Here are the other three Intense Dark bars that I got as free samples from Ghirardelli to help promote their Breast Cancer Awareness Campaign: the 60% Evening Dream, the 72% Twilight Delight, and the 86% Midnight Reverie.
I like the timely progression of the bars’ names. Very Mad Men of them. As pure chocolate bars are best reviewed in comparison, I thought I’d taste and cover these as a flight.
The 60% was nicely snappy. It had a smooth melt and a velvety mouthfeel. I got bright notes of cherry fruitness that yielded to a slightly chalky and astringent (but not unbearably so) finish.
The 72%, as expected by its higher cacao percentage, was even snappier than the 60%. It felt drier and didn’t exactly melt – it more dissolved in the mouth with a cool fattiness.
There was a hint of brightness to this bar, but it mostly tasted of pure cocoa, like the raw chocolate flavor of cacao nibs.
86% was the darkest of the bunch and was too dark for me. It was quite intense with no sweetness to it.
I found it reminiscent of dry cocoa powder in a more palatably-textured chocolate bar form. Moisture-sucking finish included. Chocolate adventurers would enjoy it, though!
An OM?for the 60%. The ?72% and 86% get an O. I’d reach for them when putting together a chocolate tasting flight, but the 60% is better suited for snacking.
Varsha