65% to 74% is the sweet spot for most dark chocolate, and where nearly every fine chocolate maker pitches their single-origin bars. There is enough sugar to balance the bitterness and enough cocoa for the bean to speak clearly.
This is the best band for comparing origins. Try a Madagascan and a Ghanaian bar side by side at 70% and the difference — bright red fruit against deep, round cocoa — is obvious even to a first-time taster.
100 chocolates, mildest first · page 2 of 5
