The Best High Flavanol Chocolate Bars
Abby Langer photo courtesy of Abby Langer Nutrition
On social media you’ll notice people talking about flavanols in chocolate. Plant-based chemicals, known as phytonutrients, are readily found in dark-hued foods. According to Abby Langer, RD and owner of Abby Langer Nutrition in Toronto, flavanols are “a type of antioxidant that is found in certain plant foods, such as tea, berries, and cocoa. These compounds have been shown to have health-promoting properties such as lowering the risk for cognitive decline, protecting cardiovascular health, and lowering levels of inflammation.”
But does that mean it’s possible to get health benefits from chocolate bars? Thankfully, it is.
Get the Most Out of Every Bar
Getting the most flavanol benefit out of your chocolate bars, however, means you’ll want to skip white and milk chocolate. The former has no antioxidant benefits, and the latter has very little, as its makeup consists of a low cacao percentage, sugar, cacao butter, and powdered milk. The darker your bar, the higher the cacao percentage, giving you more of what you’re after (i.e. when a bar says 90% - that means that’s the cacao percentage in the bar with the rest being made up of sugar and possibly some cacao butter).
Dark chocolate lovers will be happy to hear that The Lancet published a study showing that chocolate contains four times as much catechin as tea! Langer suggests that you go as high as 85% to 100% to get more benefits from every bar. More cacao also means you’ll be eating less sugar.
High Flavanol Chocolate Bar Recommendations
Bean To Bar World shop owner, master chocolatier, chocolate sommelier, and chocolate maker Geoseph Domenichiello suggests the following bars for the combination of flavanol bang and their flavor profile. In the right hands, even a 100% cacao bar can be a treat.
Heinde & Verre Pearl of Ecuador Black 100
The Netherlands crafted Heinde & Verre’s “Pearl of Ecuador 100% Black Bar” made with Arriba cacao from Hacienda Victoria Estate. Domenichiello calls this bar “a star” and says, “Not only is it not bitter, but it also has a lovely range of notes, which is challenging for most 100% bars.” The makers offer the following flavor notes: brownie, walnut, herbs, coffee, and white fruit.
Avanna Polochic photo credit Avanna
Montreal, Quebec’s Avanna Chocolat’s 90% Polochic Dark Chocolate bar is made with cacao from Guatemala’s Polochic Valley. This is one of Domenichiello’s new favorites because it’s very fragrant, is a limited-edition bar, and to his taste, has no bitterness or acidity with light, floral notes.
McGuire Ben Tre 70% Dark Chocolate
New Brunswick’s McGuire Chocolate’s Ben Tre Vietnam 70% Dark Chooclate bar is made from cacao sourced around the Mekong Delta. This bar “has wonderful warm spice notes and a lovely almost fudgy texture,” explains Domenichiello.
Aroko Chocolate Chuao D.O.C.C. cacao mass photo credit Aroko
Italy’s Aroko Chocolate 100% Chuao Bar uses Venezuelan cacao—“Very mellow for a pure bar and great for those who want a 100% that’s not bitter.” The maker suggests flavor notes of cranberry, red wine, and wood. Domenichiello says this chocolate would go very well on a cheese board.
Dark Forest Dark Chocolate 100% photo credit Dark Forest
Lancaster, New York’s Dark Forest Chocolate’s award-winning 100% Dark Chocolate Bar is made with their mildest origin, Costa Rican Hacienda Azul, and a touch of Ecuadorian cacao to “widen the flavor range” as they say. The makers suggest rich flavors of coffee and prune, which I can definitely taste. Low on the bitterness scale and a lovely mouthful that’s rich and satisfying without any sugar.
Whether you like your flavanols in a bar or a cup of hot chocolate, Langer suggests about two fingers worth (or one ounce) per day. She offers this healthy reminder, “Chocolate is still chocolate, even if it contains health-promoting compounds. Add it to a varied, mostly whole-food diet instead of eating it in large quantities,” to get the most out of your daily intake. And of course, enjoy every bite.