What is Dark Chocolate?

• Dark chocolate must contain between 50 percent and 85 percent chocolate liquor, the liquid obtained from the cocoa bean. The greater the percentage of chocolate liquor, the darker the chocolate. As the percentage of sugar is decreased, the chocolate becomes more bitter. Chocolate bars from various companies have different flavors because of the different ways the cocoa beans are roasted and the difference in quality of accompanying ingredients.

Lindt Chocolate Ingredients

• All Lindt chocolate contains cocoa mass (or chocolate liquor), cocoa butter, sugar, vanilla and cocoa powder. The cocoa powder is used only occasionally, when Lindt wants to intensify the flavor. Lindt chocolate also may contain traces of milk, soy lecithin, almonds and hazelnuts.

Dark, Darker and Almost Black

• Lindt makes five different kinds of dark chocolate with percentages of chocolate liquor that vary from 65 percent to 99 percent -- the Excellence Noirissime chocolates. Noirissime is near-black in color and the buyer has to read warnings in four languages before opening the package. It's a bitter, acquired taste.