Dark Chocolate: Why So Many Haters?
“Oh, no sample for me thanks. I can’t stand dark chocolate. It’s too bitter.”
True story: Every year at Christmas markets, this happens more times than we can count.
Someone walks up to our booth, looks at the display, and we offer them a sample.
“Would you like to try some dark chocolate?”
They smile politely, wrinkle their nose just a bit, and say something like,
“Oh no thanks. I can’t stand dark chocolate. It’s too bitter.” 😢
And honestly? We get it.
Dark chocolate has a bit of a bad rap. People hear about the health benefits, they’re told it’s the “good” kind of chocolate, and yet when they actually try it, the experience often falls flat.
Too bitter.
Too dry.
Too sharp.
A weird mouthfeel.
A long ingredient list full of things you can’t pronounce.
For a lot of people, dark chocolate feels unsatisfying. Not because they don’t like chocolate, but because the chocolate they’ve tried hasn’t been very enjoyable.
What’s interesting is that this isn’t just true for people who avoid dark chocolate altogether. Even people who say they love dark chocolate often tell us how hard it is to find one they actually enjoy. They’ll tolerate one bar, endure another, and keep searching for something that finally tastes as good as it looks on the package.
Somewhere along the way, dark chocolate picked up a reputation for being overly sophisticated.
Almost cerebral. Like it’s supposed to be challenging. Like if it tastes bad, that just means you’re not refined enough yet.
We’ve never really bought into that idea.
Chocolate should be enjoyable. It should feel good to eat. It shouldn’t feel like homework.
Over the years, through countless conversations at markets, we’ve come to believe that the problem isn’t dark chocolate itself. It’s how it’s often made. Over-processed chocolate, excessive bitterness, and long ingredient lists don’t leave much room for warmth or balance.
That’s what led us down a different path.
We started wondering what would happen if chocolate was made with fewer ingredients. What if it was sweetened gently instead of aggressively? What if the goal wasn’t intensity for intensity’s sake, but balance?
That curiosity eventually led us to making chocolate with just three ingredients, including local honey instead of refined sugar. Honey doesn’t overpower the chocolate. It softens it. It rounds out the bitterness and brings everything into better harmony.
We make our chocolate in small batches, by hand, with care. Not because it sounds good in a story, but because that’s how we know how to do it.
And here’s the thing we hear most often after someone reluctantly tries a piece at the booth.
“Oh… that’s actually really good.”
That moment never gets old.
If dark chocolate hasn’t been your thing, you’re not alone. And maybe, just maybe, there's something far superior to what you've tried before.
If you’re curious, you can find local retailers that carry our products and see for yourself. No pressure.
Just an invitation to be pleasantly surprised.
Sometimes changing your mind starts with one small bite.