Which dark chocolate bar has the most flavanols with the least calories?

Hi Marlin - We have not tested Rodelle Gourmet Baking Cocoa or Hershey's Special Dark Cocoa Powder, but we did test Hershey' s Cocoa Natural Unsweetened -- you can see the results for this product here: https://www.consumerlab.com/reviews/cocoa-powders-and-chocolates-sources-of-flavanols/cocoa-flavanols/#results. Thank you for your requests, we will keep these in mind for future testing.

Hi Linda -- Thank you for your suggestion, we will keep this in mind. Many of the products we test are chosen based on our annual reader survey (which we typically send out in November).

Hi Ken - Prior to testing dark chocolates, we asked our members which brands they used. Unfortunately, Scharffen Berger Extra Dark Chocolate Bar was not one of most popular products.

Scharffen Berger Extra Dark Chocolate Bar claims to be "82% Cacao." As explained in our report on dark chocolates, this does not necessarily tell you the amount of flavanols -in fact, we found that one popular "85% cacao" bar had only about half the flavanols per gram of a bar claiming "72% cacao." As it is very expensive for us to conduct these tests (which include analyses for flavanols as well as for potential contamination with heavy metals), we must focus on those which are most popular.

You may want to consider one of the bars which we have already tested (all are available nationally) which can give you the taste you want with the most flavanols and the least contamination. You can also see which bars provide the most flavanols with the fewest calories.

Not necessarily, Stephen. As we have noted, the "% cacao" doesn't tell you the whole story since it doesn't tell you what amount of that is cocoa butter (which is devoid of cocoa flavanols), and it's possible that proportion of cocoa butter differs in the chocolate portion of the different Baker's bars. Nevertheless, your question is a good one and perhaps something we will investigate in our next round of testing. In the meantime, it's interesting to note that the 56% semi-sweet bar which includes sugar has fewer calories than the 100%, which does not contain sugar. The reason is that there is less fat in the semi-sweet, and fat has more calories per gram than sugar.

Heating chocolate does not seem to greatly reduce flavanol levels. "Dutching" chocolate, however, will lower flavanol levels, as discussed in the ConsumerTips section of our Dark Chocolates, Cocoa & Cacao Powders, Nibs, and Supplements Review: https://www.consumerlab.com/reviews/cocoa-powders-and-chocolates-sources-of-flavanols/cocoa-flavanols/?anchor=toppicks&j=1571095&sfmc_sub=270954356&l=529_HTML&u=20455721&mid=7276525&jb=188&utm_medium=email&utm_source=exacttarget&utm_campaign=newsletter&utm_term=&utm_content=chocolate_cancer_member_de_send#tips

Hi Theo - This will depend partly on your preference, and your reason for taking flax. Both flaxseed oil and flaxseeds contain the essential omega-3 fatty acid ALA (alpha-linolenic acid), although the oil is a more concentrated form. Flaxseeds additionally provide fiber and phytoestrogens which may have benefits for lowering cholesterol and menopausal symptoms. You can read more about the differences and evidence for each, plus get test results for flaxseed oil products, here: https://www.consumerlab.com/reviews/%20/flaxseed/#whatitdoes

Hi Marilyn - We'll be testing Rapunzel Organic Cocoa Powder this year. If you receive our free e-newsletter, you'll be alerted when the results are available.

Hi Orit - Thank you for your suggestion, we will keep it in mind for future testing.

Hi Robert - Thank you for the suggestion. We will keep it in mind for future testing.

Thank you for your kind words, Jennifer! We are glad the review is helpful for you!

Hi Bridgitte - Yes, we note in the Review that it includes "non-sugar sweeteners" and, in the Ingredients page of the Review, we list it's ingredients: "Unsweetened Chocolate, Inulin, Dextrin, Erythritol, Cocoa Butter, Milk Fat (rBST Free), Stevia Extract, Organic Soy Lecithin, Vanilla." To re-iterate this, we've also added "Dextrin, erythritol, and stevia extract" in the Notable Features section of the main Review. We've also re-iterated there that Hershey's Special Dark lists "Lactose (milk)" as an ingredient -- for those who are lactose intolerant.

Hi Jill - You can see which of the cocoa and chocolate products we've tested contain soy by viewing the full ingredients for each product, listed on the Ingredients page of the review: https://www.consumerlab.com/ingredients/cocoa-powders-and-chocolates-sources-of-flavanols/cocoa-flavanols/. However none of the dark chocolate bars currently in the Review (other than a baking chocolate bar) are soy-free.