Lindt chocolate could perhaps be the ideal choice for the chocolate connoisseur.  More exclusive -- and far more expensive -- chocolates are out there, certainly.  However, for the person who appreciates fine European chocolate but who also insists on wide availability, broad selection and reasonable prices, the products offered by Chocoladefabriken Lindt & Sprüngli AG of Kilchberg, Switzerland are hard to beat.

Readers of this journal will already suspect that I tend to prefer strong, dark cigars and strong, dark coffees.  My preference for chocolate is no exception; I do appreciate fine milk chocolate, but my taste buds really soar when they are confronted with dense, powerful, not so sweet, dark chocolate.

Lindt, which supplies wrapped bon-bon candies under the Lindor Collection name, also has a line of bar chocolates called the Excellence Collection.  Offerings in the Excellence line include extra creamy, toffee, nut, fruit, and white chocolates.  They also offer two dark chocolates; one at a hefty 70% cocoa and the other at a staggering 85%.  Both are available in 1.4 oz. (35g) and 3.5 oz. (100g) bars.  The price is unbelievably reasonable; I paid USD 1.79 for the large bar, a veritable mountain of chocolate, and significantly less for the small.  I shall review each of these dark chocolate bars separately; here I shall describe the 70% cocoa version.

Lindt's ingredient list is basic: chocolate, sugar, cocoa butter, and vanilla.  The small bar is conveniently divided into eight, c. 30mm squares (just over one inch); those who are diet-conscious will note that each of these little squares would provide 24 kcal of energy, about half a gram of protein, just under 2g of fat (cocoa butter is high in healthy fats) and just over 1g of carbohydrate, mostly sugars.  (I, a controlled-carbohydrate dieter, allow myself one square per day.)

The appearance of the bar, when unwrapped from its paper and foil coverings, is dark brown, solid, and deep; in direct light it appears to be matte with a slight shimmer.  The instant the wrapping is opened, an aroma of dark chocolate emerges, drawing the taster into the experience even before the first bite is taken.  From the aroma alone one can surmise that this is a serious chocolate -- serious and European.

Texture is firm and a bit waxy, but not objectionally so.  The flavor is medium to full, loaded with dark-chocolate richness, and the bar is not too sweet.  A bold cocoa bean character takes the stage, continuing on the palate well into the exceptionally-long finish, which adds a touch of tannins and a hint of leather.  For you milk chocolate lovers out there: the experience is akin to that of sipping delicious black coffee, rather than that same coffee with cream and two lumps.