Choco Fest Taste Test #1 Results
Last month we bought 12 chocolate bars as evidenced here. (You can find links to the manufacturers there as well as a picture of the stack.)Over two dinner parties, 9 individuals of various chocolate-loving backgrounds sampled, rated and reviewed the dozen. Of the individuals, most claimed to "love" chocolate but overall had no other similar tastes. Some claimed to like "plain" chocolate, some "didn't like bits" in their chocolate, and others "didn't like fruits and spices" in their chocolate.
Here are the results:
1) The two bars that tied for 1st place in averaged scores were the Ginger bar from Green & Black's, and the 35% Dark with Roasted Salted Peanuts from Vintage Plantations. (7.5/10)
2) The bar earning the lowest score was Hachez's Cocoa D'Arriba Mango Chili. (3.2/10)
3) When asked to pick 1st place and 2nd place favorite bars, when tallied the results were as follows: Green & Black's Ginger (7 points), Lindt's Intense Pear (4 points) and Frey's Supreme Cinnamon & Blood Orange (4 points). Although the Lindt and Frey bars did not overall score high, it was named as a favorite at a higher rate than bars that scored better.
For anyone who needs the details, you can see a quick PDF i made here.
Comments:
a) Dark Chocolate Raspberry Lemon Biscotti Truffle Bar by Choxie: "i always hated getting the choc w/a cherry in it" "too strong raspberry" "a bit like candy"
b) Cocoa D'arriba Strawberry & Pepper by Hachez: "bad temper, okay fruit taste" "bitter, soapy, what's stuck in my teeth?"
c) Tropical Fruit Bits Passion Fruit by Santander: "it's not for me but it's very zingy which other folks might like" "odd, cherrylike weirdness"
d) Cocoa D'Arriba Mango Chili by Hachez: "tastes like suntan lotion" "bad temper, gross taste" "interesting but artificial like potpourri"
e) Ginger by Green & Black's: "yum!" "wow" "i like ginger"
f) 35% Dark with Roasted Salted Peanuts by Vintage Plantations: "just the right mix of nuts & cocoa" "a better Mr. Goodbar" "nostalgic flavor"
g) Oaxaca Bar by Vosges: "bitter & gross" "sharp aftertaste" "nice complexity but not delicious"
h) 65% Dark with Cocoa Nibs by Vintage Plantations: "good choc but needs to be harder" "good but too much debris"
i) Red Fire Bar by Vosges: "i like the smokey flavor which is unusual" "overwhelming at the end" "complex, but not smooth enough"
j) Crave Comfort Apricot by Newtree: "too sweet" "i have no idea what's going on" "creamy, surprising flavor"
k) Intense Pear by Lindt: "eh. had potential but crashed" "too grainy, artificial tasting" "great texture"
l) Supreme Cinnamon & Blood Orange by Frey: "candied orange peel red hot weirdness" "smooth, creamy, complex" "sparkly, resplendent, lasting"
Analysis:
1) Originally we bought the bars on a whim. be and i were in the mood to try unusual chocolate bar flavors and we had no rhyme nor reason to the ones we chose, besides the fact they sounded good, even though we both have stated our preference for different types of chocolate bars.
2) When taste testing, one group was vocal during the test, sharing opinions and trying to guess flavors together. The other group was absolutely silent like during a real test at school. Although each group took the test differently, the results were still all over the place.
3) Surprisingly, a few of the bars that one group HATED, were LOVED by the other group and vice versa. Is taste learned? Does living with a partner who loves chile or hates creamy white chocolate, affect you eventually? Or is it because what we served for dinner beforehand one night, ruined the subtle flavor of a certain bar while what we served the other night, enhanced it?
4) If i had to do it again, i would've served nothing beforehand, offered better palate cleansers in between, had the entire group of testers taste at the same time, and chosen bars that were more similar. These bars were all over the place but next time, a test of the best plain 75%+ bars from different manufacturers would be fun. Or perhaps a single manufacturer but chocolate of various regions.
5) The ONE single thing i learned from this was that there's a chocolate bar for everyone. Something you hate is certainly loved by someone out there. And the bar you love is despised by someone else, maybe the person sitting right next to you who sleeps in your bed. The next few things i've gotten out of this test are: a) good temper and texture are key, b) childhood combos like peanuts and chocolate are generally acceptable to everyone, c) what you claim you like best is not necessarily the one you decide to choose under pressure.
So, there you have it testers! I hope you enjoyed taking the choco test as much as i did! And for the record, i liked Voges' Red Fire Bar and Vintage Plantation's 35% with Peanuts the best. But for my most favorite ever bars, check my post here.
posted by beXn @ 3:43 PM
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