I Tried 10 Popular Dark Chocolate Bars & the Best Was Simple But Sultry

If there's one thing that's beloved from childhood through the end of our days, it's gotta be chocolate. From Easter to Halloween to Valentine's Day, chocolate is the omnipresent force, the thing that comforts us and communicates romance, happiness, "I'm sorry," and that things are gonna be all right.

But! Chocolate is edible proof that not all things are created equal. And there's a lot that can happen between the harvesting of the cocoa bean and you unwrapping that chocolate bar. Not every chocolatier is doing it right. So, if you're going to spend the money and the calories on a treat, why not pick a good one?

To help you in that mission, I picked up every plain (as in no extras, no funny business) dark chocolate bar I could find at three stores: Target, Kroger, and Whole Foods. Then I tasted and ranked them in descending order, from my least favorite to the best. In doing so, I have found the bar that will probably be the only one I buy from now on.

Lindt Excellence Premium Dark Chocolate

This 70% cocoa snack comes from a decades-old brand that positions itself as a premium chocolate, with a six-ounce bag ringing up at $5.59.

The look: The bite-sized squares of chocolate are stamped with the brand name, and the package makes some lofty promises about the individually wrapped chocolates with a lot of 50-cent words like "exquisite."

The taste: Package claims notwithstanding, I'm here to tell you're not discovering any "new territories of chocolate pleasure" in this bite. Did you ever have those wax lips as a kid? Now imagine if those were made of bulk-produced chocolate, and that's what we're talking about here. Pass.

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Dove Silky Smooth Promises Dark Chocolate

These grocery store chocolates, owned by candy conglomerate Mars Inc., fall under the value category, with a nearly half-pound bag full of individually wrapped cubes costing just $4.99.

The look: We have a lot of registered trademark phrases on the bag here, like "promises" and "an experience like no other." They look cute enough in their red foil wrappers and the familiar Dove logo stamped on the dark chocolate cubes.

The taste: Basic. Ultimately, it's a bag of commodity chocolates. They're … fine. And, by fine, I mean something you can leave in a bowl by the entry at an open house and toss if nobody pockets it. I'm confused by the sustainability claims, complete with a puzzling icon of a frog and small print reading "contains bioengineered food ingredients." I don't want food ingredients in my treats. I want, you know, food.

Hershey's Special Dark

Here we have the chocolate bar many of us grew up on, now in a grown-up dark chocolate version, costing only $1.99 for an extra-large (4.25 oz) bar.

The look: The bar looks familiar, a flat rectangle of dark chocolate. Each of the 16 segments is stamped with "HERSHEY'S" in all caps, in case you forget what you're eating.

The taste: Also familiar. It's probably the first chocolate bar many of us have—at least the milk chocolate version, anyway—and it's more of a sugar bar in chocolate form. It's hard to hate on Hershey's when it would have been one of the best things to hope for in the trick-or-treat bag of my youth, but let's call it what it is: a basic bar of pressed and formed sugar, chocolate, cocoa butter, and a few other things … ending with "natural flavor" (because that's what you add when your actual chocolate isn't doing the trick).

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Godiva Signature

Giant chocolatier Godiva leans into its nearly century-old Belgian roots to support an image of fancy chocolate. This 3.1-ounce package offers eight mini bars made of 72% cacao dark chocolate for $3.99.6254a4d1642c605c54bf1cab17d50f1e

The look: The manufacturer has stamped its name and "Belgium 1926" with nearly every bite. And the cute little mini-bars are wrapped like individual gold bricks. In that pretty packaging they have to be good, right?

The taste: Not too sweet, which is a decent start. The bars at least smell like a nice chocolate, too. Is it rich and smooth like the package promises? Sure? Is that enough? Meh, it's a bit one-note, but we're on the right track, at least.

Ghirardelli Chocolate Intense Dark

San Francisco-born Ghirardelli is nearly synonymous with chocolate, leading with unsweetened chocolate as the first ingredient in these 72% cacao squares, which cost $5.69 for a 4.8-ounce bag.

The look: The individually wrapped squares in their shiny purple packaging present enough like a good chocolate to pass as one, with each thin square emblazoned with the company's legendary name and seal.

The taste: The squares don't scream artisanal or fine quality, but they're perfectly pleasant for what they are—a package you can grab at the duty-free shop. They're perfectly pleasant, basic chocolates.

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Simple Truth Organic Dark Chocolate

Coming from Switzerland by way of your local Kroger shelves, this house-brand, organic, 85% cacao chocolate bar cost $2.49.

The look: With the beveled squares of the bar stamped with a series of lines making it feel more expensive than it is, this bar resembles a quality chocolate, complete with low-sheen packaging to help us feel like it's earth friendly. The somewhat highbrow appearance (for a grocery store, anyway) makes it a bit disconcerting that the first ingredient is something called "organic cocoa mass," but maybe there's nothing wrong with that?

The taste: Rich and roasty. The texture is pleasing enough, with a nice snap when you break the bar, and you can definitely pick up some aroma notes beyond "this smells like a chocolate bar."

Tony's Chocolonely Dark Chocolate Bar

This company's whimsical packaging makes the serious pledge that it's serious when it comes to exploitation-free chocolate. And you want the 70% dark chocolate bar to be a winner based on the cheerful wrapper alone. This bar cost $5.79.

The look: Bright blue and red wrapper! Big white letters! Inside there's a fun and funky bar that veers from the traditional design with geometric shapes and a cutesy logo on deep, dark chocolate.

The taste: Don't let the circus-like appearance fool you; it's not bad! For the price, it's definitely a step-up from more mass-market chocolates, with an enticing deep chocolaty aroma. The flavor mostly lives up to the nose, but with a decidedly more bitter note than the others. It tastes a bit more suitable for baking than just eating. Still, a solid, tasty chocolate bar.

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Chocolove Strong Dark Chocolate

This Colorado-based company is coming in strong indeed, leaning into the love theme with a poem in the wrapper and lots of Xs and Os on the package of this 70% cocoa bar, which cost $3.49.

The look: This bar is divided into rounded, nearly bubbled segments stamped with hearts, just to keep the lovefest going.

The taste: This lovely bar lives up to the promise of affordable luxury. It smells like you want to melt it and sip it by the thick and creamy cup. (The vibe makes me think of the baking spice notes in Abuelita Mexican hot chocolate tablets!) And it only gets better when you taste this bar in all its silky decadence. Still, there are two brands that I enjoyed even more.

Endangered Species Chocolate Smooth

This brand wants you to feel good about eating its 72% cocoa dark chocolate based on the amount of label space (inside and out) dedicated to sharing its story. The 30-year-old company has a strong track record of donating to non-profits around the globe. This bar cost $3.19.

The look: Inside the busy packaging you'll find the chocolate bar stamped with elephants.

The taste: Really good! A hint of cherry trails the intense chocolate aroma. After the decidedly brisk snap of biting, a deep, nearly savory wave of chocolate comes, followed by a finish reminiscent of sweet tobacco in a pipe. Very nice, indeed.

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Hu Simple Dark Chocolate

Promising a quality chocolate that you can feel good about indulging in, Hu gets specific with a laundry list of things the 70% cacao bar doesn't contain (lecithin, emulsifiers) and for good measure, notification that it's vegan, paleo, and organic. This bar cost $3.99.

The look:This brand doubles down on the planet-and-human-friendly message with the earthy brown, plain paper wrapper. Its smiley logo is stamped on each segment.

The taste: This clearly isn't assembly-line chocolate. Made with only three, high-quality ingredients, this one beats the others by a mile. As complex as a great coffee on the nose, it keeps getting better, all smoky and sultry. It's got a sharp, bittersweet balance, making this the one and only bar drawing me back for additional bites—and I won't be sharing, either.

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