Best Dark Chocolate Bars

[pkafka]

Dark chocolate... what a nice treat from time to time. These days, there are just so many options when it comes to choosing a chocolate bar. All in all, there is not a specific brand that I favor, however, I must say that bars that use Venezuelan beans are the tastiest!

But here are a few bars that I have been impressed by:

El Rey (http://www.chocolateselrey.com/)

Amano Bars (http://www.amanochocolate.com/)

O yes... I like 70% +

-pk

[chadwick]

The best bang for buck and ingredients, BAR none, is Lindt 85%. Plus they are available pretty much anywhere! In NYC I always used to get them at Duane Reade.

I am not usually the type to count carbs, be a stickler for the exact ingredients on everything (have to live), but this has the least carbs for chocolate and does not have much of the crap sugar and other additives that even some other 75%+ chocolates have.

Bottom line: if there is a (pre-made) Primal chocolate: THIS IS IT.

[BarbeyGirl]

I buy 85% at World Market -- World Market brand, in fact, for $2 each. Awesome.

[Tarlach]

The best bang for buck and ingredients, BAR none, is Lindt 85%.

I think the Lindt bars are pretty average. The Lindt 99% tastes like dirt.

Cote D'or Dark 86% is much better for the same amount of sugar.

If you want to get serious (and can handle the dark stuff) Pralus Le 100% is the best pure cacao I have tasted (and I've tried quite a few).
The Michel Cluizel 99% or Coppeneur 100% are ok also.

[pkafka]

Cote D'or Dark 86% is much better for the same amount of sugar.


Tarlach - Welcome to the forum... You've got great taste in chocolate...

-pk

[LC16!]

I just ate some chocolate covered almonds... Im having a rough day... I feel like I had to write it down in order to own up to it lol..

[chadwick]

I think the Lindt bars are pretty average. The Lindt 99% tastes like dirt.

Cote D'or Dark 86% is much better for the same amount of sugar.


Come on, I qualified the Lindt with "best bang for buck" hah! I do agree that there are better bars; not familiar with Cote D'or though. Is it sold at any brick and mortar locations?

Also, Tarlach, I would be interested in hearing more about your Seven Deadly Sins. I find myself agreeing with some (grains, refined sugars, tubers, legumes); disagreeing with others (mainly dairy of the high-fat variety). The verdict on stuff like dairy, nightshades/veggies in general, your modernly palatables seem to be in a gray area in terms of scientific research / bloggers, so I was wondering what your personal beliefs are on them.

[Tarlach]

I don't know about where you live, but we get the Cote D'or in the local supermarket. It's about the same price as the Lindt, but tastes a lot better...


Probably not part of a 'chocolate' thread, but anyway ...

I eat lower paleo and none of the foods in my list are old foods.

It takes up to 50,000 years to fix a genetic mutation in a population. Due to other external factors on man (ie. migration), we have not been exposed to any fixed circumstances long enough to adapt to them.


these results suggest that it is rare for variants to experience selection that is both strong enough and sustained consistently over the 10–50 KY required to drive a new mutation to fixation

10-50 KY years is also a low estimate and it should probably be much higher, with regards to hominid diet adaptation in the last 100,000 years..


strong, sustained selection that drives alleles from low frequency to near fixation has been relatively rare during the past ~70 KY of human evolution.

http://www.plosgenetics.org/article/info%3Adoi%2F10.1371%2Fjournal.pgen.1000500

The biggest two biggest changes we have undergone is skin pigmentation changes and lactase persistence in a small portion of the population. This adaptation just means that some people won't get sick immediately if they have milk past weaning age. It still looks likely that milk proteins are part of the cause of autoimmune diseases like MS and asthma. The list of problems from dairy doesn't stop there though.

Ghee might be ok, but why bother risking it when you can use rendered animal fat?

My wife and I have based our diet on what was eaten more than 50,000 years ago and as such will exclude some items that other paleo eaters will eat (as they were eaten at the very end of the Paleolithic).

Nightshades are a Neolithic food and cause joint pains. They are also a likely cause of osteoarthritis.

[pkafka]

Very interesting, Tarlach, thanks.

Question for you - were you experiencing some of the symptoms that the sins are known to produce? If so, have they since dissipated?

-pk

[astrogirl]

I like the 90% Lindt bars. I think they are new since I just started seeing them. At $2 a piece, I think they are a good taste/price deal.

[pkafka]

I like the 90% Lindt bars. I think they are new since I just started seeing them. At $2 a piece, I think they are a good taste/price deal.

Good call there astro... going for value + quality, I always respect that.

And welcome to the Primal Tribe. Looking forward to hearing more of your opinions.

-pk

[Tarlach]

Question for you - were you experiencing some of the symptoms that the sins are known to produce? If so, have they since dissipated?
-pk

Since cutting out the 7 sins, my wife and I have lost quite a few problems that we used to have.

Asthma (my wife), headaches (I used to get them every now and then), migraines (my wife), no more joint pain (both of us), acne, etc. We don't get sick and our digestion has improved, etc.

Most of the changes are quite subtle and hard to notice over time, but now if we have any of the 'trigger' foods we can notice the effects.

[carla]

I love Dagoba with Chile....so Primally Mayan....at least our modern version
But I prefer to make my own chocolates...Here's how I do it....

1/2 C.raw organic cacao powder
1/4 C.extra virgin coconut oil
1 tsp.vanilla
raw organic honey to taste (2-3 heaping tsp. maybe)
Melt the coconut oil 'til it's liquid
pour into processor with rest of ingredients and blend
pour into ice cube trays (or candy molds) and freeze
best right out of freezer because coconut oil melts at body temp.

I also like to put some raw chocolate nibs in the ice cube trays before pouring in the liquid. Great textures

[pkafka]

I love Dagoba with Chile....so Primally Mayan....at least our modern version
But I prefer to make my own chocolates...Here's how I do it....

1/2 C.raw organic cacao powder
1/4 C.extra virgin coconut oil
1 tsp.vanilla
raw organic honey to taste (2-3 heaping tsp. maybe)
Melt the coconut oil 'til it's liquid
pour into processor with rest of ingredients and blend
pour into ice cube trays (or candy molds) and freeze
best right out of freezer because coconut oil melts at body temp.

I also like to put some raw chocolate nibs in the ice cube trays before pouring in the liquid. Great textures

Wow! This is great... Thanks Carla. I do not know why, but making chocolate has never crossed my mind. Chadwick and I are in the process of devising some primal ice cream recipes... We will keep you posted.

What is the consistency of this chocolate like?

-pk

p.s. - if you like Dagoba, check out Amano (http://www.amanochocolate.com/)... My fav. commercial dark chocolate bar.

[BMcD]

I tried a Lindt bar and didn't like it much. Green and Black's 85% is my fave.

[Micke77023]

Hi Everyone,

This is about as pure as chocolate can get. Well, its technically not chocolate but rather the actual cacao bean roasted with shell on. You have to crack the shell to get to the good stuff. The taste is awesome and it is very natural/raw.

http://www.claudiocorallochocolate.com/favas_de_cacau.php

The chocolate comes from a tiny African island, Principe - just South of Nigeria.

The same producer also offers 100% chocolate bars.

I'd love to hear if anyone else has heard of or tried this brand before.

[Micke77023]

Another good website for Raw Cacao: http://rawcacao.com/

[tribecalledfit]

Tarlach, I am so glad you're on this forum. You bring a lot of interesting data to the table, and you seem very experienced in the practice of Paleo living. Out of curiosity, how often do you allow yourself an indulgence like chocolate?

[Tarlach]

We have the Pralus Le 100% cacao chocolate occasionally as a treat. I won't try to say it is paleo, but as it's a seed, I'm not that worried about pure cacao.

I rarely eat chocolate that has any sugar in it and never more than 15%.

[cairo]

I love Dagoba with Chile....so Primally Mayan....at least our modern version

I second the Dagoba xocolatl. 74%, chilies, nibs and its organic. The spiciness keeps you from devouring the whole thing. I can make mine last at least a week.

[BarbeyGirl]

Since cutting out the 7 sins, my wife and I have lost quite a few problems that we used to have...

Thanks for sharing this, Tarlach. Very interesting, particulary about the asthma. The doc tells me I have exercise-induced asthma. Want to know how often I use my inhaler? Ummm....never. That's despite regular hill sprints, Tabata, weight training, etc, including in cold weather. It's simply not an issue.

My seasonal allergies also disappeared when I went flegan a few years ago, and have pretty much stayed away since going primal. I suspect this much to do with clean eating, low dairy consumption, and (I know you may disagree!) high veggie consumption.

The arthritis in my bunions has also eased substantially.

All this despite the fact that I do partake of some of the deadly sins; that is, very occasional tubers (less than once a month), regular cashews and olives, a bit of dairy, and regular nightshades. Maybe someday I'll experiment with nixing all of the above and see if things get even better.

[BarbeyGirl]

But I prefer to make my own chocolates...Here's how I do it....



OMG, I am SO going to try that! Thanks!

[tribecalledfit]

Not sure if anyone else is a big fan of Green & Black's organic chocolate. I like their 70% and 85% darks, as well as the dark with cherry and the dark with hazelnuts and currants (oh, and the Maya gold). (Oh and the ginger.) It's great chocolate, but not too primal in the sense that the beans are grown in South America but the chocolate is manufactured (there, I said it) in Italy.

[Annika]

I love Green & Black 85%, and I found a store that sells it for $1.50 for a big bar! While it lasts, that is. I bought 8 bars the other day! :o

[tribecalledfit]

Wow, Annika, that's a steal. It costs double that here.

[carla]

I like to let a tiny bit of the Dagoba melt on my tongue and savor the flavor for a long time. Once gave some to a friend and she gobbled it down so fast....I asked her how she liked the
chile flavor and she said, "what chile?" The yoga of eating....savor each bite!

[carla]

PK, the texture is creamy as silk with the crunch of the nibs on the bottom (if you add them) My friends plead for more of these. Last week I had some friends over for dinner
and after, brought out some chocolates and port for dessert. I know, lot's of sugar in the port....but so nice every once in awhile!

[Posy]

Hey Carla, I tried your chocolate recipe today. Yum, very good! I didn’t have any candy molds so I just used one of those round rubbery cake pans and then broke it up like bark after it was frozen. It made more than I thought it would so I’ll have a stash for quite some time. Thanks for sharing your recipe, a fun treat to make...and eat! :)

[BMcD]

I love Green and Black's 85%. Bought a bunch today. They sell out fast at Whole Foods. $1.50 is crazy!

[Annika]

The $1.50 price on Green & Black is at Ocean State Job Lot, a store which sells all kinds of deeply discounted stuff which was remaindered or overstocked. They have an interesting food section, with a fair amount of ethnic and gourmet items. None of it is outdated, although some of it is short-dated. I don't know how they get such great prices. I get coconut milk there for $1.00 a can!

[BMcD]

BTW, I just ate one. mmmmmmmmmmm

[Tarlach]

That'll be the 3+tsp of sugar you just consumed

[tribecalledfit]

At first that didn't seem right, but Tarlach is right about the sugar content, assuming you ate an entire bar. Looking at the Green & Black's 85% Dark, I see each bar weighs 100g and contains 15g of sugar. A teaspoon of sugar weights about 4.2 grams, so each bar does contain the equivalent of 3.57 teaspoons of sugar. Personally, I like to treat myself to a quarter of a bar when I do indulge in it. I guess now I can at least say that a quarter bar contains less than a teaspoon of sugar. Now that doesn't sound quite as bad, right?

[BMcD]

"That'll be the 3+tsp of sugar you just consumed"

I usually eat about a third or a quarter of a bar at a time. So I guess that's a 1 tsp. And I'm cool with that.

[Anne]

Green & Blacks is good, but expensive! My favorite is the Endangered Species brand. They have a wonderful 88% bar, and also a 72% with mint. (I have a really big weakness for mint chocolate.) They claim 10% of the profits go to help endangered species, and there are codes on the wrapper that can help you get even more chocolate...mmm.