The 5 Best Dark Chocolate Bars in the World
The Modern Paleo blog’s been doing chocolate reviews recently, which struck me as a novel but totally understandable practice for a blog called Modern Paleo. In my mind, good dark chocolate – high cacao content, high fat, low-ish sugar stuff – makes any downsides to living in this modern world well worth it. Good dark chocolate really is that good. And one of the best parts about going Primal has been the way my heightened sensitivity to the slightest dash of sugar enables true appreciation of the bean’s slightly sweet product.
I’ve eaten a lot of chocolate in my day. Cheap American milk chocolate with an absurdly low cacao content was regularly gobbled up in my endurance days, but I’ve since moved on to more bitter pastures. About five years ago, I could enjoy your standard mid-grade bittersweet dark chocolate without worrying about the cacao content percentage. Now, I find the sweetness of anything lower than 72% cloyingly overpowering. That’s not to say I don’t like being overpowered by intense flavor, because I do – but only when that flavor is based on the bean. So, yeah, 72% is too low, and even the late 70s are generally pushing too much sugar. I try to stick to the 80s and even 90s.
You might notice that my picks are not inexpensive. They aren’t throwaway bars to be wolfed down in between mouthfuls of movie popcorn in a single sitting. In fact, throughout the composition of this post (the tasting, the writing, the sampling), I probably ate almost an entire bar’s worth of really high-quality, super dark chocolate. It wasn’t easy. It was probably too much. Normally, I’ll eat a square, maybe two, after dinner a few times a week, so I’m preparing myself for an impending stomachache. We’ll see. My point is this: good dark chocolate is self-limiting. You won’t go crazy and pig out on it because it isn’t pleasant to do so. The quality stuff always lasts longer than the cheap stuff. Quality dark chocolate is definitely worth the extra expenditure.
Of course, what actually constitutes the best dark chocolate in the world is subjective. These happen to be some of my favorites, at least for now. My top picks are always changing as I never fail to try whatever high-quality, low-sugar dark chocolate wanders into my life or appears in the checkout line.
In no particular order, the list:
Valrhona Noir Extra Amer – 85% Cacao
2.5 servings per bar
Each serving:
20g fat (12g saturated)
15g carbs (6g fiber; 5g sugar)
This bar looks fantastic: sleek, smooth, and dark, almost black, with a hint of red. A single square, if given sufficient mouth time, will slowly, smoothly melt, revealing floral, nutty, and coffee notes. If you try real hard, you may notice cinnamon, too. I think the biggest draw is the texture, which is silky (gosh, I sound like a chocolate advertisement using words like “silky”). That single square will resonate for several minutes, provided you don’t just chomp down without allowing it to melt.
The Noir Extra Amer goes well in a pot of spicy chili, right at the end just before serving. I get mine at Trader Joe’s for $2.99 a bar.
Chocolove XOXOX Extra Strong Dark – 77% Cacao
3 servings per bar
Each serving:
13g fat (8g saturated)
11g carbs (3g fiber; 6g sugar)
The Chocolove XOXOX may have a ridiculously cheesy name and a slightly higher sugar content, but if you want a non-abrasive, introductory dark chocolate for beginners, this is it. If you’re trying to wean your significant other off of milk chocolate, go with the Chocolove XOXOX. You get the unmistakable flavor and light sugar content of a high-cacao bar with the creaminess and accessibility of a lesser-cacao bar. I keep these on hand for those times where I just want a bit of sweetness without the commitment required by the heavy darks. It tastes a bit like coconut.
You can find this bar at Whole Foods, Target, or Cost Plus.
Green and Black’s Dark – 85% Cacao
2.5 servings per bar
Each serving:
21g fat (13g saturated)
14g carbs (5g fiber; 6g sugar)
Another brilliantly dark bar with glimpses of red, the Green and Black’s Dark is similar to the Valrhona in its mouthfeel. It’s creamy, silky, smooth, and melts very well, but it’s not quite so bitter. Oh, the bitterness is there, lurking and noticeable, but it isn’t overpowering. You almost have to look for it (although beginners might notice it right away). Sometimes I like the bitterness to dominate. When I don’t want that kind of bitterness, I reach for a Green and Black’s, which strikes an impressive balance between robustness and delicateness.
Find where to buy Green and Black’s near you.
Dagoba Eclipse – 87% Cacao
1 serving per bar
Each serving:
26g fat (16g saturated)
19g carb (8g fiber; 7g sugar)
Dagoba is an odd one. I like it, nay, love it, but it’s definitely not an everyday sort of chocolate bar. If it’s the only thing in the house, I can probably work my way through it in two weeks – with dedication – and yet it’s the most intriguing chocolate I’ve had. Complex flavors include fruit, clove, allspice, and other spice mixes. There’s even a bit of red wine in there, making actual wine pairing redundant or even antagonistic. No, this bar stands alone. The texture isn’t great, though, and instead of melting into smooth oblivion it gets rather dry toward the end, but this is accompanied by flavor intensification (if you can imagine such a thing). There’s a tradeoff that’s worth exploring.
I get Dagoba Eclipse at Whole Foods, but you can also order it online.
Scharffen Berger Extra Dark – 82% Cacao
2 servings per bar
Each serving:
19g fat (12g saturated)
17g carbs (6g fiber; 8g sugar)
Figs and red wine, honey and spice(y). There’s even a bit of esperesso lurking in there. It’s not just the cacao that’s bitter; there’s a bite that lingers minutes after you’ve taken it. That acidic bite effectively staves off the worst of the (let’s face it – sometimes too much) bitterness, where a lesser manufacturer would have loaded a bar up with sugar to dull it. I’m glad Scharffen Berger did not do so.
Give this to daring beginners.
One of my new personal favorites that didn’t make the cut is the 85% Ecuador dark chocolate out of the Santa Barbara Chocolate Company. We had the 72% at PrimalCon, but the 85% is even better. Definitely keep your eyes out for it. If I had it on hand to sample, this list woulda been six-deep.
Lindt 85% is another good option, especially if you can’t find any of the above choices. Lindt is available in most standard grocery stores and Walmart.
One last thing: remember that the serving size listed on the back of dark chocolate bars is usually quite high, often around half a bar per serving. Depending on the bar, I get 6-12 or more servings per bar. Consider this when calculating the carb values per serving above.
What are your favorites? Have I missed anything? What should I try next? Let me know in the comment section!
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Posted By: Mark Sisson
you haven’t tasted the hole pallet of world chocolates until you have tried “Pure Icelandic Chocolate Noi Sirius 70%” just reminds me of happy child hood memory’s of when i was a kid and i was stealing a bit off from the kitchen, and there never seamed to be any chocolate a round when my mother wanted to bake
it melts so satisfyingly in your mouth….
This is my chocolate: 90% cocoa from an artisan chocolate maker from Styria, Austria, Europe: http://www.zotter.at/en/chocolate-shop/basic/detail/v/basic-90-grenzbitter-1.html. They even make a 100% cocoa chocolate! Seems like you guys in the US of A can have some too: http://www.network54.com/Forum/131774/thread/1057252139/Zotter+Chocolates+in+USA-
all about the fair trade monkey chocolate 82 percent!
Might I recommend Endangered Species Chocolates 88% All-Natural Extreme Dark Chocolate
http://chocolatebar.com/products.php?product=3oz.-All%252dNatural-Extreme-Dark-Chocolate
Best chocolate for the price/health/impact!
I also like that the sugar used in Endangered is unprocessed and water-filtered.
Hi I found this by Googling ‘best chocolate’ (or whatever!) as someone recommended the following to me and I was trying to check them out@
Val Rhona
Amaday and Michel Cluizel
But I see NONE of these are mentioned! (so FAR!). I normally do the Green and Blacks DARKEST!
I love dark chocolates, I love the bitterness and sweetness it offers. Truly a unique satisfying taste. I hope one day I could taste these 5 best dark chocolate.
Though it is only 70%, my sheer favorite is Rapunzel for two reasons: one is that they put their product through a conching process done by hand and the ingredients of nature that consumes three days, not just a few hours via chemicals. The difference is notable in the flavor, so much so I’m convinced if they did an 85% it would thrill the palate distinctively more than the other 85ers.
The second reason is the quality of sugar they use, which I believe is the least processed in the field and carries a roundness of sweetness with molasses characteristics to make a far more interesting chocolate. They used to use a sugar that was not processed at all, their own product called Rapadura, but the inside-the-box brittleness of consumer tastes made them retreat from that supreme summit.
I hope some other company has the balls to return this to the gusty fields of human flavor highs.
Their Rapadura can still be purchased separately. It changes desserts for which it is appropriate (NOT lemon pie, a disaster) like apple crisp to their fulfillment of potential.
While writing this I consumed nearly an entire 3.4 oz. Green & Black 85er. So I had good company!
Ron
Note: I don’t know if I’ll be able to find you again online, for my computer is crazy tonight. But if you email me any replies at ronald@foxinternet.net I’ll be likely to get them.
Yes! I used to eat the Rapunzel chocolate he speaks of years ago made with the Rapadura sugar and it truly was amazing! So much more like what I had always imagined a great brown sugar should taste like, and it gave the chocolate a distinctive less sweet, but more flavored, delicious quality! It was different from other bars, but I thought much better!
I also used to buy Rapadura sugar to make my famous organic whole wheat/oatmeal/coconut double-the chocolate-chips cookies (my secret ingredient was plain organic yogurt), but I don’t make them much anymore, being allergic to wheat and dairy!
My current go-to chocolate is (Fair Trade) Divine 85% Dark (“Heavenly Chocolate with a heart.”) Their 70% Dark is also wonderful, but I can finally do the less sweet after a couple of years of eating more primal! Thanks to Mark & you guys!
I’ve been a chocolate lover all my life, and have eaten exclusively dark chocolate for about a decade. Of all the dark chocolates I’ve had–and there have been many–the Dagoba 87% (Eclipse) bar is by far my favorite.
It is the richest, “deepest,” most complex, and most satisfying dark chocolate I have ever had. I like others to varying degrees, but many have a generic dark chocolate taste; as the reviewer states, this chocolate really does stand alone.
I disagree with the reviewer about the texture: if you order the chocolate directly from the company, you will get–at least I have–very fresh bars that are quite smooth and silky. The reviewer does not mention the fact that an Eclipse bar has eight grams of fiber and seven grams of protein.
I found the Eclipse extremely hard to find (Fairway on NYC’s Upper West Side has it only occasionally), so I now order it by the box directly from the company (www.dagobachocolate.com).
My absolute favorite is Valrhona Noir Extra Amer. I eat a tiny bit at a time to satisfy my sweet tooth.
This is a good list of great chocolate. And if you want to take it up a notch, here’s more info.
For a list of Artisan Chocolatiers (those Mark listed, plus many more):
http://chocomap.com/chocolatiers.php
Try the different tabs at chocomap.com, such as “Up to Your Elbows in Chocolate” for info on Understanding Cocoa Percentage or How Chocolate is Made. The tab “Hot Chocolate” has news on chocolate and at bottom, a list of chocolate resources (sites, blogs, online bulk chocolate suppliers). The tab “Bonbons & Bars” gets you to a selection of great chocolate bars with descriptions.
The tab “The Map” lists chocolatiers by city, throughout the world or you can search on the name of a shop. If your favorite local Chocolatier isn’t listed, have the shop go to the link “Put Your Shop on the Map” and fill out the form to get listed!
And to find a Chocolatier wherever you are in the world, download the free “Find Chocolate” app for iPhone & Android:
http://chocomap.com/chocomap_mobile.php
Enjoy!
EcoleChocolatGirl
(Program Coordinator at Ecole Chocolat, the online chocolate school that teaches the art of fine chocolate making)
Most dark chocolate has soy lesithin. What is the purpose of adding this?
Cocoa beans are turned into a chocolate liquor, which is then pressed to produce Cocoa butter and Cocoa solids. Chocolatiers mix these two at varying proportions to create different chocolate. Soy Lechtin is used as an emulsifier in order to allow the solids to bind with the butter. Its important to realize however that this is a “shortcut” when producing fine chocolate – and chocolate made by hand with the proper technique does not require this ingredient.
Soy Lechin itself is the ‘gum’ left over after processing soy beans. The negative aspects of Soy Lechtin is that it is typically removed from processing machinery with solvents and chemicals, and that soy itself can have a number of nasty properties. It really doesn’t belong in chocolate – its like crapping in chocolate cake.
Theo out of Seattle makes OUTSTANDING chocolate, found predominately on the West Coast. My fave, which is currently out of production, is 96% cacao from Costa Rica.
Organic and Fair Trade!
If you love chocolate, check out Theo!
http://www.theochocolate.com/
I’m on this thread because I’m a chocoholic…trying to abstain or limit because of the evils of caffein. The famous brain doctor, Daniel Amen, says it’s bad for the brain, and other sources say it’s bad for the kidneys. Isn’t anybody here concerned?
the only one i have had is green and blacks, and i wasn’t tha impressed. lindt’s 99% dark is my fav!
Your are forgetting the best dark chocolate made of “arriba cacao”: REPUBLICA DEL CACAO, harvested and produced in Ecuador.
I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but Scharfenberger is owned by Hershey. Ever since Hershey took over the quality is not the same. Since we are in the Bay area and own a food company we use Guittard. I love all their dark chocolates! Endangered Species is also tops!
i am a chocalate lover. i even do my bombom at home.. with almonds,nuts,straberrys… a delicious desert for all occacions…
happy new year everyone!!!
Here in New Zealand Lindt ” Excellence” 85% Cocoa [dark noir]can be bought at most normal super markets.
The Pack is 100g
and the numbers listed are:
Energy 530Kcal
Protein 11g
Fat, total 46g
-saturated 28g
Carbs 19g
- sugars 14g
Sodium 30mg
Cheers
I think, you are forgetting one of the most important chocolates in the world. The best cacao ever found came from Venezuela, specifically from a really small town called Chuao. First, Chuao’s cacao is fermented to develop the compounds that will later blossom into rich aromatics, then it’s laid out on the parvis in front of the village church to dry slowly in the sun.
If you want a try a perfect chocolate bar made using 100% Chuao’s cacao, you have to expend a little bit more money and find a “Carenero Superior” made an exceptional venezuelan chocolate company called “El Rey”. Once you have tasted that, you will think different about cacao bean quality and excellent chocolates on the world.
The Lindt 99% is top of the list. I can’t have anything less than 90% or the sugar stops complementing the chocolate taste and starts masking it.
I think fine chocolate is really an untapped market. Chocolatiers can experiment with different solid to butter proportions, infuse natural flavours .. and sell some REALLY good 99% bars.
Here in Canada we can pick up Lindt 99% at Superstore and London Drugs – not that hard to find. 1g of sugar in the entire 50g bar.
Believe it or not I have tasted better at chocolatiers I’ve visited. I remember this one that had a high butter composition, hint of natural vanilla and rosemary .. knocked my socks off.
i’ve just ordered from the lindt website, 99% dark, never had it before but the 90% is divine ….
Hey there, for Australian paleo lovers who want a good chocolate treat there’s Well, Naturally sugar free dark chocolate – sweetened with stevia – http://wellnaturally.com.au/info/sugar-free-chocolate – my fave treat is a couple of squares of the caramel crisp flavour with some macadamias. It’s mostly fat & so very satisfying.
None of the ones you list are fair trade, which is unfortunate, as much as I love eating choc. it is one of the corrupt and harmful industry to the indigenous populations it exploits so I only eat fair trade, do you have any recommendations for that? our health should not be others misery.
Hi there….I am new to eating dark chocolate…should we eat a recommended serving of it OR just a small square? I enjoy small amounts of it but if I need to eat more of it, I can do that too
Your thoughts?
After reading this I went out to a local Whole Foods and picked up a Green and Black’s Dark – 85% Cacao…. the only thing I can say is “Mark Sisson for the win!!!”
I had been on the Ghirardelli 85% for over a year for the availability and price. The G & B has won me over. Thanks for the great recommendation Mark. Grok on!
Try Zotters Labooko 100% Peru bar(www.zotter.at)…I still cannot believe it has absolutely no sugar in it. Blown away! Plus its organic and fairtrade. For any Londoners reading this I found it in John Lewis foodhall (Oxford St).
Lindt 90%
http://www.tazachocolate.com/LearnMore/NutritionFacts/87_Dark
You should try Taza Chocolate.
Chocolate is stone ground and then pressed. It is so good.
My favorite 100% bar. And it’s organic. Zero added sugar. I buy it from Whole Foods Market.
http://www.chocolats-pralus.com/en/madagascar-100-bar.html
I was REALLY hesitant about this. After all dark chocolate brought to mind the dark bitter baking chocolates.
I couldn’t be happier with Moser Roth’s chocolates (http://aldi.us/us/html/company/14612_ENU_HTML.htm) I buy from aldis. 85% coco I never would have though would have the complexity of flavor.
Best of all I don’t experience the “GOTTA HAVE MORE” moment I do with milk chocolate.
Rock on dark chocolate rock on.