Dagoba Eclipse 87% Dark Chocolate

The Dark Chocolate Blog takes on the Dagoba Eclipse. Do sparkly vampires make for good chocolate?

Manufacturer: Dagoba
Cocoa Content: 87%
Manufacturer Website
Rating: B-

I never thought I'd be reviewing a chocolate bar named after a book in the Twilight series, but I when saw "Dagoba" and "87%" on the label I knew I couldn't leave Whole Foods without this chocolate. The Eclipse is mahogany in color with lots of clay-red coloration. The nose has a chocolate liqueur aroma with highlights of wood and herbs.

On the palate there is a bitter note up front that hints at espresso. The bitterness is rather sharp, although not necessarily out of place in an 87% cacao dark chocolate. There is some acidity here, but it sits in the background. There is a hint of orange-citrus notes along with some woodiness. There is also a notable, tannic red wine note. Chewing the Eclipse brings forward notes of oak, cherries and cinnamon. The mouthfeel is astringent with some cooling sensation. The melt is mostly smooth with just a faint hint of grit. The finish has espresso and wine with woody undertones.

Having recently tasted several excellent chocolates in the 99-100% cocoa range, I must admit I was a little disappointed in the Dagoba Eclipse bar. At 87%, the bitterness level seemed higher than some of the better 99-100% chocolates. There was quite a bit of astringency, reminiscent of a red wine with loads of tannins. I found this to be a bit much and it definitely seemed to throw the chocolate out of balance. What it boils down to is that the Eclipse meets my expectations of a chocolate bar named after a sparkly vampire movie, but I was hoping for much more from Dagoba.