Tom Chester's Ratings of Chocolate Bars

Tom Chester's Ratings of Chocolate Bars

I have ranked chocolate bars and chocolate candies into the following categories:

Category Explanation
excellent chocolate that brings a smile to your face after eating it
very good chocolate that is a pleasure to eat
good chocolate that fulfills man's basic need for chocolate, with no regrets
fair good chocolate except for some slight flaws that give some regret over having chosen that chocolate instead of a better one
poor chocolate that has flaws such that one would eat it only if desperate for some chocolate, but eating it leaves one with serious regret and/or unpleasantness.
unacceptable chocolate that you really wish you hadn't put in your mouth.

Please note that these are my personal rankings - your rankings may differ. I am a normal-taster, with a number of taste buds in my tongue found in about half of the population. A super-taster, like my wife, with vastly more taste buds and hence more sensitive to sweetness and bitterness, found in about 10-35% of the population, would rank the products quite differently, as would a non-taster, with fewer taste buds.
There is no order within the categories except alphabetically.
The following two tables sort the ratings by product name, and by rating. Note that these tables are comparing apples and oranges, by combining both pure chocolate bars and chocolate candies, but for buying purposes, it helps me to have them combined.
Following these two tables are less-complete older tables that keep the chocolate bars separate from the chocolate candies, and give extra information on some of the products. I stopped doing these since they were more work.
For a more compact version of these tables to take to the store, use one of the following: html sort by name (4 pages), html sort by ranking (4 pages), pdf sort by name (1 double-sided page), pdf sort by ranking (1 double-sided page). See also instructions on how to print the pdf versions to make a compact 4 page booklet out of the double-sided pdf version of each table.
Sort by Ranking

Name Rating
Christopher Norman Chocolates' Four Espresso Cup and Saucer Sets excellent
Ghirardelli Double Chocolate Mocha excellent
Perugina Bittersweet Chocolate (Nestle) excellent
Sarotti Extra Semisweet Chocolate excellent
Truffes Fantaisie Nature excellent
Whole Foods Dark Chocolate excellent
Windsor Truffle (chocolate and Kahlua) excellent
Ghirardelli Intense Dark Espresso Escape 60% cacao very good to excellent
Ghirardelli Intense Dark Twilight Delight very good to excellent
Lake Champlain Jave Truffle Dark chocolate very good to excellent
Lindt Excellence Milk Chocolate very good to excellent
Perugina Dark Chocolate (Nestle) very good to excellent
Terra Nostra Organic's Organic Truffle Bar very good to excellent
Trader Joe's Organic Belgian Bittersweet Chocolate very good to excellent
After Eight very good
Belgian Hearts very good
Chocolatour Tanzania Dark Chocolate 76% very good
Confiserie Heidel Mocca Beans Dark Chocolate very good
Cote d'Or Degustation Intense 70% Cacao very good
Dove Truffle Egg very good
Droste Bittersweet Pastilles very good
Ghirardelli Dark Chocolate very good
Ghirardelli Mint Chocolate very good
Ghirardelli Semi-Sweet Chocolate very good
Godiva 72% cacao dark chocolate very good
Green and Black's organic smooth dark chocolate with coffee very good
Guylian Perles d'Ocean very good
Harry London Milk Chocolate with Crispies very good
Hershey's Symphony Creamy Milk Chocolate, Almonds and Toffee Chips very good
Jamieson's Robust Dark Chocolate, very good
Lindt Excellence Dark Chocolate very good
Lindt Excellence Extra Creamy very good
Lindt Excellence Intense Mint very good
Lindt Lindor Truffles very good
Lindt Petits desserts crème brulee very good
Mellow Dark Chocolate very good
Milka Mokka very good
Milky Way Creme Bunny, Santa, etc. very good
Nestle Treasures Cappuccino Truffle Milk Chocolate very good
Nestle Treasures Dark Chocolate Truffle 50% cacao very good
Peet's Semi-Sweet Chocolate very good
Perugina Cherry very good
Swartenbroeckx very good
Tobler Tradition Swiss Bittersweet Chocolate very good
Tout Sweet very good
Trader Joe's Cocoa Almonds very good
Trader Joe's Delices de Belgique very good
Trader Joe's New York Chocolate Covered Espresso Beans very good
Valrhona Le Noir 56% cacoa very good
A. Korkunov Dark Chocolate 72% good to very good
Guylina Belgian Original good to very good
Nestle Treasures Carmel Truffle Milk Chocolate good to very good
Rademaker Dutch Chocolate Dark Cappuccino good to very good
The Belgian: caffe latte chocolates good to very good
Trader Joe's Dark Chocolate Belgium good to very good
Trader Joe's Swiss 71% dark chocolate good to very good
Trader Joe's UFOs (pre-2008 version by Ghirardelli) good to very good
Valrhona Le Noir 71% cacoa good to very good
Villars Swiss Dark Chocolate 72% good to very good
After Eight Dark Chocolate Thin Mints good
Andes Crème de Menthe Thins good
Bernard Castelain Chocolat Noir Tradition 71% good
Camille Bloch Chocolat Noir Swuisse Fouurre Mousse good
Camille Bloch Swiss milk chocolate with chocolate mousse filling good
Daffin's good
DeBas Chcolatier Chocolate Cherries good
Dove Dark Chocolate good
Droste Bittersweet Chocolate good
Droste Milk Chocolate Coffee Cream good
Ferrero Rocher wafer / milk chocolate / hazelnuts good
Ghirardelli Intense Dark Mint Bliss good
Guylian African ebony good
Guylian Asian Dark good
Guylian Aztec Black good
Henry's Dark Chocolate wafers good
Hershey's Cacao Reserve Premium Dark Chocolate 65% good
Hershey's Chocolate good
Jamieson's Fine Dark Chocolate With Milk good
Jamieson's Mellow Dark Chocolate With Milk good
Jamieson's Rich Milk Chocolate good
Lazzaroni Milk Chocolate with Hazelnuts good
Le Petit Ecolier Butter Biscuits topped with milk chocolate good
Lindt Dark Truffle good
Lindt Excellence Intense Dark 70% Cocoa good
Lindt Mocca good
Lindt Surfin Swiss Bittersweet Chocolate and Chocolat Lindt Excellence Swiss Bittersweet Chocolate good
Lindt Swiss Classic Mocha-flavoured Milk Chocolate good
Lindt Truffles good
Lunastelle good
Mauna Loa Ghirdelli chocolate macadamias good
Mocha Java good
Newman's Own Chocolate good
Perugina Milk Chocolate with Cappuccino Filling good
Scharffen Berger Pure Dark Chocolate good
See's good
See's Milk Chocolate good
Swartenbroeckx Café Noir good
Swartenbroeckx Noir good
The Belgian: 6 chocolate mint pralines good
The Belgian: 6 fine chocolates good
Tout Sweet Dark Kona Coffee Hedgehogs good
Trader Joe's Coffee Dark and Milk Chocolates good
Trader Joe's Delices de Belgique "5 Chocolates" good
Trader Joe's Imported Belgian Coffee Mousse Creams good
Trader Joe's Miniature Pralines Belgian Chocolate good
Trader Joe's Pound Plus Bittersweet Chocolate Bar good
Unique Origin Ocumare Criollo Cocoa from Venezuela good
Valor Dark Chocolate 70% good
Valor Milk Chocolate 38% good
Wild Oats Imported Belgian Dark Chocolate With Toasted Cocoa Beans good
Windsor chocolate-covered cherry good
Trader Joe's French Truffles (Mocha) fair (2007) to excellent (~2000)
Trader Joe's Belgian Canache Chocolate and whole hazelnuts fair to good
Trader Joe's Belgian Canache Milk Chocolate and espresso fair to good
Brockmann's Truffini caramel mocha truffles fair
E. Guittard Tsaratana dark chocolate 61% cacao fair
Fudge Truffle Bar fair
Galaxy Confections fair
Hachez Cocoa D'Arriba 77% Cacao fair
Hershey's Special Dark Chocolate fair
Lindt Swiss Classic Milk Chocolate with whole hazelnuts fair
Mickey's Dark Chocolate fair
Russell Stover Crispy Milk Chocolate and Caramel fair
Trader Joe's Half Pound Plus Swiss Dark Chocolate fair
Trader Joe's Organic dark chocolate 73% super dark fair
Trader Joe's Reserva Chocolate Sao Tome fair
Valrhona Le Noir Noisettes fair
Venus Sweets fair
Trader Joe's Organic dark chocolate truffle poor
Trader Joe's UFOs (2010 incredibly-minty version) poor
Bahlsen Afrika unacceptable
Sarotti Truffel unacceptable

Sort by Product Name

Name Rating
A. Korkunov Dark Chocolate 72% good to very good
After Eight very good
After Eight Dark Chocolate Thin Mints good
Andes Crème de Menthe Thins good
Bahlsen Afrika unacceptable
Belgian Hearts very good
Bernard Castelain Chocolat Noir Tradition 71% good
Brockmann's Truffini caramel mocha truffles fair
Camille Bloch Chocolat Noir Swuisse Fouurre Mousse good
Camille Bloch Swiss milk chocolate with chocolate mousse filling good
Chocolatour Tanzania Dark Chocolate 76% very good
Christopher Norman Chocolates' Four Espresso Cup and Saucer Sets excellent
Confiserie Heidel Mocca Beans Dark Chocolate very good
Cote d'Or Degustation Intense 70% Cacao very good
Daffin's good
DeBas Chcolatier Chocolate Cherries good
Dove Dark Chocolate good
Dove Truffle Egg very good
Droste Bittersweet Chocolate good
Droste Bittersweet Pastilles very good
Droste Milk Chocolate Coffee Cream good
E. Guittard Tsaratana dark chocolate 61% cacao fair
Ferrero Rocher wafer / milk chocolate / hazelnuts good
Fudge Truffle Bar fair
Galaxy Confections fair
Ghirardelli Dark Chocolate very good
Ghirardelli Double Chocolate Mocha excellent
Ghirardelli Intense Dark Espresso Escape 60% cacao very good to excellent
Ghirardelli Intense Dark Mint Bliss good
Ghirardelli Intense Dark Twilight Delight very good to excellent
Ghirardelli Mint Chocolate very good
Ghirardelli Semi-Sweet Chocolate very good
Godiva 72% cacao dark chocolate very good
Green and Black's organic smooth dark chocolate with coffee very good
Guylian African ebony good
Guylian Asian Dark good
Guylian Aztec Black good
Guylian Perles d'Ocean very good
Guylina Belgian Original good to very good
Hachez Cocoa D'Arriba 77% Cacao fair
Harry London Milk Chocolate with Crispies very good
Henry's Dark Chocolate wafers good
Hershey's Cacao Reserve Premium Dark Chocolate 65% good
Hershey's Chocolate good
Hershey's Special Dark Chocolate fair
Hershey's Symphony Creamy Milk Chocolate, Almonds and Toffee Chips very good
Jamieson's Fine Dark Chocolate With Milk good
Jamieson's Mellow Dark Chocolate With Milk good
Jamieson's Rich Milk Chocolate good
Jamieson's Robust Dark Chocolate, very good
Lake Champlain Jave Truffle Dark chocolate very good to excellent
Lazzaroni Milk Chocolate with Hazelnuts good
Le Petit Ecolier Butter Biscuits topped with milk chocolate good
Lindt Dark Truffle good
Lindt Excellence Dark Chocolate very good
Lindt Excellence Extra Creamy very good
Lindt Excellence Intense Dark 70% Cocoa good
Lindt Excellence Intense Mint very good
Lindt Excellence Milk Chocolate very good to excellent
Lindt Lindor Truffles very good
Lindt Mocca good
Lindt Petits desserts crème brulee very good
Lindt Surfin Swiss Bittersweet Chocolate and Chocolat Lindt Excellence Swiss Bittersweet Chocolate good
Lindt Swiss Classic Milk Chocolate with whole hazelnuts fair
Lindt Swiss Classic Mocha-flavoured Milk Chocolate good
Lindt Truffles good
Lunastelle good
Mauna Loa Ghirdelli chocolate macadamias good
Mellow Dark Chocolate very good
Mickey's Dark Chocolate fair
Milka Mokka very good
Milky Way Creme Bunny, Santa, etc. very good
Mocha Java good
Nestle Treasures Cappuccino Truffle Milk Chocolate very good
Nestle Treasures Carmel Truffle Milk Chocolate good to very good
Nestle Treasures Dark Chocolate Truffle 50% cacao very good
Newman's Own Chocolate good
Peet's Semi-Sweet Chocolate very good
Perugina Bittersweet Chocolate (Nestle) excellent
Perugina Cherry very good
Perugina Dark Chocolate (Nestle) very good to excellent
Perugina Milk Chocolate with Cappuccino Filling good
Rademaker Dutch Chocolate Dark Cappuccino good to very good
Russell Stover Crispy Milk Chocolate and Caramel fair
Sarotti Extra Semisweet Chocolate excellent
Sarotti Truffel unacceptable
Scharffen Berger Pure Dark Chocolate good
See's good
See's Milk Chocolate good
Swartenbroeckx very good
Swartenbroeckx Café Noir good
Swartenbroeckx Noir good
Terra Nostra Organic's Organic Truffle Bar very good to excellent
The Belgian: 6 chocolate mint pralines good
The Belgian: 6 fine chocolates good
The Belgian: caffe latte chocolates good to very good
Tobler Tradition Swiss Bittersweet Chocolate very good
Tout Sweet very good
Tout Sweet Dark Kona Coffee Hedgehogs good
Trader Joe's Belgian Canache Chocolate and whole hazelnuts fair to good
Trader Joe's Belgian Canache Milk Chocolate and espresso fair to good
Trader Joe's Cocoa Almonds very good
Trader Joe's Coffee Dark and Milk Chocolates good
Trader Joe's Dark Chocolate Belgium good to very good
Trader Joe's Delices de Belgique very good
Trader Joe's Delices de Belgique "5 Chocolates" good
Trader Joe's French Truffles (Mocha) fair (2007) to excellent (~2000)
Trader Joe's Half Pound Plus Swiss Dark Chocolate fair
Trader Joe's Imported Belgian Coffee Mousse Creams good
Trader Joe's Miniature Pralines Belgian Chocolate good
Trader Joe's New York Chocolate Covered Espresso Beans very good
Trader Joe's Organic Belgian Bittersweet Chocolate very good to excellent
Trader Joe's Organic dark chocolate 73% super dark fair
Trader Joe's Organic dark chocolate truffle poor
Trader Joe's Pound Plus Bittersweet Chocolate Bar good
Trader Joe's Reserva Chocolate Sao Tome fair
Trader Joe's Swiss 71% dark chocolate good to very good
Trader Joe's UFOs (2010 incredibly-minty version) poor
Trader Joe's UFOs (pre-2008 version by Ghirardelli) good to very good
Truffes Fantaisie Nature excellent
Unique Origin Ocumare Criollo Cocoa from Venezuela good
Valor Dark Chocolate 70% good
Valor Milk Chocolate 38% good
Valrhona Le Noir 56% cacoa very good
Valrhona Le Noir 71% cacoa good to very good
Valrhona Le Noir Noisettes fair
Venus Sweets fair
Villars Swiss Dark Chocolate 72% good to very good
Whole Foods Dark Chocolate excellent
Wild Oats Imported Belgian Dark Chocolate With Toasted Cocoa Beans good
Windsor chocolate-covered cherry good
Windsor Truffle (chocolate and Kahlua) excellent

Less-complete older tables with extra information on some of the products

I rate separately chocolate bars, containing only chocolate, and chocolate candies, which include nuts, caramel, cremes, etc. Chocolate candies are an entirely different beast than chocolate, and to my mind, the boxed candies that are mostly ingredients other than chocolate hardly count as chocolate at all. A chocolate connoisseur craves the pure thing. Chocolate candies appeal to an entirely different connoisseur, and are much more complex due to the large variety of fillings and because they are often judged more on price, "snob appeal" and appearance in addition to taste.
My main interest is in chocolate bars, but I have included candies since there are some wonderful products that are not pure chocolate and hence must be ranked under that category.
My friends Pat and Clair Claiborne had an excellent idea after they saw this page: they decided to send me a sample of local chocolate for me to rate. I encourage you to do the same, like my friends Stella and Phil Richardson have done!
A much better site on chocolate is Cloister's Chocolate Review Page. I'll try to work my way down his list of recommended chocolates (the top-rated ones) and put them into my categories. Also see The Story of Chocolate.
I report the % chocolate solids, aka cocoa powder, which tells you how "chocolately" a bar is. Cheap candies sold in discount stores for kids have low percentages of chocolate solids, and chocolate bars sold for cooking have high percentages of chocolate solids. Neither extreme is tasty and chocolate bars with the same percentage can have much different tastes. Compare the excellent Sarotti Extra Semisweet Chocolate with 61% solids to the unacceptable Trader Joe's Pound Plus Bittersweet Chocolate Bar (French version, pre-mid-1998) with 60% solids.
Richard E. Blauvelt kindly informed me that Trader Joe's switched suppliers for their Pound Plus bars, from France to Belgium. He told me the new version was a definite improvement over the previous one, and I agree with him.
I have received a number of requests for "how do I find a store that sells a given bar close to me?" I've now added such info for the ones I can remember, and will add more as I replenish my supplies - if you know of phone numbers for distributors, please email me with that info and I'll put it online.
Also see Links to other chocolate pages.
Pure chocolate Bars

Excellent Chocolate

Brand Ingredients % Chocolate Solids Origin Vendor Comments
Perugina Bittersweet Chocolate (Nestle) Chocolate, Sugar, Butterfat, Cocoa Butter ?? (Distributed by company in New Jersey) Cost Plus Imports
Perugina Dark Chocolate (Nestle) Sugar, Chocolate, Cocoa Butter, Butterfat ?? (Distributed by company in New Jersey) Cost Plus Imports
Sarotti Extra Semisweet Chocolate Chocolate, Sugar, Cocoa Butter 60 Germany Cost Plus Imports
Whole Foods Dark Chocolate Sugar, Chocolate, Cocoa Butter, Vanilla 50 Switzerland Whole Foods Market Different from the creamy smooth bars above - this is a dry brittle bar, but is still excellent.

Very Good Chocolate

Brand Ingredients % Chocolate Solids Origin Vendor Comments
Droste Bittersweet Pastilles Sugar, Chocolate, Cocoa Butter >52 Holland This chocolate seems to taste better in these smaller chunks. The presumably identical chocolate in bar form is in the next category.
Ghirardelli Dark Chocolate Sugar, chocolate, cocoa butter >52 San Leandro, California Cost Plus Imports
Ghirardelli Mint Chocolate Sugar, cocoa butter, chocolate San Leandro, California Cost Plus Imports
Ghirardelli Semi-Sweet Chocolate Sugar, unsweetened chocolate, cocoa butter, milk fat, soy lecithin, vanilla San Leandro, California Cost Plus Imports
Herhsey's Symphony Creamy Milk Chocolate, Almonds and Toffee Chips Milk Chocolate: sugar, milk, cocoa butter, chocolate, nonfat milk, vanilla; almonds, sugar, dairy butter, milk, salt ?? USA most supermarkets The almonds and toffee chips kick the chocolate up a notch
Jamieson's Robust Dark Chocolate,
Mellow Dark Chocolate Chocolate liquor, sugar, coca butter, cocoa powder, soy lecithin, vanilla 70,
60 Ghana Chocolate by Jamieson
Lindt Excellence Dark Chocolate Chocolate, sugar, cocoa butter, vanilla, a natural flavour, soya lecithin 70 Switzerland Almost any supermarket, Cost Plus Imports
Peet's Semi-Sweet Chocolate Sugar, Chocolate Liquor processed with potassium carbonate, cocoa butter, butter oil, vanilla Sweet Charlottes, CA Peet's Coffee & Tea
Swartenbroeckx Sugar, cocoa mass, cocoa butter, vanilla >59 Belgium Trader Joe's
Tobler Tradition Swiss Bittersweet Chocolate (I had two samples: one was excellent, and one was only good, so I averaged them) Sugar, Chocolate, cocoa butter ?? Switzerland
Trader Joe's UFOs (Ghirardelli) Sugar, Chocolate, Cocoa Butter ?? San Leandro, California? Trader Joe's

Good Chocolate

Brand Ingredients % Chocolate Solids Origin Vendor Comments
Dove Dark Chocolate ?? ?? ?? Almost any supermarket Good, but for some reason I can't eat it for too many days in a row
Droste Bittersweet Chocolate Sugar, Chocolate, Cocoa Butter ?? Holland This chocolate verges on being very good, but seems to taste better in the smaller chunks of the pastilles above, which is presumably identical chocolate.
Hershey's Chocolate TBS TBS USA Almost any supermarket Probably a bit lower quality than the others on this list, since I'd prefer most others in this group to it
Jamieson's Mellow Dark Chocolate With Milk Sugar, chocolate liquor, coca butter, whole milk powder, soy lecithin, vanilla 53 Ghana Chocolate by Jamieson
Jamieson's Fine Dark Chocolate With Milk Sugar, coca butter, chocolate liquor, whole milk powder, cocoa powder, soy lecithin, vanilla 47 Ghana Chocolate by Jamieson
Jamieson's Rich Milk Chocolate Sugar, coca butter, whole milk powder, chocolate liquor, soy lecithin, vanilla 38 Ghana Chocolate by Jamieson
Lazzaroni Milk Chocolate with Hazelnuts Sugar, cocoa butter, milk powder, hazelnuts 14%, cocoa mass, lactose, milk proteins ?? Italy
Lindt Surfin Swiss Bittersweet Chocolate and Chocolat Lindt Excellence Swiss Bittersweet Chocolate Sugar, chocolate, cocoa butter ?? Switzerland Almost any supermarket, Cost Plus Imports
Newman's Own Chocolate (could rank one notch higher - need another sample) Sugar, Chocolate, Cocoa Butter ?? USA
See's Milk Chocolate ?? ?? USA See's Chocolate Shop
Scharffen Berger Pure Dark Chocolate Cocoa beans, sugar, cocoa butter, vanilla beans 70 San Francisco Peet's Coffee & Tea Definitely dark, and perhaps too much so.
Swartenbroeckx Noir Cocoa mass, sugar, cocoa butter, vanilla >77 Belgium Trader Joe's
Trader Joe's Pound Plus Bittersweet Chocolate Bar (Belgian version, post-mid-1998) Sugar, Cocoa Mass, Soy Lecithin 53 Belgium Trader Joe's Significantly improved version, but to me is still not as good as those UFO's. Richard E. Blauvelt comments that the bar is "very very chocolatey, not cocoa, and not in the least gritty or chalky. It also has a pleasant after-taste." I agree with him. Also, a great thing about this bar is its wrapper - you can break the chocolate into hunks through the wrapper without it tearing.

Fair Chocolate

Brand Ingredients % Chocolate Solids Origin Vendor Flaws
Hershey's Special Dark Chocolate Sugar, Chocolate, Cocoa Butter ?? Hershey, PA Almost any supermarket Slightly funny aftertaste
Mickey's Dark Chocolate Sugar, Chocolate liquor Dutch processed with alkali, cocoa butter, butterfat ?? U.S.A.? Disneyland This just has not much to recommend it.

Unacceptable Chocolate

Brand Ingredients Chocolate Solids Origin Vendor Flaws
Trader Joe's Pound Plus Bittersweet Chocolate Bar (French version, pre-mid-1998) Cocoa Mass, Sugar, Cocoa Butter 61 St-Etienne, Lyon, France Trader Joe's Bad aftertaste
Trader Joe's Pound Plus Milk Chocolate Bar (French version, pre-mid-1998) Sugar, Milk Powder, Cocoa Mass, Cocoa Butter 30 St-Etienne, Lyon, France Trader Joe's Bad aftertaste

Chocolate Candies

As stated above, chocolate candies, which include nuts, caramel, cremes, etc., are an entirely different beast than chocolate. Chocolate candies appeal to an entirely different connoisseur, and are much more complex due to the large variety of fillings and because they are often judged more on price, "snob appeal" and appearance rather than taste.

Excellent Chocolate Candies

Brand Type Origin Vendor
Christopher Norman Chocolates' Four Espresso Cup and Saucer Sets Bittersweet chocolate (72% cocoa), white chocolate, milk powder, milk chocolate, sweet cream butter, egg yolds, vanilla, fresh cream, grand marnier, coffee extracts, flavor extracts, cinnamon New York, NY RedEnvelope Gifts
Ghirardelli Double Chocolate Mocha Milk chocolate with chocolate cookie bits and coffee San Leandro, CA Cost Plus Imports
Trader Joe's French Truffles (Mocha) Truffle (ingredients: partially hydrogenated vegetable oil, sugar, low-fat cocoa, whey powder) France Trader Joe's
Truffes Fantaisie Nature Truffle (ingredients: vegetable oil, sugar, whey powder, cocoa) France Trader Joe's
Windsor Truffle (chocolate and Kahlua) Dark chocolate with creamy filling ?? Hotel del Coronado

Very Good Chocolate Candies

Brand Type Origin Vendor
After Eight Dark Chocolate with mint crème filling (Distributed by Perugina Brands of New Jersey) Cost Plus Imports
Belgian Hearts Chocolate with hazelnut cream Belgium
Confiserie Heidel Mocca Beans Dark Chocolate Coffee Beans covered with dark chocolate Germany Cost Plus Imports
Dove Truffle Egg Chocolate filled with processed chocolate ?? Almost any supermarket during Easter
Guylian Perles d'Ocean Chocolate sea shells (sugar, hazelnuts, milk powder, cocoa powder, cocoa butter) Belgium Almost any supermarket during Easter
Harry London Milk Chocolate with Crispies Milk chocolate with crisped rice Ohio (United Airlines)
Lindt Lindor Truffles Sugar, (Dark) chocolate, fractionated vegetable oil, cocoa butter, butterfat, lactose, skimmed milk, soya lecithin, whey powder, vanillin, caramel flavoring, malt powder France Cost Plus Imports
Milka Mokka Chocolate with coffee Austria
Milky Way Creme Bunny, Santa, etc. Chocolate bunny, Santa, etc. filled with creme ?? Almost any supermarket during holidays
Perugina Cherry Chocolate-covered whole cherries Italy Cost Plus Imports
Rademaker Dutch Chocolate Dark Cappuccino Chocolate sticks Holland Cost Plus Imports
Terra Nostra Organic's Organic Truffle Bar Dark Chocolate Bar with a dark chocolate truffle center Canada ??
Tout Sweet Dark Chocolate Truffle Bar Canada Trader Joe's
Trader Joe's Cocoa Almonds Milk chocolate covered dry-roasted almonds coated with cocoa powder ?? Trader Joe's
Trader Joe's Delices de Belgique¹ Chocolate Seashells filled with hazelnut cream ?? Trader Joe's
Trader Joe's Delices de Belgique¹ Belgian Flaked Truffles Belgium Trader Joe's
Trader Joe's New York Chocolate Covered Espresso Beans Chocolate-covered whole-roasted Espresso beans (Espresso Twist, Milk Chocolate, Cappuccino, and Dark Chocolate) Belgium Trader Joe's

Good Chocolate Candies

Brand Type Origin Vendor
After Eight Dark Chocolate Thin Mints Chocolate with peppermint oil England Cost Plus Imports
The Belgian: caffe latte chocolates Sugar, cocoa butter, vegetable fat, cocoa mass, whole milk powder, skimmed milk powder, soy flour, flavours Belgium Cost Plus Imports
The Belgian: 6 fine chocolates Milk chocolate, white chocolate, sugar, chocolate, hardened vegetable fat, hazelnuts, glucose syrup, skimmed milk powder, sorbitol, rice, flavours Belgium Cost Plus Imports
The Belgian: 6 chocolate mint pralines Chocolate, sugar, hardened vegetable fat, glucose syrup, invert sugar, sorbitol Belgium Cost Plus Imports
Daffin's Chocolate filled with cremes, nuts, etc. Sharon, PA
Lindt Mocca Sugar, cocoa butter, chocolate, milk, butter, skimmed milk, coffee, dried malt extract, vanillin Switzerland Cost Plus Imports
Lindt Dark Truffle Sugar, Vegetable oil partially hydrogenated, chocolate, cocoa butter, milk, skimmed milk, vanillin USA Cost Plus Imports
Lindt Truffles Dark chocolate, vegetable oil, butter, milk USA Cost Plus Imports
Lunastelle Milk chocolate with crushed hazelnut praline center; dark chocolate with truffle center Italy Cost Plus Imports
Mauna Loa Ghirdelli chocolate macadamias Milk chocolate, cocoa butter, macadamia nuts Hawaii Cost Plus Imports
Mocha Java Semisweet chocolate, cocoa butter, butter oil, mocha java coffee beans Berkeley, CA Peet's Coffee & Tea
See's Chocolate filled with cremes, nuts, etc. Los Angeles, CA See's Candy Shop
Swartenbroeckx Café Noir Dark chocolate with coffee. Cocoa mass (>59%), sugar, cocoa butter, coffee (5%). Probably a good+. Belgium Trader Joe's
Tout Sweet Dark Kona Coffee Hedgehogs Coating: chocolate liquor, sugar, cocoa butter, soy lecithin, vanilla. Filling: hydrogenated coconut oil, cocoa, lactose, nonfat milk, soy lecithin, coffee flavor, vanilla. Canada Trader Joe's
Trader Joe's Coffee Dark and Milk Chocolates Dark: sugar, chocolate, instant coffee, lecithin, vanillin. Milk: sugar, whole mild solids, cocoa butter, chocolate, instant coffee, lecithin, vanillin. Probably a good+. Canada Trader Joe's
Trader Joe's Delices de Belgique "5 Chocolates"¹ Truffles with peanut, coconut, hazelnut etc. cream filling Belgium Trader Joe's
Trader Joe's Imported Belgian Coffee Mousse Creams Chocolates with a creamy coffee filling. Sugar, cocoa mass, cocoa butter, milk fat, whole milk powder, partially hydrogenated vegetable fat, skimmed milk powder, whey powder, coffee, soy lecithin, water, vanillan, fat-free dry milk solids Belgium Trader Joe's
Wild Oats Imported Belgian Dark Chocolate With Toasted Cocoa Beans Chocolate with coca nibs Belgium Wild Oats Market
Windsor chocolate-covered cherry Cherry coated with dark chocolate ?? Hotel del Coronado

Fair Chocolate Candies

Brand Type Origin Vendor Flaws
Galaxy Confections Milk chocolate with crisped rice ?? Dist. By Vans Gourmet, Long Beach, CA Pieces are too large for my mouth, and don't have any good detectable flavor. Possibly should rank lower ("marginally edible"), but it is better than the awful candies in the next category.
Russell Stover Crispy Milk Chocolate and Caramel Rice Crispies(?), Milk Chocolate and Caramel ?? ??
Venus Sweets Fudge Truffle Bar Dark chocolate with fudge and chocolate truffle (cocoa mass, sugar, milk, palm oil, coconut oil, glucose, butter, water, whey powder, soy lecithin, vanilla, salt Canada Trader Joe's
Valrhona Le Noir Noisettes Dark chocolate with pieces of hazelnut (cocoa beans, hazelnuts, sugar, cocoa butter, vanilla - > 61% chocolate solids France Extraordinary Desserts, San Diego The chocolate is undoubtedly better than this rating, but it doesn't go with the hazelnut pieces.

Unacceptable Chocolate Candies

Brand Type Origin Vendor Flaws
Bahlsen Afrika Wheat wafers coated with dark chocolate Germany Cost Plus Imports
Sarotti Truffel Milk chocolate with truffle filling that tastes like eggnog! Germany

Notes

¹ For some reason, Trader Joe's sells at least 3 products with the same name, Delices de Belgique. I have identified them as best as I can above, but beware confusion.

Links To Other Chocolate Pages

Cloister's Chocolate Review Page and links, primarily to corporations.
The Chocolate Lovers' Page, containing a searchable database of 710 chocolate links as of 3/31/00, with "more to come". You can search separately for commercial, reference, recipe or personal sites.
Sharon A. Peters' Chocolate Page
Dale Stuart's Gourmet Chocolate Evaluation Table
Drew McCormick's chocolate tasting results for 1998 and 1999.
Chocolate by Jamieson has mouth-watering pages describing how chocolate is made, the qualities of fine chocolate, and the history of chocolate in Ghana. They also collect all the studies and reports that say how good chocolate is for you!
Chocolates @ Specialty Shops.net contains over 400 chocolate links, primarily to chocolate shops. The site includes a directory of stores by area, as well as a listing of stores that sell a particular brand.

Category	Explanation
excellent	chocolate that brings a smile to your face after eating it
very good	chocolate that is a pleasure to eat
good	chocolate that fulfills man's basic need for chocolate, with no regrets
fair	good chocolate except for some slight flaws that give some regret over having chosen that chocolate instead of a better one
poor	chocolate that has flaws such that one would eat it only if desperate for some chocolate, but eating it leaves one with serious regret and/or unpleasantness.
unacceptable	chocolate that you really wish you hadn't put in your mouth.

Name	Rating
Christopher Norman Chocolates' Four Espresso Cup and Saucer Sets	excellent
Ghirardelli Double Chocolate Mocha	excellent
Perugina Bittersweet Chocolate (Nestle)	excellent
Sarotti Extra Semisweet Chocolate	excellent
Truffes Fantaisie Nature	excellent
Whole Foods Dark Chocolate	excellent
Windsor Truffle (chocolate and Kahlua)	excellent
Ghirardelli Intense Dark Espresso Escape 60% cacao	very good to excellent
Ghirardelli Intense Dark Twilight Delight	very good to excellent
Lake Champlain Jave Truffle Dark chocolate	very good to excellent
Lindt Excellence Milk Chocolate	very good to excellent
Perugina Dark Chocolate (Nestle)	very good to excellent
Terra Nostra Organic's Organic Truffle Bar	very good to excellent
Trader Joe's Organic Belgian Bittersweet Chocolate	very good to excellent
After Eight	very good
Belgian Hearts	very good
Chocolatour Tanzania Dark Chocolate 76%	very good
Confiserie Heidel Mocca Beans Dark Chocolate	very good
Cote d'Or Degustation Intense 70% Cacao	very good
Dove Truffle Egg	very good
Droste Bittersweet Pastilles	very good
Ghirardelli Dark Chocolate	very good
Ghirardelli Mint Chocolate	very good
Ghirardelli Semi-Sweet Chocolate	very good
Godiva 72% cacao dark chocolate	very good
Green and Black's organic smooth dark chocolate with coffee	very good
Guylian Perles d'Ocean	very good
Harry London Milk Chocolate with Crispies	very good
Hershey's Symphony Creamy Milk Chocolate, Almonds and Toffee Chips	very good
Jamieson's Robust Dark Chocolate,	very good
Lindt Excellence Dark Chocolate	very good
Lindt Excellence Extra Creamy	very good
Lindt Excellence Intense Mint	very good
Lindt Lindor Truffles	very good
Lindt Petits desserts crème brulee	very good
Mellow Dark Chocolate	very good
Milka Mokka	very good
Milky Way Creme Bunny, Santa, etc.	very good
Nestle Treasures Cappuccino Truffle Milk Chocolate	very good
Nestle Treasures Dark Chocolate Truffle 50% cacao	very good
Peet's Semi-Sweet Chocolate	very good
Perugina Cherry	very good
Swartenbroeckx	very good
Tobler Tradition Swiss Bittersweet Chocolate	very good
Tout Sweet	very good
Trader Joe's Cocoa Almonds	very good
Trader Joe's Delices de Belgique	very good
Trader Joe's New York Chocolate Covered Espresso Beans	very good
Valrhona Le Noir 56% cacoa	very good
A. Korkunov Dark Chocolate 72%	good to very good
Guylina Belgian Original	good to very good
Nestle Treasures Carmel Truffle Milk Chocolate	good to very good
Rademaker Dutch Chocolate Dark Cappuccino	good to very good
The Belgian: caffe latte chocolates	good to very good
Trader Joe's Dark Chocolate Belgium	good to very good
Trader Joe's Swiss 71% dark chocolate	good to very good
Trader Joe's UFOs (pre-2008 version by Ghirardelli)	good to very good
Valrhona Le Noir 71% cacoa	good to very good
Villars Swiss Dark Chocolate 72%	good to very good
After Eight Dark Chocolate Thin Mints	good
Andes Crème de Menthe Thins	good
Bernard Castelain Chocolat Noir Tradition 71%	good
Camille Bloch Chocolat Noir Swuisse Fouurre Mousse	good
Camille Bloch Swiss milk chocolate with chocolate mousse filling	good
Daffin's	good
DeBas Chcolatier Chocolate Cherries	good
Dove Dark Chocolate	good
Droste Bittersweet Chocolate	good
Droste Milk Chocolate Coffee Cream	good
Ferrero Rocher wafer / milk chocolate / hazelnuts	good
Ghirardelli Intense Dark Mint Bliss	good
Guylian African ebony	good
Guylian Asian Dark	good
Guylian Aztec Black	good
Henry's Dark Chocolate wafers	good
Hershey's Cacao Reserve Premium Dark Chocolate 65%	good
Hershey's Chocolate	good
Jamieson's Fine Dark Chocolate With Milk	good
Jamieson's Mellow Dark Chocolate With Milk	good
Jamieson's Rich Milk Chocolate	good
Lazzaroni Milk Chocolate with Hazelnuts	good
Le Petit Ecolier Butter Biscuits topped with milk chocolate	good
Lindt Dark Truffle	good
Lindt Excellence Intense Dark 70% Cocoa	good
Lindt Mocca	good
Lindt Surfin Swiss Bittersweet Chocolate and Chocolat Lindt Excellence Swiss Bittersweet Chocolate	good
Lindt Swiss Classic Mocha-flavoured Milk Chocolate	good
Lindt Truffles	good
Lunastelle	good
Mauna Loa Ghirdelli chocolate macadamias	good
Mocha Java	good
Newman's Own Chocolate	good
Perugina Milk Chocolate with Cappuccino Filling	good
Scharffen Berger Pure Dark Chocolate	good
See's	good
See's Milk Chocolate	good
Swartenbroeckx Café Noir	good
Swartenbroeckx Noir	good
The Belgian: 6 chocolate mint pralines	good
The Belgian: 6 fine chocolates	good
Tout Sweet Dark Kona Coffee Hedgehogs	good
Trader Joe's Coffee Dark and Milk Chocolates	good
Trader Joe's Delices de Belgique "5 Chocolates"	good
Trader Joe's Imported Belgian Coffee Mousse Creams	good
Trader Joe's Miniature Pralines Belgian Chocolate	good
Trader Joe's Pound Plus Bittersweet Chocolate Bar	good
Unique Origin Ocumare Criollo Cocoa from Venezuela	good
Valor Dark Chocolate 70%	good
Valor Milk Chocolate 38%	good
Wild Oats Imported Belgian Dark Chocolate With Toasted Cocoa Beans	good
Windsor chocolate-covered cherry	good
Trader Joe's French Truffles (Mocha)	fair (2007) to excellent (~2000)
Trader Joe's Belgian Canache Chocolate and whole hazelnuts	fair to good
Trader Joe's Belgian Canache Milk Chocolate and espresso	fair to good
Brockmann's Truffini caramel mocha truffles	fair
E. Guittard Tsaratana dark chocolate 61% cacao	fair
Fudge Truffle Bar	fair
Galaxy Confections	fair
Hachez Cocoa D'Arriba 77% Cacao	fair
Hershey's Special Dark Chocolate	fair
Lindt Swiss Classic Milk Chocolate with whole hazelnuts	fair
Mickey's Dark Chocolate	fair
Russell Stover Crispy Milk Chocolate and Caramel	fair
Trader Joe's Half Pound Plus Swiss Dark Chocolate	fair
Trader Joe's Organic dark chocolate 73% super dark	fair
Trader Joe's Reserva Chocolate Sao Tome	fair
Valrhona Le Noir Noisettes	fair
Venus Sweets	fair
Trader Joe's Organic dark chocolate truffle	poor
Trader Joe's UFOs (2010 incredibly-minty version)	poor
Bahlsen Afrika	unacceptable
Sarotti Truffel	unacceptable

Name	Rating
A. Korkunov Dark Chocolate 72%	good to very good
After Eight	very good
After Eight Dark Chocolate Thin Mints	good
Andes Crème de Menthe Thins	good
Bahlsen Afrika	unacceptable
Belgian Hearts	very good
Bernard Castelain Chocolat Noir Tradition 71%	good
Brockmann's Truffini caramel mocha truffles	fair
Camille Bloch Chocolat Noir Swuisse Fouurre Mousse	good
Camille Bloch Swiss milk chocolate with chocolate mousse filling	good
Chocolatour Tanzania Dark Chocolate 76%	very good
Christopher Norman Chocolates' Four Espresso Cup and Saucer Sets	excellent
Confiserie Heidel Mocca Beans Dark Chocolate	very good
Cote d'Or Degustation Intense 70% Cacao	very good
Daffin's	good
DeBas Chcolatier Chocolate Cherries	good
Dove Dark Chocolate	good
Dove Truffle Egg	very good
Droste Bittersweet Chocolate	good
Droste Bittersweet Pastilles	very good
Droste Milk Chocolate Coffee Cream	good
E. Guittard Tsaratana dark chocolate 61% cacao	fair
Ferrero Rocher wafer / milk chocolate / hazelnuts	good
Fudge Truffle Bar	fair
Galaxy Confections	fair
Ghirardelli Dark Chocolate	very good
Ghirardelli Double Chocolate Mocha	excellent
Ghirardelli Intense Dark Espresso Escape 60% cacao	very good to excellent
Ghirardelli Intense Dark Mint Bliss	good
Ghirardelli Intense Dark Twilight Delight	very good to excellent
Ghirardelli Mint Chocolate	very good
Ghirardelli Semi-Sweet Chocolate	very good
Godiva 72% cacao dark chocolate	very good
Green and Black's organic smooth dark chocolate with coffee	very good
Guylian African ebony	good
Guylian Asian Dark	good
Guylian Aztec Black	good
Guylian Perles d'Ocean	very good
Guylina Belgian Original	good to very good
Hachez Cocoa D'Arriba 77% Cacao	fair
Harry London Milk Chocolate with Crispies	very good
Henry's Dark Chocolate wafers	good
Hershey's Cacao Reserve Premium Dark Chocolate 65%	good
Hershey's Chocolate	good
Hershey's Special Dark Chocolate	fair
Hershey's Symphony Creamy Milk Chocolate, Almonds and Toffee Chips	very good
Jamieson's Fine Dark Chocolate With Milk	good
Jamieson's Mellow Dark Chocolate With Milk	good
Jamieson's Rich Milk Chocolate	good
Jamieson's Robust Dark Chocolate,	very good
Lake Champlain Jave Truffle Dark chocolate	very good to excellent
Lazzaroni Milk Chocolate with Hazelnuts	good
Le Petit Ecolier Butter Biscuits topped with milk chocolate	good
Lindt Dark Truffle	good
Lindt Excellence Dark Chocolate	very good
Lindt Excellence Extra Creamy	very good
Lindt Excellence Intense Dark 70% Cocoa	good
Lindt Excellence Intense Mint	very good
Lindt Excellence Milk Chocolate	very good to excellent
Lindt Lindor Truffles	very good
Lindt Mocca	good
Lindt Petits desserts crème brulee	very good
Lindt Surfin Swiss Bittersweet Chocolate and Chocolat Lindt Excellence Swiss Bittersweet Chocolate	good
Lindt Swiss Classic Milk Chocolate with whole hazelnuts	fair
Lindt Swiss Classic Mocha-flavoured Milk Chocolate	good
Lindt Truffles	good
Lunastelle	good
Mauna Loa Ghirdelli chocolate macadamias	good
Mellow Dark Chocolate	very good
Mickey's Dark Chocolate	fair
Milka Mokka	very good
Milky Way Creme Bunny, Santa, etc.	very good
Mocha Java	good
Nestle Treasures Cappuccino Truffle Milk Chocolate	very good
Nestle Treasures Carmel Truffle Milk Chocolate	good to very good
Nestle Treasures Dark Chocolate Truffle 50% cacao	very good
Newman's Own Chocolate	good
Peet's Semi-Sweet Chocolate	very good
Perugina Bittersweet Chocolate (Nestle)	excellent
Perugina Cherry	very good
Perugina Dark Chocolate (Nestle)	very good to excellent
Perugina Milk Chocolate with Cappuccino Filling	good
Rademaker Dutch Chocolate Dark Cappuccino	good to very good
Russell Stover Crispy Milk Chocolate and Caramel	fair
Sarotti Extra Semisweet Chocolate	excellent
Sarotti Truffel	unacceptable
Scharffen Berger Pure Dark Chocolate	good
See's	good
See's Milk Chocolate	good
Swartenbroeckx	very good
Swartenbroeckx Café Noir	good
Swartenbroeckx Noir	good
Terra Nostra Organic's Organic Truffle Bar	very good to excellent
The Belgian: 6 chocolate mint pralines	good
The Belgian: 6 fine chocolates	good
The Belgian: caffe latte chocolates	good to very good
Tobler Tradition Swiss Bittersweet Chocolate	very good
Tout Sweet	very good
Tout Sweet Dark Kona Coffee Hedgehogs	good
Trader Joe's Belgian Canache Chocolate and whole hazelnuts	fair to good
Trader Joe's Belgian Canache Milk Chocolate and espresso	fair to good
Trader Joe's Cocoa Almonds	very good
Trader Joe's Coffee Dark and Milk Chocolates	good
Trader Joe's Dark Chocolate Belgium	good to very good
Trader Joe's Delices de Belgique	very good
Trader Joe's Delices de Belgique "5 Chocolates"	good
Trader Joe's French Truffles (Mocha)	fair (2007) to excellent (~2000)
Trader Joe's Half Pound Plus Swiss Dark Chocolate	fair
Trader Joe's Imported Belgian Coffee Mousse Creams	good
Trader Joe's Miniature Pralines Belgian Chocolate	good
Trader Joe's New York Chocolate Covered Espresso Beans	very good
Trader Joe's Organic Belgian Bittersweet Chocolate	very good to excellent
Trader Joe's Organic dark chocolate 73% super dark	fair
Trader Joe's Organic dark chocolate truffle	poor
Trader Joe's Pound Plus Bittersweet Chocolate Bar	good
Trader Joe's Reserva Chocolate Sao Tome	fair
Trader Joe's Swiss 71% dark chocolate	good to very good
Trader Joe's UFOs (2010 incredibly-minty version)	poor
Trader Joe's UFOs (pre-2008 version by Ghirardelli)	good to very good
Truffes Fantaisie Nature	excellent
Unique Origin Ocumare Criollo Cocoa from Venezuela	good
Valor Dark Chocolate 70%	good
Valor Milk Chocolate 38%	good
Valrhona Le Noir 56% cacoa	very good
Valrhona Le Noir 71% cacoa	good to very good
Valrhona Le Noir Noisettes	fair
Venus Sweets	fair
Villars Swiss Dark Chocolate 72%	good to very good
Whole Foods Dark Chocolate	excellent
Wild Oats Imported Belgian Dark Chocolate With Toasted Cocoa Beans	good
Windsor chocolate-covered cherry	good
Windsor Truffle (chocolate and Kahlua)	excellent

Excellent Chocolate
Brand	Ingredients	% Chocolate Solids	Origin	Vendor	Comments
Perugina Bittersweet Chocolate (Nestle)	Chocolate, Sugar, Butterfat, Cocoa Butter	??	(Distributed by company in New Jersey)	Cost Plus Imports
Perugina Dark Chocolate (Nestle)	Sugar, Chocolate, Cocoa Butter, Butterfat	??	(Distributed by company in New Jersey)	Cost Plus Imports
Sarotti Extra Semisweet Chocolate	Chocolate, Sugar, Cocoa Butter	60	Germany	Cost Plus Imports
Whole Foods Dark Chocolate	Sugar, Chocolate, Cocoa Butter, Vanilla	50	Switzerland	Whole Foods Market	Different from the creamy smooth bars above - this is a dry brittle bar, but is still excellent.
Very Good Chocolate
Brand	Ingredients	% Chocolate Solids	Origin	Vendor	Comments
Droste Bittersweet Pastilles	Sugar, Chocolate, Cocoa Butter	>52	Holland		This chocolate seems to taste better in these smaller chunks. The presumably identical chocolate in bar form is in the next category.
Ghirardelli Dark Chocolate	Sugar, chocolate, cocoa butter	>52	San Leandro, California	Cost Plus Imports
Ghirardelli Mint Chocolate	Sugar, cocoa butter, chocolate		San Leandro, California	Cost Plus Imports
Ghirardelli Semi-Sweet Chocolate	Sugar, unsweetened chocolate, cocoa butter, milk fat, soy lecithin, vanilla		San Leandro, California	Cost Plus Imports
Herhsey's Symphony Creamy Milk Chocolate, Almonds and Toffee Chips	Milk Chocolate: sugar, milk, cocoa butter, chocolate, nonfat milk, vanilla; almonds, sugar, dairy butter, milk, salt	??	USA	most supermarkets	The almonds and toffee chips kick the chocolate up a notch
Jamieson's Robust Dark Chocolate, Mellow Dark Chocolate	Chocolate liquor, sugar, coca butter, cocoa powder, soy lecithin, vanilla	70, 60	Ghana	Chocolate by Jamieson
Lindt Excellence Dark Chocolate	Chocolate, sugar, cocoa butter, vanilla, a natural flavour, soya lecithin	70	Switzerland	Almost any supermarket, Cost Plus Imports
Peet's Semi-Sweet Chocolate	Sugar, Chocolate Liquor processed with potassium carbonate, cocoa butter, butter oil, vanilla	Sweet Charlottes, CA		Peet's Coffee & Tea
Swartenbroeckx	Sugar, cocoa mass, cocoa butter, vanilla	>59	Belgium	Trader Joe's
Tobler Tradition Swiss Bittersweet Chocolate (I had two samples: one was excellent, and one was only good, so I averaged them)	Sugar, Chocolate, cocoa butter	??	Switzerland
Trader Joe's UFOs (Ghirardelli)	Sugar, Chocolate, Cocoa Butter	??	San Leandro, California?	Trader Joe's
Good Chocolate
Brand	Ingredients	% Chocolate Solids	Origin	Vendor	Comments
Dove Dark Chocolate	??	??	??	Almost any supermarket	Good, but for some reason I can't eat it for too many days in a row
Droste Bittersweet Chocolate	Sugar, Chocolate, Cocoa Butter	??	Holland		This chocolate verges on being very good, but seems to taste better in the smaller chunks of the pastilles above, which is presumably identical chocolate.
Hershey's Chocolate	TBS	TBS	USA	Almost any supermarket	Probably a bit lower quality than the others on this list, since I'd prefer most others in this group to it
Jamieson's Mellow Dark Chocolate With Milk	Sugar, chocolate liquor, coca butter, whole milk powder, soy lecithin, vanilla	53	Ghana	Chocolate by Jamieson
Jamieson's Fine Dark Chocolate With Milk	Sugar, coca butter, chocolate liquor, whole milk powder, cocoa powder, soy lecithin, vanilla	47	Ghana	Chocolate by Jamieson
Jamieson's Rich Milk Chocolate	Sugar, coca butter, whole milk powder, chocolate liquor, soy lecithin, vanilla	38	Ghana	Chocolate by Jamieson
Lazzaroni Milk Chocolate with Hazelnuts	Sugar, cocoa butter, milk powder, hazelnuts 14%, cocoa mass, lactose, milk proteins	??	Italy
Lindt Surfin Swiss Bittersweet Chocolate and Chocolat Lindt Excellence Swiss Bittersweet Chocolate	Sugar, chocolate, cocoa butter	??	Switzerland	Almost any supermarket, Cost Plus Imports
Newman's Own Chocolate (could rank one notch higher - need another sample)	Sugar, Chocolate, Cocoa Butter	??	USA
See's Milk Chocolate	??	??	USA	See's Chocolate Shop
Scharffen Berger Pure Dark Chocolate	Cocoa beans, sugar, cocoa butter, vanilla beans	70	San Francisco	Peet's Coffee & Tea	Definitely dark, and perhaps too much so.
Swartenbroeckx Noir	Cocoa mass, sugar, cocoa butter, vanilla	>77	Belgium	Trader Joe's
Trader Joe's Pound Plus Bittersweet Chocolate Bar (Belgian version, post-mid-1998)	Sugar, Cocoa Mass, Soy Lecithin	53	Belgium	Trader Joe's	Significantly improved version, but to me is still not as good as those UFO's. Richard E. Blauvelt comments that the bar is "very very chocolatey, not cocoa, and not in the least gritty or chalky. It also has a pleasant after-taste." I agree with him. Also, a great thing about this bar is its wrapper - you can break the chocolate into hunks through the wrapper without it tearing.

Fair Chocolate
Brand	Ingredients	% Chocolate Solids	Origin	Vendor	Flaws
Hershey's Special Dark Chocolate	Sugar, Chocolate, Cocoa Butter	??	Hershey, PA	Almost any supermarket	Slightly funny aftertaste
Mickey's Dark Chocolate	Sugar, Chocolate liquor Dutch processed with alkali, cocoa butter, butterfat	??	U.S.A.?	Disneyland	This just has not much to recommend it.
Unacceptable Chocolate
Brand	Ingredients	Chocolate Solids	Origin	Vendor	Flaws
Trader Joe's Pound Plus Bittersweet Chocolate Bar (French version, pre-mid-1998)	Cocoa Mass, Sugar, Cocoa Butter	61	St-Etienne, Lyon, France	Trader Joe's	Bad aftertaste
Trader Joe's Pound Plus Milk Chocolate Bar (French version, pre-mid-1998)	Sugar, Milk Powder, Cocoa Mass, Cocoa Butter	30	St-Etienne, Lyon, France	Trader Joe's	Bad aftertaste

Excellent Chocolate Candies
Brand	Type	Origin	Vendor
Christopher Norman Chocolates' Four Espresso Cup and Saucer Sets	Bittersweet chocolate (72% cocoa), white chocolate, milk powder, milk chocolate, sweet cream butter, egg yolds, vanilla, fresh cream, grand marnier, coffee extracts, flavor extracts, cinnamon	New York, NY	RedEnvelope Gifts
Ghirardelli Double Chocolate Mocha	Milk chocolate with chocolate cookie bits and coffee	San Leandro, CA	Cost Plus Imports
Trader Joe's French Truffles (Mocha)	Truffle (ingredients: partially hydrogenated vegetable oil, sugar, low-fat cocoa, whey powder)	France	Trader Joe's
Truffes Fantaisie Nature	Truffle (ingredients: vegetable oil, sugar, whey powder, cocoa)	France	Trader Joe's
Windsor Truffle (chocolate and Kahlua)	Dark chocolate with creamy filling	??	Hotel del Coronado
Very Good Chocolate Candies
Brand	Type	Origin	Vendor
After Eight	Dark Chocolate with mint crème filling	(Distributed by Perugina Brands of New Jersey)	Cost Plus Imports
Belgian Hearts	Chocolate with hazelnut cream	Belgium
Confiserie Heidel Mocca Beans Dark Chocolate	Coffee Beans covered with dark chocolate	Germany	Cost Plus Imports
Dove Truffle Egg	Chocolate filled with processed chocolate	??	Almost any supermarket during Easter
Guylian Perles d'Ocean	Chocolate sea shells (sugar, hazelnuts, milk powder, cocoa powder, cocoa butter)	Belgium	Almost any supermarket during Easter
Harry London Milk Chocolate with Crispies	Milk chocolate with crisped rice	Ohio	(United Airlines)
Lindt Lindor Truffles	Sugar, (Dark) chocolate, fractionated vegetable oil, cocoa butter, butterfat, lactose, skimmed milk, soya lecithin, whey powder, vanillin, caramel flavoring, malt powder	France	Cost Plus Imports
Milka Mokka	Chocolate with coffee	Austria
Milky Way Creme Bunny, Santa, etc.	Chocolate bunny, Santa, etc. filled with creme	??	Almost any supermarket during holidays
Perugina Cherry	Chocolate-covered whole cherries	Italy	Cost Plus Imports
Rademaker Dutch Chocolate Dark Cappuccino	Chocolate sticks	Holland	Cost Plus Imports
Terra Nostra Organic's Organic Truffle Bar	Dark Chocolate Bar with a dark chocolate truffle center	Canada	??
Tout Sweet	Dark Chocolate Truffle Bar	Canada	Trader Joe's
Trader Joe's Cocoa Almonds	Milk chocolate covered dry-roasted almonds coated with cocoa powder	??	Trader Joe's
Trader Joe's Delices de Belgique¹	Chocolate Seashells filled with hazelnut cream	??	Trader Joe's
Trader Joe's Delices de Belgique¹	Belgian Flaked Truffles	Belgium	Trader Joe's
Trader Joe's New York Chocolate Covered Espresso Beans	Chocolate-covered whole-roasted Espresso beans (Espresso Twist, Milk Chocolate, Cappuccino, and Dark Chocolate)	Belgium	Trader Joe's
Good Chocolate Candies
Brand	Type	Origin	Vendor
After Eight Dark Chocolate Thin Mints	Chocolate with peppermint oil	England	Cost Plus Imports
The Belgian: caffe latte chocolates	Sugar, cocoa butter, vegetable fat, cocoa mass, whole milk powder, skimmed milk powder, soy flour, flavours	Belgium	Cost Plus Imports
The Belgian: 6 fine chocolates	Milk chocolate, white chocolate, sugar, chocolate, hardened vegetable fat, hazelnuts, glucose syrup, skimmed milk powder, sorbitol, rice, flavours	Belgium	Cost Plus Imports
The Belgian: 6 chocolate mint pralines	Chocolate, sugar, hardened vegetable fat, glucose syrup, invert sugar, sorbitol	Belgium	Cost Plus Imports
Daffin's	Chocolate filled with cremes, nuts, etc.	Sharon, PA
Lindt Mocca	Sugar, cocoa butter, chocolate, milk, butter, skimmed milk, coffee, dried malt extract, vanillin	Switzerland	Cost Plus Imports
Lindt Dark Truffle	Sugar, Vegetable oil partially hydrogenated, chocolate, cocoa butter, milk, skimmed milk, vanillin	USA	Cost Plus Imports
Lindt Truffles	Dark chocolate, vegetable oil, butter, milk	USA	Cost Plus Imports
Lunastelle	Milk chocolate with crushed hazelnut praline center; dark chocolate with truffle center	Italy	Cost Plus Imports
Mauna Loa Ghirdelli chocolate macadamias	Milk chocolate, cocoa butter, macadamia nuts	Hawaii	Cost Plus Imports
Mocha Java	Semisweet chocolate, cocoa butter, butter oil, mocha java coffee beans	Berkeley, CA	Peet's Coffee & Tea
See's	Chocolate filled with cremes, nuts, etc.	Los Angeles, CA	See's Candy Shop
Swartenbroeckx Café Noir	Dark chocolate with coffee. Cocoa mass (>59%), sugar, cocoa butter, coffee (5%). Probably a good+.	Belgium	Trader Joe's
Tout Sweet Dark Kona Coffee Hedgehogs	Coating: chocolate liquor, sugar, cocoa butter, soy lecithin, vanilla. Filling: hydrogenated coconut oil, cocoa, lactose, nonfat milk, soy lecithin, coffee flavor, vanilla.	Canada	Trader Joe's
Trader Joe's Coffee Dark and Milk Chocolates	Dark: sugar, chocolate, instant coffee, lecithin, vanillin. Milk: sugar, whole mild solids, cocoa butter, chocolate, instant coffee, lecithin, vanillin. Probably a good+.	Canada	Trader Joe's
Trader Joe's Delices de Belgique "5 Chocolates"¹	Truffles with peanut, coconut, hazelnut etc. cream filling	Belgium	Trader Joe's
Trader Joe's Imported Belgian Coffee Mousse Creams	Chocolates with a creamy coffee filling. Sugar, cocoa mass, cocoa butter, milk fat, whole milk powder, partially hydrogenated vegetable fat, skimmed milk powder, whey powder, coffee, soy lecithin, water, vanillan, fat-free dry milk solids	Belgium	Trader Joe's
Wild Oats Imported Belgian Dark Chocolate With Toasted Cocoa Beans	Chocolate with coca nibs	Belgium	Wild Oats Market
Windsor chocolate-covered cherry	Cherry coated with dark chocolate	??	Hotel del Coronado

Fair Chocolate Candies
Brand	Type	Origin	Vendor	Flaws
Galaxy Confections	Milk chocolate with crisped rice	??	Dist. By Vans Gourmet, Long Beach, CA	Pieces are too large for my mouth, and don't have any good detectable flavor. Possibly should rank lower ("marginally edible"), but it is better than the awful candies in the next category.
Russell Stover Crispy Milk Chocolate and Caramel	Rice Crispies(?), Milk Chocolate and Caramel	??	??
Venus Sweets Fudge Truffle Bar	Dark chocolate with fudge and chocolate truffle (cocoa mass, sugar, milk, palm oil, coconut oil, glucose, butter, water, whey powder, soy lecithin, vanilla, salt	Canada	Trader Joe's
Valrhona Le Noir Noisettes	Dark chocolate with pieces of hazelnut (cocoa beans, hazelnuts, sugar, cocoa butter, vanilla - > 61% chocolate solids	France	Extraordinary Desserts, San Diego	The chocolate is undoubtedly better than this rating, but it doesn't go with the hazelnut pieces.
Unacceptable Chocolate Candies
Brand	Type	Origin	Vendor	Flaws
Bahlsen Afrika	Wheat wafers coated with dark chocolate	Germany	Cost Plus Imports
Sarotti Truffel	Milk chocolate with truffle filling that tastes like eggnog!	Germany

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Copyright © 1996-2009 by Tom Chester.
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Comments: Tom Chester
Last update: 13 April 2010.