Sunday, July 18, 2021

Libeert - Belgian 85% Dark Chocolate (bar) - July 18, 2021

Chocolate of the Day

Libeert s.a.
Belgian Dark Chocolate 85% (bar)
Good + - Good ++
Weight: 1.05 oz. (30 g.) / 3.5 oz. (100 g.) in total bar
Calories: 170 calories in 3 squares of bar
Cost: $1.99 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Grocery Outlet Bargain Market, Palo Alto, CA

Welcome to Day #9 of Dark Chocolate Theme Week, featuring 65% - 90% cacao dark chocolate blends (with no flavor inclusions) and/or bars with unspecified cacao origins.

Today's Belgian 85% Dark Chocolate (bar) was manufactured by Libeert s.a. (Comines, Belgium). It was labeled as a "Luxury" bar. And indeed it offered some sophisticated, rich cacao flavors (at a very reasonable price).

This bar had an enjoyable, shifting, complex aroma bouquet that included dark chocolate (warm, strong cocoa/drinking chocolate), concentrated fruit (prunes, raisins, dried cacao pulp, dried mango) shading into green floral notes. But wait, there's more. I kept sniffing and was rewarded with... the faint scent of a bowl of sweet breakfast cereal (sweet, light roasted rice/malt). 

The texture was smooth, and relatively creamy. The melt accelerated a bit about 3/4 way into chewing each bite. (Not off-putting, but different.) This was followed by a very slight dryness (astringency) toward the end.

The flavor, like the aroma and texture, had its own gentle twists and turns.* Similar concentrated fruit and green notes sashayed through; and the bar was relatively low in bitterness and acidity, making this it an approachable choice for those who want a more polite (more mild, less wild) ultra-dark bar.

Maker's tasting notes: "Bright dark chocolate with an intense and fruity cocoa flavour"

Ingredients: Chocolate liquor, sugar, soy lecithin, cocoa solids 85% minimum.

Allergen-related information: Contains soy. "May contain traces of milk, almonds, hazelnuts, pecan nuts, wheat and egg."

*Note: Libeert also offers an Organic Chocolate Extra Dark 85% bar, that I featured earlier this week. The relatively new organic bar was slightly less fruity than today's 85% chocolate and had a bit more of a light vanilla and nutty flavor. (The organic version also contained cocoa powder, vanilla powder and added cocoa butter. It also had a very faint (fainter) dryness toward the end. It did not contain soy lecithin.)

Both Libeert bars were relatively "friendly" for 85% cacao bars. Great for people who are watching their sugar intake (or want a less sweet chocolate), and/or are wanting a milder ultra-bar bar with some natural cacao flavors still intact. 

Larger European makers, specifically Libeert and Lindt, now offer affordable ultra dark (greater than 75%) bars. Although Lindt is a bit easier to find in U.S. stores. (Low prices allow more people to try and develop a liking for darker chocolates. Hoping cacao farmers are getting paid a fair price for their cacao.)

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