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CHOICE puts supermarket dark chocolate to the test

CHOICE puts supermarket dark chocolate to the test

Consumer group CHOICE has put 37 supermarket dark chocolates, from brands including Lindt, Cadbury and Nestle, to the (taste) test.

CHOICE assessed supermarket dark chocolates for both taste and nutrition and recommends those that received an overall score (CHOICE Expert Rating) of 70 per cent or more. Of the 37 products tested, 11 made that list including Lindt Excellence 90% Cocoa, Aldi Just Organic 70% Dark Chocolate, Pico Super Dark 85% Cocoa Single Origin, Lindt Excellence Smooth Blend 70% Cocoa, Lindt Excellence 95% Cocoa, Aldi Moser Roth Finest Dark 70% Cocoa, Green & Black’s Organic Dark Chocolate 70% Cocoa, Lindt Excellence 85% Cocoa, Lindt Excellence 70% Cocoa, Green & Black’s Smooth Dark Chocolate 70% Cocoa and Whittaker’s 92% Cocoa Ghana Intense Dark Chocolate.

Of the Lindt Excellence 90% Cocoa, which topped the list with an Expert Rating of 79 per cent, the experts said: “Shiny appearance. A good all-round, pleasant, moderately bitter dark chocolate. Smooth texture with a distinct snap. Not sweet at all. Not too complex in flavour, good mouthfeel and melt and a lingering aftertaste.”

Of the Aldi Just Organic 70% Dark Chocolate, which came in a close second with a 78 per cent rating they said:”Unique. Aroma has some floral and roasted notes. Shiny appearance. A very easy eating dark chocolate with good cocoa flavour. Smooth and creamy mouthfeel and aftertaste, pleasant bitterness. A smooth texture with a moderate snap.”

The cheapest of the dark chocolates tested was Woolworths Essentials Dark Choc Cooking Block, which is just $0.67 per 100g, but scored poorly for taste and is only 15 per cent cocoa, the lowest by a sizeable margin.

In determining what makes a chocolate “good”, the taste testers (who included patisserie pioneer and TAFE educator Dean Gibson and pastry chef Andre Sandison) looked at taste (flavour, texture, aroma and appearance), and nutrition (based on the Health Star Rating, calculated from the details in the nutrition information panel and converted to a percentage).


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