	33.5	30.5	33	32.6
70%	Neuhaus (expired April 15)	31.5	31	32	31.5
77%	Chocolove Extra Strong	30.5	30.5	30.5	30.5
70%	Scharffen Berger	30	28.5	27	28.9
70%	Valrhona Guanaja	29	30.5	26	28.6
77%	CafÈ Tasse Extra Noir	29	27.5	26.5	28
85%	Michel Cluizel Chocolat Grand Amer	27	27.5	25.5	26.8
72%	Droste	23.5	27.5	23	24.4
	Average	32.8	32.5	30.3	32.1

The Café Tasse was last year's and was tasting a bit old.