Rosa Canina 78% Maya Mountain (Belize) starts off a little ragged and tannic, then moves into jammy flavors - almost blackberry. There's a touch of bitter citrus and spice (like chinotto). It's got a light melt and is very grainy (fine) like the other RC… instagr.am/p/C9phQ5uspYq/

Rosa Canina 80% Maya Mountain (Belize) "Dark Material" opens with a mineral note and some of the vegetal flavors of green chilis. There's a soft, creamy bitterness (if you can imagine such a thing), a touch of almond butter, and very little in the way of… instagr.am/p/C9xPpd0zA6m/

Rosa Canina 83% Maya Mountain (Belize) is rich and savory. I get strong dried chili notes, with a touch of tomato and smoke (honestly, there's a BBQ sauce vibe). There's a bit of bitter marmalade that rides top, so there's a tad more fruit to it than the… instagr.am/p/C94-Cf0RJC-/

Rosa Canina 100% Maya Mountain (Belize) has even more pronounced vegetal and mineral notes (no animal?). The dried chili notes from the lower percentages are gone, but the tomato flavor and richness are more present and develop slowly. The astringency hi… instagr.am/p/C-Asa53MRQO/

Rosa Canina Cacao Bean Crystals are delicious. The gentleman I spoke with in the shop referred to them lovingly as "deconstructed chocolate bars." The flavor of the Belizian beans is banana forward, with the fruity notes of fresh red chilies and just a t… instagr.am/p/C-IazXatRj5/

The final chocolate stop on my trip to Berlin was Rausch. They have a giant shop just a few blocks from Checkpoint Charlie in Friedrichstadt. It's four floors of chocolate experience, and given that I was there the day before Easter, the place was packed… instagr.am/p/C-QJOkpTVH-/

Rausch 60% Peru opens with a strong honey note with a mild fruitiness. There's a gentle bitterness that's very nicely balanced. I don't know anything about the roast, but it tastes like it's on the dark side. It has an ultrafine grain, and the melt is ni… instagr.am/p/C-X3knQhZQX/

Rausch 70% Ecuador has nice dutched cocoa flavors, a touch of honey and hazelnut, and a long bitter note. There's an ultra-fine grain. The melt is fluid, but the moderate astringency is so persistent the melt ends up feeling a bit dry. If not for that as… instagr.am/p/C-fl9veTeJQ/

Rausch 75% Costa Rica opens with a light graham cracker flavor and a touch of herbaceousness. It develops some pretty strong cocoa flavors and a very light berry note. The melt is fine and the grain is almost undetectable, but it's hard to get past the a… instagr.am/p/C-nUV95RXpr/

Rausch 43% Venezuela has lovely dairy flavors and a mild cashew-like nuttiness. It's sweet, but the sweetness has almost a maple characteristic to it, and it's not at all cloying--great balance. The melt is really light for a milk chocolate and the grain… instagr.am/p/C-vCuqVsoce/

Rausch 39% Grenada is over the top on the caramel flavor (in a good way). Their tasting notes are actually spot-on for this one: caramel, cream, malt, and vanilla, with a touch of cocoa. Like the Venezuela, this one has a really nice balance. The melt is… instagr.am/p/C-2xHVetadQ/

I'm a sucker for marzipan, and when in Germany... well, you just gotta. As I was wrapping up my visit to Rausch in Berlin, I grabbed this little marzipan and the person at the counter threw in the 75% Costa Rica as a little gift (in English, though, not … instagr.am/p/C--ff9qtbzg/

Not my usual type of thing to review, but I couldn't resist "Lime Balls." Seriously. Only in Germany. ⁠ ⁠ Hammer Muhle Chocolate and Salt Lime balls (pretzel balls) were a surprise find at the grocery store in Prenzlauer Berg, Berlin. They're pretty ba… instagr.am/p/C_GN4ePMOZa/

I unexpectedly found myself in Cincinnati recently and had just enough time to drop by the Maverick mothership. It smelled so good! I've already sampled a fair number of Maverick bars so I only grabbed three this time around. Spoiler Alert: They're all p… instagr.am/p/C_N8XMYtF0i/

Maverick Dark Milk Chocolate (60%) with Cocoa Nibs instantly makes me think of chocolate mousse. It's rich and chocolatey with flavors of cherry and vanilla. The balance is fantastic. As always: I love nibs! They're dropped on, but they stay put (mostly)… instagr.am/p/C_Vqpu9sFIs/

Maverick White Chocolate with Cocoa Nibs is rich and creamy and has a soft, luxurious cocoa flavor. This bar is a model of balance. It doesn't go overboard on anything. The sweetness is perfect. The amount of vanilla is perfect. The nibs are dropped on t… instagr.am/p/C_dZC2XN8ns/

Maverick 75% Vietnam (Marou - Bên Tre) has the ragged, tannic flavors l expect from this bean. It’s got a deep earthiness and a woody funk, with light, bitter citrus notes. The melt is fluid and the bar has a fine grain. Surprisingly, there are unground… instagr.am/p/C_lHbH6tnFO/

Green & Black's 30% White Chocolate has a good balance between dairy and vanilla notes. The sweetness level is nearing the "cloying" end of the spectrum. The texture is a little bit gummy, but the melt is creamy. It has a touch of the chalkiness that whi… instagr.am/p/C_s1z5Htyx0/

Milka's LU collab doesn't even need a name, just a picture. If you can imagine taking a "Little Schoolboy" (petit ecolier) and inverting the cookie to chocolate ratio and using Milka's 30% milk chocolate, that's what we have here. The net effect is a bit… instagr.am/p/C_0kMQlt4IF/

Sabadì Cioccolato di Palermo 60% (Ecuador, Nacional Fino de Aroma) with mandarin zest and sumac gave me an instant strawberry impression. The fruitiness of the cacao, the winey sumac, and the touch of citrus all combine to be more than the sum of their p… instagr.am/p/C_8Sk8sNhWU/