Dark chocolate got the scientific equivalent of a big, sloppy kiss back in 2002, when studies showed that substances in cocoa could be good for cardiovascular health. (Most females of our acquaintance could testify to the broken-heart-healing properties of chocolate, but who knew the American Association for the Advancement of Science would be interested?)
Thus, our debut Supermarket Sleuth column -- just in time for Valentine's Day -- looks at the taste and nutrition profiles of several brands of dark chocolate candy.
The ebony elixir has turned researchers' heads because of its concentration of flavanols -- plant-based compounds believed to have several healthful properties. So we scanned the shelves for those candy bars with the highest proportion of cacao/cocoa, figuring the darker, the better.
Alas, the health news -- and the taste results -- are bittersweet. The British medical journal, The Lancet, reported in December that a dark-looking chocolate might actually have no flavanol, because some manufacturers reduce it during processing to cut bitterness.
Since most candy makers, while trumpeting the percentage of cacao on the label, mention nothing about the flavanol content, there's often no way of knowing just from the packaging how ''healthful'' that chocolate bar really is.
Undeterred, the Sleuth carried out a tasting of four dark chocolate bars with cacao levels ranging from 65 percent to 85 percent. Here are our observations:
Lindt's Extra Dark
Cost: $2.29 for 3.5 ounces.
The claim: 85 percent cocoa.
Calories: 210 for a four-square serving (40 grams)
The verdict: The packaging informed us that ''this full-bodied chocolate is for true aficionados.'' We must not have qualified. It ranked last among our five tasters.
GRADE: D
Ghirardelli
Twilight Delight
Cost: $2.99 for 4.87 ounces of wrapped squares
The claim: 72 percent cacao
Calories: 220 for four squares (43 grams)
The verdict: It was noticeably less bitter than the Lindt and one taster ranked it as her favorite, but most found an odd, waxy quality off-putting.
GRADE: BB
Green and Black organic bittersweet dark chocolate
Cost: $3.49 for a 3.5-ounce bar
Claim: 70 percent cocoa content
Calories: 220 for 40 grams
The verdict: Still too bitter for most, though it ended on a citrusy note that one taster found interesting.
Note: Available only at Whole Foods, Wild Oats and Target.
GRADE: C
Hershey's Cacao Reserve
Cost: $2.49 for 3.53-ounce bar
Claim: 65 percent cacao content
Calories: 180 for three squares (38 grams)
The verdict: ''It tastes most like a candy bar'' and ''I wouldn't mind eating this'' were two comments.
GRADE: A
The bottom line: The intense flavors of dark chocolate make it unlikely you'll consume an entire bar at one sitting. But flavanols or no, each ''serving'' of dark chocolate accounted for at least 15 grams of fat (about one-fourth of the recommended daily intake).
So, while you might warm your Valentine's heart with a gift of chocolate, it's probably best to think of it as a treat -- not a treatment.
• Have a product you want tested? Email glehman@MiamiHerald.com
