If you want to try something really different — give Taza Stone Ground Chocolate a taste. This dark chocolate which contains only cacao beans, cane sugar, cocoa butter & whole vanilla beans is made quite differently than European or American chocolate. Instead of conching, this bar is simply ground between — you guessed it — stone tablets. In addition, they believe in a light roast for their chocolate — so instead of a dark, bitter chocolate you get something light, fruity and pungent.
On first opening the package I was hit with a very strong, almost pungent aroma. The bar is shiny and well tempered and it has a nice snap to it. I popped a piece in my mouth and immediately noticed a grainy texture — not unpleasantly grainy as this chocolate is somewhat softer than many dark chocolates. I would describe the mouthfeel as somewhat chalky.
The flavor is very fruity — ripe, sweet, tropical fruit. The overwhelming flavor for me was banana followed by vanilla. The chocolate is bright and tangy and lingers for a long time in the mouth. The more I eat, the more I like it.
I received my bar from Taza Chocolate, but you can purchase them at the Taza website.