The Best Dark Chocolate Bars, According to Our Tests

Amano Artisan Chocolate Dos Rios Dark Chocolate Bar

$15 At Amazon $9 At Walmart View On Amanochocolate.com

At $10 per 3-ounce bar, this is certainly not the cheapest chocolate bar on our list. However, it was undeniably one of our favorites in our taste test. The cacao used in this bar is entirely from the Dominican Republic, and the result is chocolate with a strong sense of place (not to mention, an incredibly fragrant scent and brightly fruity, intensely floral flavor). There’s a pleasantly bitter finish that reminds us of citrus peel and pith.

The Dos Rios bar has a clean snap and a smooth exterior, indicating a high quality of craftsmanship. The texture of the chocolate, as it melts, is stunningly smooth with no perceptible grittiness; it ranked 4.67 out of 5 on our smoothness scale. The ingredient list is impressive, too, with whole vanilla beans used to enhance the cacao. We feel this thoughtfully-made bar provides a luxurious sensory experience if you can swallow the cost.

Divine Dark Chocolate Bar

$43 At Amazon $26 At Walmart View On Divinechocolateusa.com

Decidedly not a pick for the milk chocolate crowd, this deep, dark bar contains 85% cacao. It’s moderately dark in color; the coffee and mocha-hued tones combined with a glossy, low-shine coat make it an attractive, enticing bar. It ranked neatly in the middle on both our earthy and fruity scent scale, giving it a nicely balanced, crowd-pleasing profile.

The snap is satisfyingly sharp, but the real reward comes to the patient connoisseur. The slow-to-melt texture starts as intensely bitter but reveals notes of rich roasted coffee and toast as it begins to warm and soften. There’s a moderate tongue-coating finish that’s refreshingly devoid of tannic bite. The price — around $4 per 3-ounce bar — is hard to beat, as is this brand’s ubiquity. It’s stocked in many natural grocers and markets.

K'UL Pure Dark Chocolate Bar

$53 At Amazon $32 At Walmart View On Kulchocolate.com

With a saturated, rich “true brown” hue and moderate gloss, this bar has a classic, inviting aesthetic. The scent was surprisingly subdued for an 80% bar; at least three of us described it as mellow (though in no way unpleasant; it was fun to uncover some subtle aromas more familiar with beer, like hops, malt, and yeast). There was an audible, almost aggressive snap without any dust or fine shards.

It’s quite bitter — to be expected of a higher percentage of cacao — but during the taste portion of our test, we noted that came from a “cacao-forward” flavor profile, backed up with gentle floral notes. The K’UL bar, more than most we tested, became more pronounced in all its flavors as it melted, growing louder in both tannins and bitterness, but floral and fruit too. The finish is surprisingly short and doesn’t leave any film or stickiness in the mouth. Unlike most dark bars, this one contains no vanilla: just cacao, sugar, and cocoa butter.

K+M Hacienda Victoria Ecuado Chocolate

$30 At Amazon View On Kellermannichocolate.com View On Worldwidechocolate.com

K+M Chocolate is the result of a collaboration with Chef Thomas Keller and olive oil producer Armando Manni. The bar we tasted in this review contains an impressively high 85% cacao, which is sourced exclusively from Ecuador. It’s stunningly dark, velvety, and glossy; we noted it had a distinctly “luxurious” aesthetic immediately upon viewing. There’s a bark-like aroma that leans heavier toward the “earthy” end of the scale.

The from-the-earth aromas followed through on the palate, calling to mind woods, campfire, and, again, pure cacao nibs. The texture is pure indulgence: A K+M bar is almost impossibly velvety with a full mouth-coating sensation that further reveals notes of lemon, tea, and bourbon. This is one of the most expensive bars we tasted and the packaging is highly attractive, making it one of the most giftable chocolate options on this list. It’s a bar for savoring, not inhaling, with one of the most unique flavor profiles we’ve tried.

Pascha Organic 85% Cacao Dark Chocolate Bars

$45 At Amazon View On Paschachocolate.com

Although many of the bars we tested are naturally vegan and gluten-free, Pascha’s 85% bar is one of the most food allergy-safe options you can buy. It’s certified free from the top eight allergens (including soy and tree nuts) and is made without emulsifiers. But equally important is the experience of, you know, eating it. Happily, that’s a five-star experience, too. This bar is a deep nut brown, falling somewhere between tawny and hickory on our color scale, and has a consistent gloss.

Pascha’s 85% bar received a 3 out of 5 on both the earthy and fruity scale, solidifying its classification as a balanced, moderately aromatic bar that will likely please a wide variety of dark chocolate lovers. It presents an initially strong nutty flavor that releases smoky, berry-forward flavors and an inviting smoothness as it melts. It’s one of the least expensive bars we tested, earning it a top spot on our list for any bar — not just an allergen-free one.

Raaka Best Sellers Trio

$23 At Amazon

During our tests, we tasted Raaka’s Philippines 71% Classic Dark Bar, a cult-favorite chocolate bar so popular that it frequently sells out. However, this trio includes two dark chocolate bars that we think will satisfy any dark chocolate craving — the 71% Pink Sea Salt and even darker 85% Bourbon Cask Aged. Fans of Raaka appreciate the single-farm sourcing and unroasted cacao, which sets this brand apart from the pack.

In our taste test, we found the aroma of the bar was well balanced with a hard-to-define tone many of us described as “classic” or “straight” chocolate. It broke cleanly and “without drama,” although we noted that the lack of preformed segments made it difficult to portion — however, we did feel it’d be great for chopping and using in a recipe. There were intriguing smoky notes upon first taste; campfires, coffee, and mezcal were all invoked. There’s a bracing astringency that lingers, with the raw cacao taking center stage long after the chocolate has been eaten. Although unroasted cacao can be polarizing, we think this is one of the most successful raw brands around.

Theo Dark Chocolate Bar

$44 At Amazon $4 At REI $36 At Walmart

Although Theo doesn’t crow about it on this bar’s packaging, the cacao is single origin, all sourced from the Democratic Republic of Congo. The bar is a woodsy brown color with a slightly matte finish and is sectioned into big squares perfect for snacking. The aroma is mellow and mild, with subtle notes of black tea and nuts. It had one of the most deliciously satisfying snaps of all the bars we tested.

The tannins and astringency of a good black tea are again present on the tongue, with almond undertones and a slightly chalky texture. With time, the intense flavors gave way to gentler fruity notes, and the texture softened and smoothed. Theo’s bar had a bold, unapologetic finish that many of us thought would shine in a bittersweet chocolate recipe, like flourless chocolate cake. Theo’s 85% bar is not for the faint of heart, and that’s exactly what many dark chocolate fans will appreciate about it. 

Alter Eco Dark Chocolate Bars

$7 At Amazon $5 At REI $25 At Walmart

Another bar for the deep, dark crowd, this was an editor’s pick for a truly intense bar that doesn’t back down on the cacao-forward flavor. “Alter Eco bars have been my favorite for a few years now! The 85% is great, but I have no self-control with the 90%. I tell myself it doesn't count as candy,” says associate editor Mary Lagroue.

Alter Eco’s Classic Blackout is a blend of Ecuadorian and Dominican cacao that’s married by Swiss chocolatiers (how’s that for international influence?) The result is a well-balanced, bitter bar that’s malty and fruity in equal parts. The 85% bar is part of Alter Eco’s “Blackout” collection, which includes raspberry, orange, and almond blackouts — all made with 85% cacao — as well as a 90%, 90% mint, and breathtaking 100% bar.

Jcoco Prism Gift Box

View On Seattlechocolate.com View On Caputos.com

The Jcoco Prism Box is another editor favorite, tailor-made for gifting a chocolate lover. “I like Jcoco’s mix box which has both classic and other flavors,” says associate editorial director Megan Soll. The box includes ten wildly unique flavors (black fig and pistachio, edamame sea salt, and orange blossom espresso, to name a few), and the bars are packaged in brilliantly bright paper that evokes a rainbow prism when lined up in the box. Each bar is a full ounce of chocolate, and the cost of the box — gift packaging and all — is under $40.

We particularly like the variety of cacao amounts here, with bars ranging from 47 to 71%. There’s even a 30% white chocolate bar made with cayenne and orange for the perfect balance of spicy, bitter, and sweet. Even sweeter is the mission behind the Jcoco Prism Box: A percentage of each purchase goes to fighting hunger right here in the United States.

Tony's Chocolonely 70% Dark Chocolate Bar

$6 At Amazon $8 At REI $10 At Walmart

Tony’s Chocolonely is making waves in the chocolate world, not just because of its commitment to ethical sourcing (99% of ingredients are Fairtrade certified), but also because it invests in its employees and the environment: The brand is B Corp certified. 

This bar was an editor’s choice for the creamiest dark chocolate bar, owing to the ratio of cacao to cocoa butter. “Even people who don’t generally love dark chocolate seem to love this bar from Tony's Chocolonely because it’s so creamy and not overwhelmingly bitter,” says commerce editor Danielle St. Pierre. It’s dark enough to satisfy fans of bitter and complex flavors, but still super smooth with an impressive meltability.