Okay, I’m shocking myself here by giving my highest rating to date to a bar from Hershey’s, of all brands! I have to tell you that I actually picked up this bar only because it was on sale at Target and I had a $1 off coupon. I figured at that price, even if it was terrible I had little to lose. How foolish I was!
The bar I chose was the Extra Dark Chocolate with Cacao Nibs. Now at 65% cacao, I didn’t really think of it is "Extra Dark" — think semisweet, like a high quality chocolate chip. Upon opening the package the chocolate appeared shiny and quite pretty and it snapped beautifully. Could this be true? I was thinking at this point. Only a taste would reveal the truth.
As I bit into the bar, I noticed that it was the perfect thickness (not unlike the Theo or Phinney 3400 bars that I love so much). As I held it in my mouth for a few seconds, it started to melt beautifully — very smooth and creamy. I took a bite then and I got the crunch from the nibs — great texture.
The chocolate has a bit of a sour note which was quite pleasing and it finished with a bitter coffee flavor.
I’m really excited that I enjoyed this bar so much — it’s widely available and reasonably priced for good quality chocolate. I would definitely buy it again.