Since unsweetened chocolate is quite bitter, I assumed that *extreme* amount
of sugar contained in chocolate bars, cocoa mixes and other chocolate
confections was added in order to offset the bitterness.

To the contrary, I just had a chocolate bar that was 85% cacao, and it was
delicious! To me, it tasted far more chocolaty than your more typical
half-sugar bars. It apparently takes only a small amount of sweetener to
bring out the chocolate flavor.

In fact, I heard that there is one German company that has just released a
95% cacao chocolate bar (which I would like to track down).

The 85% cacao bar that I described is called "Lindt Excellence Edlelbitter".

For another favorite, see my 10/6/2003 posting entitled "Dark chocolate with
pepper and strawberries -- Delicious!".

I do not like the German chocolate bars that I have had in the past, because
they are very high in cocoa butter, which makes them taste fatty to me.
But these two recent gifts from Germany are wonderful finds.

- David