Leclerc 70% - celebration or vanillabration?

I've been very busy this week and haven't had much time for "proper" chocolate tastings. However, I haven't stopped eating chocolate!  I've been snacking all week on a chocolate bar that I bought in Quebec a few months back: Leclerc Celebration 70% cocoa Dark Chocolate bar (100 g). 

Leclerc has designed this packaging in a very long format in order to stand out, so although you might think you are getting a larger bar than the average 100 gram chocolate bar, it just has thinner pieces.

Immediately I could smell the strong vanilla flavour before tasting it. And that vanilla comes through so much in the taste, that it is overwhelming the chocolate flavour.  This leads me to believe the beans are inferior, so they have masked the chocolate flavour with too much vanilla.  However, the chocolate is smooth, melts nicely and is likely great for the average North American taste for dark chocolate (i.e. sweet dark chocolate).  The vanilla and milk ingredients make it seem much sweeter than most 70% bars, so it almost seems like it has only 60% cocoa solids and more sugar. I am happy with Leclerc for using real vanilla extract, rather than artificial flavouring.

Overall, this bar is okay - I'd share it with people who are not used to bitter dark chocolate or chocolate with strong regional flavours. It is also in a great price range for the average chocolate taster (i.e. less than $3) and is available at pharmacies in Quebec.  To find it elsewhere, check the Leclerc website at: www.leclerc.ca.

Tomorrow will be a Fun Friday tasting day! It's time to try some funky flavours...

Here are the stats on the bar I have been tasting this week:

Leclerc Celebration 70% cocoa Dark Chocolate bar (100 g)
Biscuits Leclerc Ltd.,
St-Augustin-de-Desmaures, Quebec, Canada
Ingredients:  chocolate liquor, sugar, milk ingredients, soya lecitin, vanilla extract. This product may contain wheat.
http://www.leclerc.ca/en/products.php?cat=chocolate_bars&type=celebration&id_product=78