Lindt Perfects World’s Purest Chocolate Bar

So sophisticated is the flavor, that the bar comes complete
with tasting notes.

By Madelyn Miller

Lindt understands chocolate lovers. After all, chocolate is their business. But a recent tour of the Lindt main facility in Switzerland has given me a new appreciation for both chocolate and the company.

For the first time, people with a passion for dark chocolate (I am proud to be in this wise group) can indulge in the ultimate experience of chocolate in its purest form with the introduction of Lindt’s 99% Excellence Bar.  Created from a blend of 99 percent cocoa and less than one percent sugar, the 99% Excellence contains the highest cocoa content possible in a chocolate bar.  So sophisticated is the flavor, that the bar comes complete with  tasting notes and is even packaged in a protective, re-sealable ‘jewel case’ to ensure that it remains in perfect condition, not only from a taste perspective, but also in the way it looks, feels, smells, and even sounds!

I had a chance to taste and experience the chocolate with a master chocolatier, Hans Geller, who has been with Lindt for over forty years. He explained and trained twelve chocolate-focused journalists on the correct way to taste, smell, experience and even hear chocolate. Listening to chocolate is my new favorite sound. Imagine a CD with the sounds of chocolate and no calories.

Thomas Linemayr, CEO and President of Lindt & Sprüngli(USA) recommends this five-step sensory approach to tasting chocolate, and these simple skills can quickly turn anyone into a chocolate connoisseur.  “The 99% Excellence Bar should appear very shiny, almost black, and with a uniform appearance.  Its aroma should be very intense, with a predominantly smoky flavor.  The chocolate should feel silky and slightly pliable to the touch, but on breaking apart, the sound should be an audible clean, crisp snap.  These are all excellent indicators of a perfect bar of chocolate,” he explains.

After the first four senses have been satiated, 99% Excellence should then be savored in very small pieces, which are allowed to melt slowly on the tongue.  The extra thin profile of Excellence bars are designed to allow the chocolate to melt evenly, enhancing the cocoa flavor and the same is true with 99% Excellence.  To enhance the experience, it may be tasted with coffee to truly bring out the bouquet of cocoa aromas, or with a sweet dessert wine to perfectly complement the smoky flavor of the chocolate.

“We recommend that chocolate connoisseurs build up to the acquired taste of 99% Excellence by first sampling 70% and 85% cocoa bars to familiarize the palate with the pure taste of cocoa,” adds Linemayr.

I am trying to follow Linemayr’s directions. I have been eating my 70% and 85% Excellence  since my master chocolate lesson. I am a good student. I practice several times daily. I have discovered this is my sport, because I like tasting chocolate better than any form of exercise. Maybe in my next life I will be a master chocolatier.

Linemayr shared one of his favorite chocolate recipes with us: Put three Lindor chocolate truffle balls in a mug. Fill 2/3 of the way with milk. Microwave on high for one minute to make the yummiest hot chocolate. You can vary this recipe with any of the four truffle ball flavors-dark, milk, white or hazelnut.

But I digress. Back to pure chocolate.

The 99% Excellence Bar was three years in the making and demonstrates the commitment of Lindt to continued innovation in the premium chocolate category.  Lindt’s Master Chocolatiers combine 160 years of chocolate making experience with the finest ingredients and most sophisticated manufacturing process to deliver products to consumers that will enhance and develop their chocolate eating experiences. 

The Lindt 99% Excellence Bar is available exclusively through Lindt Chocolate stores.  It is the newest addition to the Lindt Excellence bar collection, which includes 70% and 85% Excellence bars, available nationwide.  To find a Lindt chocolate shop or Lindt distributor, www.lindtusa.com.

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