Hu Dark Chocolate Gems (70%) have a strong raisin aroma that makes itself known the second you open the bag. That's not a terrible thing, and interestingly, they don't really taste particularly raisiny. The coconut sugar flavor is definitely present, dom… instagr.am/p/C6grRNYS_2Y/

Keller + Manni Chocolate Truffle Fries 55% Milk Chocolate bar has an almost mustardy aromatic hit of truffle right on the first bite. Bits of shoestring potato lightly seasoned with salt and truffle are dropped on the back of the bar, giving it just enou… instagr.am/p/C6Y84CoNZKd/

Amedei Tuscan Hazelnut bar is really beautiful. I am an absolute sucker for chocolate/hazelnut combinations and this one doesn't disappoint. It's got a light, creamy 32% milk chocolate base with bits of toasted Piedmont hazelnuts. The toasty, lightly flo… instagr.am/p/C6ROfebNd3i/

Beyond Good 72% Madagascar Vanilla Bean, goes all in on the vanilla. While the vanilla is pretty dominant, there's a bit of room for the madagascan beans to come through. There's a tart fruitiness with gentle oolong notes and a touch of cherry in the bac… instagr.am/p/C6JgHDxMi8Z/

Rózsavölgyi Csokoládé Almond Gianduja (73% Peru Nacional) reads very dark. It has the somewhat papery notes of almond butter, with almost a feel more than a flavor) of very dark cherry, with a faint coffee aftertaste. I actually sampled this one back in … instagr.am/p/C6BxuLttA91/

Rózsavölgyi Csokoládé Hazelnut Milk Gianduja (40%) is a gorgeous piece of chocolate, with flavors of caramel corn and coffee complementing the hazelnut and butter. The melt is fast and fluid, with an almost undetectable grain. There is no astringency.⁠
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Rózsavölgyi Csokoládé has a pair of beautifully packaged giandujas. One a dark almond and the other a milk hazelnut. I love RC's stuff generally, so I'm excited to add these to the collection.⁠
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#chocolate #artisanchocolate #craftchocolate #beantob … instagr.am/p/C5yU86MM0HN/

In addition to their chocolate bars, Blue Stripes makes a whole line of cacao based products. They've got trail mix, chocolate covered cocoa beans, granola, dried cacao fruit, and cacao water. They try to use the whole cacao pod as much as possible so as… instagr.am/p/C5qmsS_sh01/

Blue Stripes 70% Dark Chocolate (Guayaquil, Ecuador) is interesting. It's immediately obvious that it's sweetened with coconut sugar (and cacao sugar), but that distinctive flavor gives way to something more like chocolate frosting. Blue Stripes uses the… instagr.am/p/C5i4LvsMQHL/

San José 70% Dark Chocolate (Los Ríos, Ecuador) opens with flavors of tobacco and blackberries, with a hint of cinnamon. The balance is pretty good, with just the right amount of sweetness. It has a light astringency, a thick creamy melt, and a fine grai… instagr.am/p/C5bJzFYy-Eu/

San José 70% Dark Chocolate with Nibs (Los Rios, Ecuador) is very nicely balanced. It's got rich, deep chocolate frosting flavors, coupled with cherry notes, vanilla (not from added vanilla), and a very light bitterness. It might be a tad on the dark sid… instagr.am/p/C5TbbO4MzMT/

Coco 40% Salted Caramel Milk Chocolate (Colombia)has flavors of buttered pecan and whisky, along with a gentle touch of salt. The melt is very light, with a few crispy grains of salt here and there, but an otherwise barely discernible grain. The melt is … instagr.am/p/C5LtB5GsLNh/

Coco Isle of Skye Sea Salt Dark Chocolate (61% - Colombia) opens with a cool mineral flavor. It develops a vegetal note reminiscent of cooking oil (not in a bad way) before opening up to nuttier flavors with a bit of cocoa and coffee. They've got a deft … instagr.am/p/C5D-pYmM2Hw/

These were hiding in my X-mas stocking. I'm finally getting around to sampling them. They're tiny little sample bars (just 20g each), so I'm going to have to be careful to ensure I get the reviews written before I devour them completely!⁠
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#chocola … instagr.am/p/C48QQpjMo6F/

Ritter Sport Crunchy Creamy Winter has a milk chocolate shell containing a light nougat with bits of cinnamon caramelized almond. The flavor is this one feels a little muddled. It's milk chocolatey, with a light touch of cinnamon, but there's no real pun… instagr.am/p/C40h4cyMBdz/

Ritter Sport White Cinnamon Crisp is pretty sweet. It's a white chocolate base with crunchy little bits of cinnamon flavored rice cracker. Ritter always cuts it pretty close to the edge in terms of sweetness (for me), but this one is almost too much. It … instagr.am/p/C4szfYlLAQv/

Ritter Sport is always cranking out new seasonal flavors, and this year I managed to grab their White Cinnamon Crisp and the Crunchy Creamy Winter bar. Ritter is always hovering on the edge of too sweet for me, but I'm consistently impressed with their f… instagr.am/p/C4lFG8ZLRue/

Soma Mint Drinking Chocolate has a great balance of mint and chocolate flavor. I went the standard drinking chocolate route, mixing the bag with .5C of hot water. Although I whisked the hell out of it, there was still a bit of a grain to it. It didn't sl… instagr.am/p/C4dWue3Mxkv/

My wife gave me a big box of Soma for X-mas. Soma is easily among the best chocolate makers in the world, so I was over the moon to get this. Most of the items in the box were things I hadn't tried yet, so that was a big plus. And the things I had tried … instagr.am/p/C3vHVc7t0J_/

20/20 70% Jobito starts with smokey notes evocative of mezcal or chipotles. I get a distinct BBQ sauce like flavor once the more acidic notes kick in. There's a hint of honey and strawberries as well. The melt is thick and creamy. It has a fine grain and… instagr.am/p/C3X8IgDtl5y/