"You Must Try This" list for others

By KT Lowe · 10 chocolates

If someone asks me what kind of chocolate they should try, this is my go-to for good chocolates at a variety of price points.

  1. Bonnat Ceylan Sri Lanka 75% — craft chocolate made with Sri Lanka cacao Bonnat Ceylan Sri Lanka 75% Bonnat · Sri Lanka $15.00

    There is SO MUCH going on with this bar - spicy, a little sweet, a touch bitter and entirely delicious. It's a sleeper origin, with very few bars coming from this country. I've loved this bar for years and I love seeing the faces of people trying it for the first time - it's a real outlier.

  2. Firetree Papua New Guinea Karkar 72% — craft chocolate made with Papua New Guinea cacao Firetree Papua New Guinea Karkar 72% Firetree · Papua New Guinea $9.50

    Easily the best value in chocolate at the moment. A complex, beautifully rendered bar with a delightful, full flavor and excellent mouthfeel. It feels like so much more than its ingredients.

  3. Moka Dark Ghana 72% by Moka Origins — craft chocolate made with Ghana cacao Moka Dark Ghana 72% Moka Origins · Ghana $10.00

    The only Ghanaian bar you'll ever need.

  4. The Organic House Dark Thailand Chanthaburi 70% — craft chocolate made with Thailand cacao The Organic House Dark Thailand Chanthaburi 70% The Organic House · Thailand International Chocolate Awards score: 84.9/100 $13.00

    How good is this? Finely tempered and uniquely flavored, this bar is loaded with delicate nuance.

  5. Soma Drinking Chocolate Maya — craft chocolate made with Blend cacao Soma Drinking Chocolate Maya Soma · Blend $12.00

    The chocolate that turned me onto Soma 21 years ago, and still absolutely delicious. It's got a kick, but it's not overwhelming, and like the best flavored cacaos the inclusions enhance the chocolate, not the other way around.

  6. Soma Old School Milk Chuao Bar — craft chocolate made with Venezuela cacao Soma Old School Milk Chuao Bar Soma · Venezuela $15.50

    This is the bar that eases and challenges at the same time. A milk chocolate eases you into comfort, but the gritty, organic mouthfeel raises your expectations about what chocolate can be.

  7. Goodnow Farms Asochivite 77% — craft chocolate made with Guatemala cacao Goodnow Farms Asochivite 77% Goodnow Farms · Guatemala International Chocolate Awards score: 89.7/100 $19.00

    Asochivite beans are excellent and gently cared for in this exquisite bar. I've had a few asochivite bars, but this one is almost poetic in the way its flavors linger.

  8. Labooko Opus 5 77% by Zotter — craft chocolate made with Blend cacao Labooko Opus 5 77% Zotter · Blend $12.00

    Need a good basic chocolate that tastes good, feels good and won't embarrass you in front of your friends? This is it.

  9. Rózsavölgyi Csokoládé Dark Chocolate w/ Cardamom 73% by Rozsavolgyi Csokolade — craft chocolate made with Venezuela cacao Rózsavölgyi Csokoládé Dark Chocolate w/ Cardamom 73% Rozsavolgyi Csokolade · Venezuela $22.00

    One finely balanced flavored bar, with the cardamom melding well with the slightly floral Venezuelan cacao base. It looks good and offers a touch of elegance to your chocolate tasting party. Please tell me I'm not the only person who hosts chocolate tasting parties...

  10. Dandelion House Hot Chocolate Mix 70% by Dandelion Chocolate — craft chocolate made with Ecuador cacao Dandelion House Hot Chocolate Mix 70% Dandelion Chocolate · Ecuador $20.00

    There's generic hot chocolate and then there's this. Rich and deeply flavorful without being overly sweet or candy-like, it holds up well to milk and whipped cream. Keep the bottle - it makes a fine vase for dried flowers.

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