Best Chocolate Bars

I posted about this in the Lindt Recipe Change thread, but on reflection realize that it belongs in a thread with a somewhat broader scope:

I'm liking the Sirius Pure Icelandic Chocolate 70% that I've been getting at Whole Foods lately.

Anyone else have favorites to share?

The Pound Plus chocolate bars from Trader Joe's are really outstanding. One of the bars won a recent taste test done by the folks from Serious Eats. Personally, I'm partial to the bittersweet with almonds.

For me, anything from Scharffen Berger. I found out about them from Good Eats and have been a loyal fan since then.

When I need a mental getaway, nothing better then a SB chocolate bar with cacao nibs passport, lightly melting on the tongue before slowly enjoying my escape.

The Vogue (sp?) Mo Bacon bar comes a quick second.

It's not a bar, although they come in bar form, but I bought a few boxes of Paciugo chocolates at Fresh Farm. The little 3oz boxes have a foil bag inside with Raisinette-size treats. The first I tried were dark chocolate banana, and they were pretty tasty. Waiting for me are cacao nib and guava. I also bought a bar - lemongrass - that I'm eager to try. I'll report back when I do.

Call me a Philistine, but my favorite is the Choceur milk chocolate bar from Aldi--make sure you get the "Austrian" version, indicated by a small Austrian flag on the label. They also make a British version--look for the little Union Jack--that's OK, but more sugary and less chocolatey than the Austrian one. Rich, deep chocolate flavor, not too sweet, and a decadent, mouth coating texture that let's you know you ain't eatin' Hershey's.

Dirt cheap, too. Well under two bucks for a movie theater sized bar.

Not my favorite, but they also make a milk chocolate with almonds, and a dark chocolate bar. I'm not a big fan of nuts in my chocolate, and I prefer milk to dark chocolate. But Mrs. Roadhouse is a fan of both, and swears by them.

I'm not bad mouthing all the high end chocolatiers, but Aldi proves it's just not that hard to put out a high quality product at a really good price.

Buddy

I'm really appreciating hearing about other chocolate bars I should try.

I thought I'd write a sentence or two to try to describe what I like about the Sirius Icelandic 70% bar. (To the best of my ability; writing about what makes chocolate good is even more impossible than writing about what makes wine good.) Basically, it tastes sweet enough. Many 70% cacao bars of my acquaintance have an "eat it because it's good for you" thing going on. You read an article that bittersweet chocolate actually has health benefits, as long as its 70% cacao or higher, so you get a bar like that because you feel like the article gave you "special dispensation" to enjoy one, and it's OK, but it's not really fun to eat. The Sirius 70% tastes like candy--in the best sense of the word. The next time I'm in the store I'll compare labels to see if it actually has more sugar than the other 70% bars, although my understanding of the term 70% is that it'd have no more or less sugar than other 70% bars.

Have to agree with the Aldi suggestion. Those bars really are outstanding for the price. I've cut out desserts for the most part these days, but there was a time when I consumed at least one of the mini bars per day.

I'm gonna have to pop into an Aldi and try one of those things. I like finding choco-bargains. My E. Wedel milk bars seem to have changed recipe a little. For 69c/ 100g at Tony's on sale, I've been digging on them big time for years. They still have the same smooth, mouthcoating finish, but the front end taste/texture is just not as decadent (to me, anyway) as it used to be.

The Icelandic Sirius bars that are less than 70% are nowhere near as good as the 70%. A killer bar is the Vosges Black Salt with Burnt Caramel.

I really like the Equal Exchange bars you can find at Ten Thousand Villages or online here: http://shop.equalexchange.com/category.aspx?categoryID=21. I'm partial to very dark chocolate, but they also have hazelnut, orange, mint, cocoa nibs, and other varieties. They're rich, smooth, and taste like...sophistication. As a bonus, they're fair trade too.

Have now tried the Trader Joe's Pound Plus 72% Belgian. Liked it, but it hasn't displaced the Sirius Icelandic 70% as my favorite plain chocolate bar.

The TJ is a very close second in taste, but comes with some disadvantages in terms of the "delivery system." It is very thick. This means it requires some effort to break apart, and some effort to make it yield to the teeth. Enough to make it lose a couple points in my book. Not enough to make it anything less than a fine chocolate bar, but enough to reduce the pleasure of the experience. If it bested the Sirius 70% in flavor, it would be worth it, but it doesn't.

I look forward to trying all the others that have been mentioned.

BuddyRoadhouse wrote:Call me a Philistine, but my favorite is the Choceur milk chocolate bar from Aldi--make sure you get the "Austrian" version, indicated by a small Austrian flag on the label. They also make a British version--look for the little Union Jack--that's OK, but more sugary and less chocolatey than the Austrian one. Rich, deep chocolate flavor, not too sweet, and a decadent, mouth coating texture that let's you know you ain't eatin' Hershey's.

Dirt cheap, too. Well under two bucks for a movie theater sized bar.

Not my favorite, but they also make a milk chocolate with almonds, and a dark chocolate bar. I'm not a big fan of nuts in my chocolate, and I prefer milk to dark chocolate. But Mrs. Roadhouse is a fan of both, and swears by them.

I'm not bad mouthing all the high end chocolatiers, but Aldi proves it's just not that hard to put out a high quality product at a really good price.

Buddy

Very. Good. Call. I popped into the Aldi down the street, and the line wasn't frightful, so I found these things. Got the Austrian flag version, and at a buck forty nine for a 150g bar, this was some really decent stuff. My cheap E. Wedel bars have a bit deeper chocolate flavor, imo, but recently it seems that the recipe has changed, and they don't start off as rich anymore. The finish is still decent, but the first few bites are less decadent than before. Anyway, if my Wedel bars don't get better, then this Aldi bar will supplant them for my cheap chocolate needs (and there's enough for me to actually consider sharing with the wife.)

Good Call!

seebee wrote:Very. Good. Call. I popped into the Aldi down the street, and the line wasn't frightful, so I found these things. Got the Austrian flag version, and at a buck forty nine for a 150g bar, this was some really decent stuff. My cheap E. Wedel bars have a bit deeper chocolate flavor, imo, but recently it seems that the recipe has changed, and they don't start off as rich anymore. The finish is still decent, but the first few bites are less decadent than before. Anyway, if my Wedel bars don't get better, then this Aldi bar will supplant them for my cheap chocolate needs (and there's enough for me to actually consider sharing with the wife.)

Good Call!

Did you try the milk or dark chocolate? I have found that the Aldi dark chocolate bars have a much stronger flavor, as would any dark, but is lighter than a typical dark bar - kind of halfway on the spectrum between milk and dark. I prefer it to the milk, actually, and typically I do not.

I used BR's suggestion, and went with the milk. I did not try the dark version, but I will next time. I normally try milk first when trying new brands. This brand definitely warrants a dark trial as well. Hmmm, I might even be able to sneak into Aldi after the gym today...

with lindt 70% changed, i've moved to lindt 85%. its pretty dark but i like it.

seebee wrote:I'm gonna have to pop into an Aldi and try one of those things. I like finding choco-bargains. My E. Wedel milk bars seem to have changed recipe a little. For 69c/ 100g at Tony's on sale, I've been digging on them big time for years. They still have the same smooth, mouthcoating finish, but the front end taste/texture is just not as decadent (to me, anyway) as it used to be.

So, in the name of science I did a taste test. Not head to head, because that would simply mean both bars would be eaten in one day. I staggered a few days between tasting. The contenders of this cheap choco tasting were the Aldi Choceur Milk Chocolate bar VS. the E Wedel Milk Chocolate Bar.

Choceur:

VS.


The choceur weighed in at 150g for $1.49 while the E. Wedel came in at a lean 100g for 75c. I can score these E. Wedel things at a nearby grocery store fairly regulary on sale for right around 75c. Normal price is somewhere around a buck, so these things are similarly priced.

Both of these are very good cheap ass chocolate bars, imo, and I'd say that either are a fine choice for the price. The difference, that I tasted, was that the Choceur bar had a more sophisticated start, and the Wedel bar was a bit more gruff. The Wedel bar also had a deeper chocolate flavor along with a touch more sweetness. Both finished quite smooth with a full mouthcoating sensation. So, imo:
Choceur:
Less chocolatey
Less sweet
Smoother start

E. Wedel:
More Chocolatey
A touch Sweeter
Less refined start.

Both are PLENTY satisfying for the price, but I give my edge to E. Wedel for the sale price, and the touch more of a chocolate flavor. By no means did I find the Choceur bar a non-worthy contender, and as a matter of fact, I would assume plenty of ppl would prefer it. The Choceur is definitely a very good cheap bar, and I will be getting my chubby little hands on more in the future.

seebee wrote:... I can score these E. Wedel things at a nearby grocery store fairly regulary on sale for right around 75c. Normal price is somewhere around a buck, so these things are similarly priced...

What store would this be? I love the E. Wedel dark chocolate-- in fact, I did a blind dark chocolate tasting and the E. Wedel won.. but that is a story for another time. These bars are about $1.50 at my beloved A&G, so I am surprised to see such a low price.

Jen

My Tony's regularly has these E. Wedels on sale for 69c.

seebee wrote:My Tony's regularly has these E. Wedels on sale for 69c.

Thanks, I will keep an eye on the Tony's sales circular so I can load up!

Jen

lemoneater wrote:I really like the Equal Exchange bars you can find at Ten Thousand Villages or online here: http://shop.equalexchange.com/category.aspx?categoryID=21. I'm partial to very dark chocolate, but they also have hazelnut, orange, mint, cocoa nibs, and other varieties. They're rich, smooth, and taste like...sophistication. As a bonus, they're fair trade too.

As a data point, these are also available at Whole Foods. Based on your post, lemoneater, I picked up the "very dark chocolate" (71%) Equal Exchange bar at the Whole Foods on Halsted yesterday. Looking forward to "taste-testing" it.

My favorite chocolate at the moment is Theo Chocolate. They have one of the bestSpicy Chile dark chocolate bars I've had. I think what grabs me is the hint of citrus thrown in the mix.

And this isn't a bar, but the Single Malt Scotch Ganache is up there as maybe the best chocolate I've had ever. The blend four different scotches with the chocolate, and each has its own distinct flavor. I might not be able to name all the flavor notes, but it was a real adventure trying these and I don't even like scotch.

I prefer the Choceur bars to the E.Wedel bars. Most of the lower-end E.Wedel bars have a waxy texture, at least to my tastes. The one that does not, and is an insanely great value, is Jedyna:

-
When they have these Jedyna bars in stock, they are also at the same sale price. I can't truly remember if I've ever bought one, but I think I did. Is it a "dark" chocolate bar?

Have now tried the Equal Exchange "very dark chocolate" bar. Liked it, and it has interesting afterflavors going on, but compared to both the Trader Joe's Pound Plus and the Sirius Icelandic 70%, I'm not as crazy about the somewhat fruity afterflavor of the EE bar. (I realize the bar has no fruit in it; I'm just stretching to find a word that describes the taste. If wine can be said to have chocolate "notes" when it doesn't have chocolate, then chocolate can have fruity notes when it doesn't have fruit.) Of the three, for pure chocolate pleasure, I'd rank them Sirius, TJ and EE, in that order. Next on my agenda: the Lindt 85% and the Aldi Choceur.

seebee wrote:When they have these Jedyna bars in stock, they are also at the same sale price. I can't truly remember if I've ever bought one, but I think I did. Is it a "dark" chocolate bar?

It's dark, maybe 55% cocoa, with more sweetness than typical dark chocolate. Really, REALLY good!

riddlemay wrote:Next on my agenda: the Lindt 85% and the Aldi Choceur.

Based on what you've tried already, make sure to try the single-origin chocolate bars at Aldi.

I just polished off a Ritter Sport milk chocolate bar with yogurt filling. Really quite tasty and smooth. Melts very easily though, so don't leave it on your lap during a movie!

Those are my favorite Ritters I wish I could find the fruit yogurt bars here, though - the chocolate itself was yogurt-based, and it was tangy and rich.

riddlemay wrote:Have now tried the Trader Joe's Pound Plus 72% Belgian. Liked it, but it hasn't displaced the Sirius Icelandic 70% as my favorite plain chocolate bar.

The TJ is a very close second in taste, but comes with some disadvantages in terms of the "delivery system." It is very thick. This means it requires some effort to break apart, and some effort to make it yield to the teeth. Enough to make it lose a couple points in my book. Not enough to make it anything less than a fine chocolate bar, but enough to reduce the pleasure of the experience. If it bested the Sirius 70% in flavor, it would be worth it, but it doesn't.

Trader Joe's also has that same chocolate in a smaller 3-pack form. It's three 1.65 ounce bars.

Trader Joe's also has that same chocolate in a smaller 3-pack form. It's three 1.65 ounce bars.

I buy the small 3 pack often, and I know the milk chocolate version is labeled as Swiss chocolate, different than the Pound Plus Belgian milk chocolate. I'd assume it's the same for the dark but am not certain.

Aldi also carries three type of single origin chocolate bars. They got a Venezuelan 55% dark chocolate , 65% from Madagascar and 75% dark from Equador.