I'm bowled over by this chocolate bar - so much so that I'm going to take the time to review it. I'll begin by saying that I am not a chocolate expert. I haven't tried hundreds of different fine dark chocolates. More like - tens of different dark chocolates - and some of them, disappointingly, not fine. I do love dark chocolate though. And I eat it often. And when I do, I prefer to eat the best I can get my hands on at the time of purchase.

I chose this bar from the chocolate rack because it contained only cocoa and sugar. It was the only one available there that didn't have other ingredients. This bar was smaller (2.64 oz) than I usually buy and, in spite of that, it was also a little more expensive ($4.99 at Whole Foods in Kansas City). The outside wrapper has a little piece of husk or something tying it closed - as if a bucolic native fastening tradition had been preserved (although, within that, hermetically sealed plastic protects the bar itself). The packaging mentions the 'heirloom', 'peace corps', and 'fair' buzzwords. In my experience if you're supposed to be swayed to buy due to attributes besides taste - taste usually isn't it's best feature. Considering the expense, the size, and the kitschy new-age marketing, I was prepared to be terribly disappointed by the chocolate itself - and in myself for buying it anyway. But, my first bite changed all of that.

This chocolate bar was different than any other dark chocolate I've ever eaten. It had strong notes of citrus (almost fruity even) as well as more typical strong deep 'chocolaty' alkaline. Each bite ran through a spectrum of flavors as it quickly melted in my mouth. If I had to grade it down for anything, I would say that it is less smooth than I prefer - a tiny bit gritty. Also, I found that just holding the bar loosely in my hand, in it's inner plastic wrapper, while I ate it caused it to melt a little - which is unusual in my experience and I presume is due to a high cocoa butter content. But, I forgive the price, the size, the kitsch, the grit, and the meltiness for the unique flavor. It is as if delicate elements of the nibs that are normally lost in processing have somehow been preserved here - similarly to the way that you can sometimes taste the fruit in the bean within an especially good cup of coffee.

This bar was eaten 3/8/2015 and the outside wrapper says that it's best before 4/22/2016. The listed ingredients are: cocoa beans, sugar, and cocoa butter. The wrapper says it's made from 'heirloom Madagascar cocoa' in Madagascar (rather than the beans having been shipped elsewhere for processing) and it touts the economic benefit of that for the local population. It is quite a departure from what I have come to think of as quality dark chocolate. But I give it a 9 and I think it's my favorite bar ever.

 

--UPDATE --
I've eaten two more bars since my review. Neither were bad, but both were disappointing by comparison to the original bar. All three bars have identical dating data on their outer labels. My second bar had much less flavor overall than the first. It also did not melt as easily in my mouth as the first one did. My third bar was strong and 'melty', but the flavor was more bitter than the original bar (and not in a good way). This is, of course, a very small sample set, and there is a possibility that the second two bars were the outliers, rather than the first. But my limited results lead me to conclude that the factory that produces them may have consistency problems. Like a lot of restaurants, maybe they periodically accidentally produce a superior product - and maybe my first bar was one of those. As a result, I no longer feel the same previous desire to purchase more of these relatively small and expensive bars.