What We're Eating: Bonnat Madagascar 75%

The Bonnat Madagascar 75% bar is the chocolate that started Chocolopolis. Why do I say that?

I never liked dark chocolate, or so I thought. I have to admit I was a Hershey milk chocolate eater for most of my life. For me, dark chocolate was bitter and astringent, and it left me with an unpleasant taste in my mouth. I didn't know there was anything else. While my mother liked dark chocolate, my parents were very frugal, so spending money on an expensive bar would have been out of the question. Then one day I tried a bar of Bonnat Madagascar and I was blown away. There was no bitterness or astringency, and the chocolate had wonderful fruity notes of cherries and citrus.

I realized that good dark chocolate didn't have to be bitter and astringent. It was this epiphany that made me become a passionate chocophile. I began tasting more and more dark chocolate while still eating a lot of milk chocolate (but no more Hershey). Now I eat mostly dark chocolate. I never thought I'd say that!

Stephan Bonnat

I have to thank Mort Rosenblum and Chloe Doutre-Roussel, whose books about fine chocolate made me buy this bar in the first place. If it weren't for them and Stephan Bonnat, who made the bar, Chocolopolis might not be here today.

The Bonnat Madagascar bar seemed like the most appropriate choice for my bar of the week selection during our anniversary month. It's still one of my favorite bars. Its deep cherry notes and creamy, butter-like texture still remind me of that first bite.

Stop by Saturday for a sample between 11am & 5pm. In honor of Bastille Day we'll have lots of samples of chocolate by French chocolate makers, and we'll be playing DVDs by François Pralus and Michel Cluizel.