Scharffen Berger Chocolate Bar, Extra Dark (82% Cacao), 3-Ounce Packages (Pack of 6)

What customers say about Scharffen Berger Chocolate Bar, Extra Dark (82% Cacao), 3-Ounce Packages (Pack of 6)?

1. 14 of 15 people found the following review helpful

   
   Not the BEST $$ can buy but the best all-over Bittersweet Chocolate in THIS price range: Great for Cooking & Snacking, November 22, 2011

   By 

   DAVERAT “daverat” (USA) –
   
     

   This review is from: Scharffen Berger Chocolate Bar, Bittersweet Dark Chocolate, 70% Cacao, 3-Ounce Packages (Pack of 6) (Grocery)

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   While it is certainly true that there are other superb Bitterwseet chocolates out there that can outshine Scharffen Berger in a one on one taste test, I have yet to find one that could consistantly deliver this same level of quality at this price point and still achieve all the things we look for in a very, very dark chocolate. One would have to have access to a dependable Artisanal Chocolatier to find that and even then, I doubt they could came in at even less than twice the price.

   This is why Sharffen berger is the preferred chocolate of both home and professional bakers at this busy time of year. We know it will deliver to us a nice evenly noted Bittwersweet taste not too waxy nor overly creamy in texture and that this 70% Cacao bar can be easily incorporated into ganaches, used to melt and then coat dried fruits for Holiday platters, serve as the basis of a decadedent Southern Chocolate layer cake 6 layers high or, be snapped off into the scored triangles and enjoyed by the cook as a not-too-guilty indulgence full of flavinoids and anti-oxidants your store-bought candybar has long abandoned in the name of cheap, artificial vanillas and tropical fats to replace to Coco butter.

   Some people I tried to tempt with a small serving of the bar, snapped off and offered as the perfect marriage of bitter and sweet just couldn’t get over their love of rich Milk Chocolate but if you make sure the bar is warmed to at least 78 to 80 degrees, very gently on a plate, it melts a little eaiser in the mouth as it warms up to body temperature and loses the waxy sensation that people eating it at a colder 65 degrees tend to report. So if you plan to serve the bar or eat the bar on it’s own, respect the coco butter’s richeness and the fact that there is less of it in this dark bar. Give the bar the time and environment it needs to warm up. I put my oven on 100 degrees, open the door until the interior temp goes down to 80 and then slide the prepared triangles on a serving plate onto the top rack sitting on a cookie rack and leave them there until I can see the chocolate loosen up just a bit.. maybe 10 minutes at best.

   For cooking, well – you simply can’t beat this bar. it grates well with a microplane, easier if warmed a little, and it incorporates well into nbatters. it melts well but make sure your recipe actually CALLS FOR a 70% Cacao bar or you may need to add some fat to get the correct texture. Use a reliable recipe or recipe book author and do a test run if you’ve never cooked with this before. I would say to save this deliciously bittersweet chocolate for your company who know a good brand when they taste it and incoprate it into the frosting of a centerpiece cake or use it in one of my favorite recipes, the Wlanut Dark Chocolate Bourbon Pie , also known as the Kentucky Derby Pie or a Christmas Chocolate Bourbon Pecan Pie. The intesnity of the chocolate matches up well with a good aged Bourbon in a dessert. In fact a good, rich yellow caked soaked with bourbon, layered with wet walnuts ( or candied Black Walnuts) between and then spread with a Bittersweet Chocolate frosting is a grandstanding finish to any Holiday party.

   Viva le Sharffen Berger! An indulgence we can all afford. You can find a decent recipefor the aforementioned Derby Pie in Desserts from the Famous Loveless Cafe: Simple Southern Pies, Puddings, Cakes, and Cobblers from Nashville’s Landmark Restaurant and find excellent Bittersweet chocolate dessrt recipes that uses this kind of quality chocolate in The Bittersweet World of Chocolate: Sumptuous recipes using fair trade chocolate. Enjoy the Holidays and any time of the year, really. The nice thing about 70% Cacao Chocolate bars is that they do not melt quite so easily as Milk Chocolate so they work well in the summer recipes as well.

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2. 16 of 18 people found the following review helpful

   
   Quality dark chocolate with none of the drawbacks, November 27, 2011

   By 

   RedReplicant (Charlottesville, VA) –
   
     

   This review is from: Scharffen Berger Chocolate Bar, Extra Dark (82% Cacao), 3-Ounce Packages (Pack of 6) (Grocery)

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   Dark chocolate is probably one of the best deserts out there: a good square is filling, satisfying, delicious and even good for you. Scharffen Berger hits all the right notes with their extra-dark bar. It’s everything a dark chocolate lover would expect: the rich taste, the hint of bitterness, and all this without one of dark chocolate’s frequent flaws, graininess. This is as smooth a dark chocolate bar as any milk I’ve ever had, and somehow despite the high cocoa content also manages to be one of the least bitter (!?). Highly recommended.

   If you’re so inclined this is a fantastic chocolate to end a tasting dinner or to pair with a good glass of Cabernet. You could also just, you know, eat it. It’s delicious.

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3. 5 of 5 people found the following review helpful

   
   Dark, but not bitter, with complex flavors, January 20, 2012

   By 

   J. Ying (CA) –
   
     

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   This review is from: Scharffen Berger Chocolate Bar, Extra Dark (82% Cacao), 3-Ounce Packages (Pack of 6) (Grocery)

   I am pleasantly surprised to find this 82% Extra Dark chocolate not as bitter as I expected. Given its high cacao content, the flavor of this chocolate bar seems to differ depending on the batch, but it is definitely smooth and almost creamy.

   The batch I got is like a dark syrah. It tastes quite a bit of dried fig and cigar, with just a hint of pepper. I haven’t tried pairing it with wine yet, but it goes well with black coffee or by itself. This chocolate is well “conched”, making the texture very smooth, almost creamy, like very dense hot chocolate. The sweetness is definitely there to balance out the bitters of cacao, but not overpowering. This chocolate almost feels like a 70% cacao chocolate with more complex flavor profile.

   I look forward to try this chocolate with various wine. From reading other people’s review, it seems like a tawny port or whites may pair better. I will update this review once I’ve given it a try.

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