Lake Champlain Tanzania 75% Dark Chocolate

Manufacturer: Lake Champlain Chocolates
Cocoa Content: 75%
Manufacturer Website
Rating: B+

On the tasting block today is another chocolate from Lake Champlain's Select Origin line - the Tanzania 75% dark chocolate. The chocolate bar is deep mahogany brown in color with some ruby undertones. The nose detects cocoa and marshmallow notes.

On the palate a roast chocolate character jumps out up front. There is a rich cocoa bitter note that hints at black licorice. A caramel note is present as well. The acidity is rather slow to build as the thick bar slowly melts, but it eventually reaches a moderate level. Fruit notes of raspberry, pomegranate and currant eventually make their presence known. Chewing the Lake Champlain Tanzania bar brings forward strawberry, vanilla and a fleeting woodsy note. The chocolate is thick and creamy as it melts on the tongue. It is almost completely smooth, but it has just the finest grit. The finish has sweetened coffee and strawberries as it fades.

The Lake Champlain Tanzania 75% dark chocolate bar is tasty and well balanced. I did find this bar to be a little lacking in complexity, especially compared to their fantastic Sao Thome, but overall this is a great snacking dark chocolate.

Lake Champlain African Blend 80% Cocoa Dark Chocolate

Manufacturer: Lake Champlain Chocolates
Cocoa Content: 80%
Manufacturer Website
Rating: B+

Today's tasting is a dark chocolate from Lake Champlain Chocolates. Their Select Origin African Blend contains cocoa from Tanzania, Ghana and Sao Thome. The African Blend dark chocolate bar is ebony in color with a hint of purple. The initial flavor is a bitter espresso. Acidity builds to a mild-moderate level with blackberry and cherry fruit notes. A wealth of complex flavors make their presence known ranging from peanuts to floral notes to plantains and even edamame.

Chewing the Lake Champlain African Blend bar opens up sweet fruit notes of banana and ripe kiwifruit. The finish has nuttiness, some herbal notes and faint black coffee. The African Blend is thick and creamy in texture, although there is some noticable grittiness.

The Lake Champlain African Blend is a well-balanced dark chocolate with some nice flavor complexity. While I did have some issues with the texture here, this is still a really good dark chocolate that is worth a try.

Lake Champlain Sao Thome Dark Chocolate 70% Cocoa

Produced by: Lake Champlain Chocolates
Cocoa content: 70%
Manufacturer website
Rating: A+

I was eager to taste my next chocolate bar during a brief reprieve while my head cold medication has kicked in. Tonight's selection is from Lake Champlain Chocolates. This bar is from their "Select Origin" collection. The source of the cocoa in this bar is from Sao Thome (also spelled Sao Tome), which is an island of the west coast of central Africa.

The chocolate bar has a nice firm snap to it. The color is a dark mahogany, with a hint of red where the bar was snapped. The aroma is of roasted chocolate with a noticeable vanilla scent. The flavor is rich chocolate with a pleasant bitter kick. There are smoky, roasted notes as well as a fruity, citrus acidity. After the initial flavors start to fade, a pleasant earthiness complimented by salt and vanilla starts to show through. Chewing the chocolate really accentuates the vanilla flavors in this bar. This chocolate bar has a velvety mouthfeel and a nice finish with sweet cocoa and a hint of roast coffee on the palate.

So far, my recent trip to Whole Foods has provided me with an impressive selection of dark chocolate. This most recent tasting was one of the best new chocolates I've tried in a while. After trying the Sao Thome Dark Chocolate from Lake Champlain, I can't wait to get my hands on some of the other bars in their Select Origin chocolates.