Endangered Species Chocolate Bars | Strong & Velvety Dark Chocolate Bar | 88% Cocoa with hints of fruit and spice | Only 3g of sugar per serving | Vegan & Gluten Free, 3 Ounce (Pack of 12)

Loved the taste, made to help endangered species...healthy.But should only eat a small amount a day. ..especially if you are looking for a caffeine high, like falling asleep in the afternoon. Taking ashwagandha or schizandra berry or rhodiola, would serve you better, esp if you take a second pill of ashwagandha around 2. Many of us are dehydrated too and that might be why you get lethargic around that time. Blessings!!

My first order of a box of 12 bars arrived in excellent condition, inside and out. (They were fulfilled by Amazon.) Some have complained about a light-colored "bloom" on Endangered Species chocolate bars when they unwrap a bar. I have read that this is due to being exposed to high temperatures during shipping or storage. This was not my experience, but I placed this order in the cold month of January.I have also read that the surface bloom caused by heat does not affect flavor, and I really LOVE the taste of these bars. So, I plan to order one box of 12 every month throughout the year. However, I will be investigating further to be sure the level of flavanols in these chocolate bars is not negatively affected by exposure to heat, as when shipped in summer months, causing that surface bloom.Thankfully, the bars I received both look and taste very fresh. In fact, The Endangered Species 88% cocoa chocolate bar is the best chocolate I have ever tasted! I am enjoying 1 ounce every day with a cup of black coffee, both of which studies show will help keep my brain sharp as I age. I have found that without the coffee, it's impossible for me to eat just 1 ounce, no matter how hard I try! The taste experience of this bittersweet chocolate is just so good in my opinion.Smeone who likes sweet chocolate might not enjoy it as much, however. The flavanols and polyphenols in this dark chocolate are so good for our health, though, it is worth trying anyway. If one can't handle the bittersweet taste, one could always order cocoa flavanol capsules from a reputable company like CocoaVia. They are a more expensive source, but their capsules as well as these bars were both very highly rated by Consumer Labs as a nutritional supplement.IF I discover there is no way to avoid that "bloom" when ordering these chocolate bars in warm months AND IF I find higher temperatures reduce their nutritional value, I will downgrade my rating a star or two. I enjoy this chocolate daily, primarily to consume the unusually high dose of brain-protective flavanols contained in The Endangered Species darkest chocolate bar. If heat destroys the flavanols, I will just stock up during the cooler months. Not good for my budget, but it is still the least expensive way to supplement my diet with these highly effective, whole food nutrients. Many studies show they help with memory, mood, anxiety, and even provide some protection against brain neurotoxins.Why am I such a fan of this brand and type? After rigorous testing, Consumer Labs gives the 88% cocoa Endangered Species bar their highest recommendation as a health supplement due to its 1) very high per-calorie flavanol content, 2) containing almost no cadmium (while others can be very high), and 3) for being comparatively low cost considering its nutritional level and taste. Endangered Species gets its chocolate beans from West Africa, where cadmium in the soil is not a problem but child labor is. However, they don't buy from sources that use child labor. It is a Fair Trade company, which means a lot to me. They also donate 10% of their profit to protect endangered species around the world, another big plus in my opinion.Aside from all these very positive attributes, I just love the crisp SNAP when I bite into a piece - and its smooth, rich, deep cocoa smell and flavor! I am SO glad this chocolate bar is produced by a great company and that it has received Consumer Labs' highest recommendation! I now use it as both a daily supplement and for baking.

This is definitely my favorite “go-to” chocolate which is affordable but still top quality.If you are looking at this product and reviews, chances are you have already eaten a lot of dark chocolate. If you haven’t, this isn’t a great place to start given the cacoa content is so high (I found this out myself the hard way). I used to eat mainly milk chocolate, which is primarily sugar. I initially tried an 85% dark and despised it. I then worked my way up starting with like a 45%, then 60%, than 72%, then 85%, then 88-100%...which worked a lot better as my taste could adapt to the change (for better or worse [better for me as I need to watch my dietary intake and want the health benefits of dark chocolate], standard commercial milk chocolate is now so overly sweet to me that I cannot eat it.)The flavor notes to Panther are intensely full-bodied, bitter, and of strong “earthy” taste and a hint of vanilla and smoke…the strong earthy flavor is similar to many fine dark chocolates made with Jamaican beans. This earthy flavor is a strongly love/hate sort of thing, and it will probably result in you, a) loving this chocolate, or b) despising it, as such bold flavors have few middle grounds. I personally love it.The ingredients that go into it are pure…it’s a fantastic cocoa base. Even at 88% cocoa content, the start and finish still have smooth notes to them, and the aftertaste is pleasant compared to many other dark chocolates of similar type. The ingredients also have a lot of integrity behind them. While not a make-or-break to my decision of chocolate, the ethical trading, preservation awareness, and them donating 10% of their profits (which is a huge percentage amount and incredibly generous) appeals to me as an added bonus and is another of many reasons I like Endangered Species Chocolates.The health effects are also there. It’s come to light that cocoa contains numerous minerals and antioxidants that are linked to improving health. It’s also come to light that dark chocolate tastes better than other chocolates, plus it has more health benefits from the higher cocoa content and fewer fillers and chemicals. So it comes as no shocker than dark chocolate has become huge! Naturally-processed chocolate is going to have the most health benefits (and use the fewest chemicals). Endangered Species does just that, as they do not process their Panther with alkaloids (“dutching”), which nukes all of the good things in cocoa we can benefit from. The reason I got into dark chocolates to begin with was because I was getting fat on milk chocolate and wanted to still enjoy chocolate but without the sugar rush, plus get the health benefit of cocoa. This is a great choice for just that…a 20 ounce bottle of soda has more sugar in than A POUND of Endangered Species Panther! The sugar is incredibly low when dark chocolate gets to 90%…even people on highly restricted sugar diets can often eat 86%+ dark chocolate.And let’s not forget the benefit to memory, increasing metabolic rate, and boosting energy. When I am running out of steam, I have a few of these. The caffeine content in them is high! It also has theobromine, and numerous alkaloids thought to increase energy and be linked to why chocolate is an aphrodisiac. If you don’t believe me, have an ounce or two around 2 PM and watch what happens!So my vote is to give this a try if you like full-bodied, intense dark chocolate. It is a lot less expensive than most artisan brands, but it still delivers a flavor that it unique to their own product and has many simultaneous flavor notes. It tastes good, it’s healthy, it’s ethical, it supports a good cause, and it’s affordable…not too shabby if you ask me!