Five Fab Bars for Friday. Plus A Step One Confession.

My name is Christie and I’m a Chocoholic. I probably put the good people of Invercargill, New Zealand to shame. In defense of my compulsive chocolate consumption, I only tuck into the best bars. It’s not like my desk is littered with Milka and Hershey’s wrappers. No sir.  Like High Fidelity Rob, I have been known to unfairly profile a person based on the chocolate they eat. As penitence, it is only fitting I share some of my favourite bars with you.

1.  Dolfin Chocolat Aux Ecorces Noir D’Oranges Confites Where it’s crafted: Belgium.  Why I love it: To start, the bars come in laminated paper envelopes which makes me feel like I’m opening a love letter. Chocolate and orange are naturally great companions, and the real bits of candied orange peel in the bar create a sophisticated experience far more interesting than those chocolate oranges you got in your stocking as a kid. With only 52% cocoa, this one is pretty sweet and the closest I typically go towards Milk Chocolate. Dolfin also has a tres cool Methane capture program in Tanzania, making them the first carbon neutral Belgian chocolatier. Since chocolate is a total sensual sensory experience, this factoid does add to the pleasure.
2. Divine Chocolate 70% Dark Chocolate with Raspberries Where it’s crafted: Germany from West African cocoa (Kuapa Kokoo farmers own 45% of the company) Why I love it: Freeze dried raspberries marry up with the fruit notes of the dark chocolate, which is equal parts tart and rich.  Breaking off a piece smells truly like a basket of fresh berries, so it kind of makes me feel less guilty about eating more chocolate.
3. GO*DO Dark Chocolate Sicilian Almond Where it’s crafted: Italy Why I love it: What can I say? Mere mention of the Motherland is almost a guarantee I will fall in love, but this bar really is the Rolls Royce of chocolate almond bars. There is a nuttiness in the chocolate which melds with the toasted flavour of the almond pieces for an encounter of the hunger satisfying kind. If you’re fluent in Italian, you probably picked up on the brand’s cheeky meaning, which is pretty much spot on given I felt like a nap after. In the case of these bars though, size really doesn’t matter.
4. Menakao Dark Chocolate Combava & Pink Pepper Where it’s crafted: Madagascar (100%) Why I love it: Plenty of makers use “exotic” ingredients as a gimmick to get you to try it. In this case, the gimmick works, as Combava, better known as Kaffir Lime, paired with pink pepper lends a bright citrusy note. It’s basically the Gruner Veltliner of chocolate bars. Fresh, unlike others you’ve had before, and yet instantly likeable.
5. Lapp & Fao Hilly Vespa Ride Where it’s crafted: Germany Why I love it: One of many in the edible diary “Chocolate Book” collection from Linvard Bo Lapp and Ephraim Fao. Sometimes you feel adventurous, like jumping on a Vespa and careening down hair-raising hills, around hairpin turns with some guy you just met named Vito on the back of your scooter. That’s not a good idea, but it turns out this bar is – a pleasing semi bitter 70% dark chocolate studded with Port marinated candied olives. Serve it with a martini if you’re really feeling sassy.

I’m thinking I need to complete an Around the World in 80 Bars challenge. Could I find bars from 80 different countries? That’s pushing half the globe. Which bars should I include? Give me your recommendations in the comments.