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What about Valrhona? By Sonia Lyris |
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After years of intense study I can finally advise you on this matter.
These bars weigh in at 3.5oz (100gm), which is a common size for solid bars, but it pays to look closely—clever packaging can fool you. For example, the bright green TJ's Swiss 72percent, not bad stuff for a dollar less, looks bigger than the Valrhona, but they are exactly the same weight. So don't grab the green thinking you're getting a better deal. Grab it because it's what you want. Or because you only have two dollars. While I'm not suggesting you evaluate your dark by pennies per ounce, I advise you to know what you're paying for. When it comes to chocolate, price is not always a measure of quality. Valrhona is fine stuff. Both the 71 percent and the 85 percent are intense and full of dark chocolaty goodness. The 71 percent is also a little softer, sweeter and, some might say, friendlier. But we don't eat chocolate for the friendly, do we? Don't be scared by the 85 percent. It's really quite good. I take a bite and feel that all is right with the world. And at 85 percent it has more fat and less sugar, making it low-carb compatible. Nothing wrong with the 71 percent—it's good quality, smooth, and smoky and with a bit of bite. But to me the 71 percent says, "I'm bittersweet chocolate!" while the 85% raises its eyebrow and says nothing. I stock the 71 percent for my more delicate friends. TJ's charges the same for both, about $3 per bar, so do what you need to do. If, while browsing nobby chocolate shops like Chocolopolis you come across the Valrhona 66 percent Alpaco, you'll notice it appears much bigger than the Le Noir bars, but look again: It's thirty percent smaller at only 2.46oz (70gm) and costs over $6 a bar. What's with that? Is it better chocolate? Special? The label reads "Floral & Oaky", which I can only assume is a serving suggestion. Not only didn't I taste anything floral or oaky, I found it a bit dull by my dark standards. Go with the darker (and less expensive) Valrhona Le Noir. The Le Noir bars are excellent conveyors of simple messages such as "I think you're tons of cool" and "I was foolish and beg your forgiveness." Instead of a lengthy explanation, offer one of these. Good dark chocolate speaks for itself.
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Let's start at the top, where sits the Le Noir Extra Amer Valrhona
bar. At 85 percent cocoa solids, this is the highest percentage
cocoa solids dark TJ's carries and entirely suitable for the serious
dark devotee.