Isis Luxury Belgian Extra Dark 85% cocoa - Made in Belgium

The appearance of this chocolate is brown and glossy. It has a smoky, fresh and loamy aroma. The snap is loud and the gradient is crisp and pleasing with very little crumbling. The texture is creamy, waxy and thick. It has a slow to moderate melt. The flavor is bitter, dry, deep and nutty. It has a nice lingering aftertaste which overall gives this chocolate a 6.8 out of 10.

Hachez Cocoa D' Arribe 77% Ecuador cacao - Made in Germany

This is a beautiful smooth chocolate. The aroma is fruity, floral and fresh. The snap is loud and the gradient is marbled. The flavors in this chocolate are complex, interesting, nutty and has a hint of red wine to it. The back flavor is a little metallic but the tangy taste overcomes that. I found the aftertaste to be too short but very pleasant. This chocolate would go really well with cheese. I give this one a 7.3 out of 10.

Venchi dal 1878 75% cacao - Made in Italy

This chocolate has a nice smooth dull sheen with a rich chocolaty aroma. The aroma is also smoky and has a fruity hint to it. The texture is creamy, chalky and the melt is moderate. The flavor is mostly chocolate. It is mild, balanced and leans toward bland. But it is good. The aftertaste was short and sweet. This is a great chocolate. This one gets a 7.5 out of 10.

Pralus Papouasie 75% New Guinea cacao - Made in France

This chocolate has a glossy sheen that is even and smooth. The aroma is loamy, chocolaty and very subtle. The snap is moderate and the gradient is clean and smooth. This chocolate has a moderate to slow melt with a creamy, thick texture. It is subtle and has just the right amount of bitterness to it. It has so many flavors forward and back. It is like riding a roller coaster. This chocolate is complex and interesting and it all goes together well. The aftertaste lingers in your mouth and is very pleasant. Nicely done Pralus. I give this chocolate a 7.1 out of 10.

Slitti Super Novanta 90% Venezuela cacao - Made in Italy

This chocolate starts with everything you would look for in a chocolate. It has a nice dull sheen that is even and smooth. It smells of rich, chocolate. The snap is loud and the gradient is smooth and marbled. But the flavor is intensely bitter. It is also dry, chalky and dense. I think is a good chocolate for 90% cacao. I would like to see a little more umph with this chocolate. I didn't pick up any of the fruity flavors that the wrapper alluded to. I did think the aftertaste was lingering and pleasant. I give this chocolate a 4.9 out of 10.

Debauve & Gallais 85% Santo Dominguo cacao - Made in Paris

This is a dark chocolate with a reddish tint. It has a dull but smooth sheen with a rich woody, loamy smell to it. The snap is loud and the gradient it slightly rough and marbled. The melt is slow and the texture is sticky, light, chalky and waxy. The taste is somewhat bitter but not too much and it is dry but it is also well-balanced. This isn't a bad chocolate, it's just boring. It is too mild and subtle with no flavors other than bland. The aftertaste is lingering. I think this chocolate would be better with a nice spicy cheese to liven it up a little. I give this one a 3.8 out of 10.

Santander Dark Chocolate 70% Columbian cocoa - Made in South America

A dull sheen with a rich chocolaty aroma to this chocolate. It has a loud snap with a slightly rough and uneven gradient. The texture is smooth, even and creamy with a moderate melt. It has a rich sweet and dry taste to it with a somewhat complex back taste. It has a lingering melt with a pleasant aftertaste. Overall, I give this chocolate an 8.2 out of 10. A great chocolate.

Valrhona GUANAJA 70% Honduras cacao - Made in France

This chocolate has a smooth dull sheen to it with a fruity, smoky and rich aroma to it. The snap is loud and the gradient is slightly rough. It has an effortless melt and a velvety, creamy and smooth texture. It is very sweet but not too much and has a fruity balanced flavor to it. The aftertaste is lingering and is very pleasant. I give this one a 7.3 out of 10. Overall a really nice chocolate.

Vintage Plantations 90% Ecuador cacao - Made in South America

With a smooth and glossy sheen and a floral, tobacco and rich aroma, I would expect more from this chocolate. But my tasters gave it a 4.4 out of 10. The snap is loud and the gradient is marbled and smooth but the texture is grainy, dry and chalky. The flavors are acrid, bitter and not sweet enough with a tangy smoky aftertaste that lingers a little too long. I will say that it is intense and an interesting piece of chocolate.

Venchi Blend 75% cocoa - Made in Italy

This chocolate has a glossy, smooth and very dark appearance. It has a strong roasted, smoky, very chocolaty aroma. It has a loud pleasing snap with a smooth gradient. The texture is waxy, thick and sticky. The flavors are nutty, smoky, deep and bold. The aftertaste is pleasant with a lingering aftertaste. A nice chocolate. Overall I give this chocolate a 7.4 out of 10.

Pralus 75% Ecuador cacao - Made in France

A glossy sheen and a floral, fruity aroma with a loud snap for this chocolate. It has an effortless melt with a creamy smooth texture. The flavor is subtle, sweet and balanced with a tangy red wine bite to it. The aftertaste is pleasant though short. Overall, this is a good chocolate. I give it a 7 out of 10.

Lindt Intense Dark 75% Ecuador cocoa - Made in Switzerland

The appearance is smooth and glossy. The aroma is rich, chocolaty and a dark fruit such as cherries. It has a moderate snap with a pleasing and smooth gradient. The texture is creamy but dry with a moderate melt. It has a pleasant flavor of fruit. The flavor is also balanced and has a little bit of a bitter taste to it. This is a very good chocolate. I give this a 7.5 out of 10.

Chocovic S.A. Maragda 70% Ecuador cocoa - Made in Spain

This chocolate has a dull sheen to it and had blooms all over it. It smells of a smoky licorice aroma. It has a nice clean snap with a crisp, slightly rough gradient. The melt was slow and the texture started dry and then became creamy. This chocolate wasn't really boring but it did have a sweet taste to it and that's about it. It tasted really milky as well. Overall this is a nice chocolate and I give it 6.4 out of 10.

Jacques Torres Dangerously Dark 84% cocoa - Made in New York

This is a very good chocolate. It has a smooth glossy appearance with a rich chocolaty smell and a loud crisp snap. The gradient is smooth and has a nice marble to it. The texture is firm and it has a slow melt. The flavor is deep with a little dryness but it is very balanced. It has a spicy note to it as well as a bit bitter. The aftertaste is very pleasant and lingers in the mouth nicely. Overall, this chocolate gets a 8.3 out of 10.

Chocolove Extra Strong Dark 77% African and Caribbean cocoa - Made in Colorado

Yummy. This chocolate has an even glossy appearance. Its aroma is rich and chocolaty. It has an effortless melt with loud snap and a smooth gradient. The texture is smooth, light and creamy. It has a deep and balanced flavor that is sweet but not too sweet. It has a tangy aftertaste that is lingering. Overall this is a really nice chocolate. I give this one a 7.2 out of 10.

Choxie 71% Ecuadorian cacao - Made in Minnesota

One of our tasters described this chocolate as simple but elegant. That pretty much sums it up. It has an even dull appearance with a redish tint. The aroma is wonderful. Smells like cherries. It has a loud snap with a slightly rough gradient. It has an overall balanced taste to it. This chocolate is subtle with a fruity deep aftertaste. Overall a really nice chocolate. I give this one a 7.2 out of 10. Nice.

Scharffen Berger Kumasi Sambirano 68% blend of Ghana and Madagascar cacao - Made in California

It has a dull appearance but is smooth. It has a fruity floral fresh chocolatey aroma with a pleasing, crisp snap. The gradient was smooth but not marbled. The texture was very firm, dry and had a slow melt. I had to chew it somewhat to get it to melt. It is balanced and is more complexed than the Hershey's from yesterday but it is only slightly better. It has a dry fruity with a hint of salt taste to it. I give this chocolate a 6 out of 10.

Hershey's CACAO Reserve 65% cacao - Made in Pennsylvania

This chocolate is glossy and smells floral but subtle. It has a loud to moderate snap and has a smooth but uneven gradient. It is creamy and velvety with a moderate melt. I thought this chocolate was too sweet and not very interesting. It wasn't bad but there wasn't any complex flavors with it. It tasted a lot like milk chocolate. This chocolate gets a 5.1 out of 10 and overall is a very boring chocolate.