91% Dark Chocolate: Learning to Love It

It is interesting how our taste buds can change over time.  A few weeks back, I purchased a Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory 91% chocolate bar (the 'Nocturne' bar).  It was in a new packaging and had a new elegant shape, which was different from the last time I had tasted it, so I thought I'd give it a try. 

I enjoyed it quite a lot and actually found it tasted sweet for a chocolate with 91% cocoa solids. I did not find it to have strong origin flavours, but I liked it because there was no over-the-top vanilla flavour, nor was there a heavy cocoa powder taste that some of the extra-extra dark chocolates have. In fact, it was quite smooth on the palate and surprisingly enjoyable.

When I read my original article on this chocolate bar, I noticed how funny it was that I had found it difficult to palate just five years ago.  At that time, I regularly consumed 70% dark chocolate, but I had not often ventured into anything higher: the deep, dark stuff between 85% and 100% cocoa solids.

But nowadays I consume all kinds of chocolate.  From white to milk to dark, and even 100% unsweetened chocolate. I do not eat them all at once (have you ever tried to eat a piece of milk chocolate, then followed it up with unsweetened chocolate? blah! That is the best way to make yourself hate the 100% stuff), but I regularly go through a spell where I only want to eat 85% to 100% dark chocolate, and these days I actually enjoy them.

So you see? Our palates can be trained to like something new and to reduce sugar intake where possible. And surprisingly, we can also learn to like a chocolate that we never thought we would.

I bought the 91% Nocturne chocolate bar in Sudbury at the Fromagerie Elgin. I cannot find it on the Rocky Mountain Website, but there are locations all over Canada where it is sold (I have seen people tweet about the same bar this month @RockychocCanada). Check Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory locations here: http://www.rockychoc.com/about-us/.