Best Craft Chocolate Bars: A Bean-to-Bar Buying Guide
The best craft chocolate bar for most people is a 70% single-origin dark bar from a bean-to-bar maker, plus one inclusion bar for fun. Start with Dandelion Maya Mountain or Fu Wan Ping Tung, then try Dick Taylor Black Fig. If someone usually eats milk chocolate, a dark milk bar between 55% and 62% is the bridge.
Our picks at a glance
| Product | What it is | Best for | Cacao origin or maker base |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dandelion Chocolate - Maya Mountain, Belize - 70% - 56 g | Single-origin 70% dark | A first bean-to-bar bar | Belize cacao |
| Fu Wan - Taiwan 1 Ping Tung Chocolate - 70% Dark - 45 g | 70% dark, grown and made on one estate | Tasting origin | Ping Tung, Taiwan |
| Dick Taylor - Black Fig | 72% dark with California Black Mission figs | A crowd pleaser | Tanzania cacao |
| Friis-Holm - Dark Milk - Nicaragua - 55% | 55% dark milk with toffee notes | Milk chocolate fans moving darker | Nicaragua cacao |
| Goodnow Farms - Classic Milk Chocolate - 60% - 1.94 oz. | 60% dark milk, a 2025 International Chocolate Awards gold winner | Award-winning gifts | Dominican cacao |
| Fossa - Matcha & Yuzu Chocolate - Limited Release - 50 g | White chocolate with Wakatake matcha and candied yuzu | Tea lovers | Made in Singapore |
| Mirzam - 62% Dark Chocolate - Dates & Fennel - 70 g | 62% dark with dates and fennel | Something unexpected | Made in Dubai |
| Naive - Porcini - Dark Milk Chocolate - 62% - 57 g | 62% dark milk with porcini mushrooms | Adventurous eaters | Made in Lithuania |
| Cuna De Piedra - Soconusco, Chiapas Dark Chocolate W/ Joven Mezcal - 73% - 2.1 oz. | 73% dark with Espadín joven mezcal | Spirits lovers | Chiapas cacao, Oaxaca mezcal |
Every product above is on our shelves as of publishing. Browse the full range in our Chocolate Bars collection.
How to choose
- Read the percentage. It is the share of the bar that comes from cacao. 70% to 75% is classic dark; 50% to 62% dark milk is creamier.
- Look for the origin. Single-origin bars name where the cacao grew, so flavor changes bar to bar like wine.
- Plain or inclusion? Plain bars show the cacao. Inclusion bars add fruit, tea, spirits or savory notes.
- Taste slowly. Let a square melt on your tongue; flavors change as it melts.
Frequently asked questions
What does bean-to-bar mean?
A bean-to-bar maker buys cacao beans and does every step from roasting to molding the bar in its own workshop.
What percentage dark chocolate should I buy?
Start around 70%. It is intense enough to show the cacao and balanced enough for everyday eating.
What is dark milk chocolate?
A milk chocolate with a higher cacao share, usually 50% to 65%, so it tastes richer and less sweet than standard milk chocolate.
How should I store chocolate?
Somewhere cool, dry and away from strong smells, and not in the refrigerator.
Which bar is best as a gift?
A trio works well: one single-origin dark, one dark milk, one inclusion bar.
Go deeper: Dandelion Chocolate Guide.
See also our Pantry Glossary and the map of where our food comes from.
