I picked up this bar from my local metro store for $3.99 CAD plus tax. It weighs 100 g, which is pretty standard for dark chocolate bars. However, it’s a bit on the expensive side.

For instance, President’s Choice offers a dark chocolate bar that’s also 85% and 100 g, but only costs $1.99 CAD.

Packaging

Square pieces of dark chocolate still in their foil wrap

The packaging on this chocolate is standard. There are 2 layers, a label and an aluminium foil wrap. The outside of the chocolate bar is made from paper and is glued closed. So once you open it you cannot close it. On the inside there’s the standard aluminium wrapper.

Overall, the package is average and isn’t unique in any way. It’s non-resealable.

Design

The design is very much standard with all the squares having the same logo. Though, each piece is smaller than what is commonly found in other chocolate bars.

But the pieces were too thick and were not indented sufficiently. As a result, it was hard to break or separate the bar into equal pieces. I ended up having an extra square from the next row on one of my pieces. Other pieces got fragmented and were either too small or too big.

Taste

I’m quite familiar with how dark chocolate tastes. I’ve had several different 85% dark chocolate bars now and I can safely say that a bitter bar is a low quality bar. This no different to low quality coffee having a bitter taste. In fact, high quality coffee should taste good even without sugar and cream. Likewise, high quality dark chocolate should taste good.

This bar is definitely made with high quality ingredients and it shows in its flavor.

The flavor of the cocoa was overwhelmingly rich and deep
There’s a pleasant chocolate aftertaste that rests on the back of the tongue.
Absolutely no bitterness in the bar whatsoever

Also, there is no noticeable flavoring. The only thing I could taste was the chocolate itself. Just an overall smooth and rich taste.

Effects

One of the reasons I like to eat dark chocolate is for the stimulation it causes. Cocoa is known to have compounds that give a high as well as ones that cause stimulation. It contains anandamide, a chemical that’s similar to tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), which is found in Cannabis. Both anandamide and THC bind to the same receptor in the brain that can cause mood elevation, happiness, relaxation, and other pleasant effects, hence a high.

But, chocolate also contains xanthine derivatives, like caffeine and theobromine. In other words, stimulants. These are responsible for the energizing effects of chocolate and they’re found in the cocoa. And since this bar is 85% cocoa, it should contain more of these compounds.

Indeed, after eating a few pieces I started to get some noticeable effects:

Mood improved
I got a bit of a tingling sensation in my head
Focus improved
Energy increased
Mind felt sharper
Memory improved
Thinking got clearer

These are the typical effects that dark chocolate has on me, but this time it felt a bit better. I don’t know what it is, but this bar feels cleaner I guess. It’s not as jittery as the other bars I’ve tried. It’s more inclined to relaxation, which I guess means the anandamide to stimulant ratio is greater in this bar than the other bars I’ve tried.

Ingredients and Nutrition

The ingredients listed on the back of the bar include:

Organic Chocolate
Organic Cocoa Butter
Organic Cocoa
Organic Raw Cane Sugar
Organic Vanilla Extract

All of these are natural and are expected to be found in a chocolate bar. The fact that they are organic is a huge plus. Moreover, the sugar comes from organic raw cane which gives a nice aroma and taste itself.

As far as nutrition goes, it’s pretty standard and what is expected from an 85% cocoa bar. So the fiber is high and the iron content is high as well. These are 2 things that should always be high in dark chocolate bars. If they’re not then chances are the chocolate bar is fake and its cocoa content is low.

Conclusion

This is a great dark chocolate bar that’s made with high quality ingredients and offers a unique effect profile. But, it’s a bit pricier than other bars on the market and that’s probably because it only uses organic ingredients.