The Scharffen Berger "Signature Flavor"
Most Scharffen Berger chocolate bars are blends of different beans from different batches, locations, or types of cacao tree, as opposed to “single origin” bars that feature beans from only one location. Single origin bars have benefits, such as the ability to highlight exquisite beans with unusual tastes very specific to the region, but they also have the drawback of not being able to produce consistent flavor profiles, as the taste of the bean often varies from crop to crop. Blended batches make it easiest to provide flavor consistency, and Scharffen Berger has traditionally focused on creating blended bars with a signature taste.
If you sample enough Scharffen Berger chocolate bars, chances are you will start to be able to identify the “Scharffen Berger” taste. In my opinion, all of the blended bars—from the 41% milk chocolate bar to the 82% extra dark bar—share the same basic flavor profile. What this means is that if you enjoy the taste of one of the bars, it’s a good bet that you will be partial to other bars, but if you don’t like one bar, it’s likely that the whole Scharffen Berger line will not please you. (Of course, the same can’t be said for their single origin bars, which are a flavor departure from their regular line).
Review of the Scharffen Berger Semi-sweet (62%) Chocolate Bar
The “Scharffen Berger flavor” immediately presents itself in the 62% Semi-sweet bar. The chocolate is intensely fruity, with sweet undertones of citrus and berries. The bar is assertive and sharp, although in my opinion, not too tart or astringent. If you want to experience fruity chocolate, Scharffen Berger’s line is a perfect example of a nicely balanced bar.
Texturally, the Semi-sweet bar is pleasant but leaves a little to be desired. When I take a bite it crumbles a bit, but once I let the chocolate melt on my tongue, it smoothly coats the mouth and has a nice, cooling finish. This bar is great for baking, but I also like it for making chocolate candies and plain snacking.
Review of the Scharffen Berger Bittersweet (70%) Chocolate Bar
While I would easily eat the Semi-sweet bar on its own, I find the 70% Bittersweet bar to be better for baking than straight eating. Although I love dark chocolate, and love other 70% bars, the Scharffen Berger version is not my favorite. It’s not bad, and it’s worlds ahead of most other American chocolate bars, but it never quite fulfills my expectations.
Flavor-wise, the Bittersweet bar is very similar to the Semi-sweet, only (obviously) slightly less sweet. As with the other bar, the sweetness seems to come more from the fruity undertones of the beans than the (minimal) added sugar. The Bittersweet bar is darker, with a smoky coffee finish and a slightly astringent aftertaste. I actually prefer the darker taste of the Bittersweet to the Semi-sweet, although the differences are really only obvious when the bars are eaten in quick succession.
My real problem with the Bittersweet bar is the texture. I guess the 8% difference in cocoa content makes a big difference, because I found this bar too uneven to enjoy eating in large quantities. While I don’t need my chocolate to be creamy, I do like a fairly smooth mouthfeel, as opposed to chocolate that splinters when I bite into it. Again, once it melts in the mouth it’s actually a pretty smooth bar, but the initial texture bothered me. I did find that the texture improved when I left the bar underneath a desk lamp and it got slightly warmer than room temperature, so maybe the secret is to keep it at a warm (but not melting) temperature.
