03.How we tested
Expert panel
Five chocolate experts assessed 22 chocolates in the range of 70%–75% cocoa. Brand names were disguised as much as possible without spoiling the appearance of the chocolate.
Experts were asked to consider the appearance, snap, aroma, taste and texture and give a rating out of 10. They also provided tasting notes.
Lay panel
The lay panel consisted of 65 CHOICE employees who each tasted four of the 13 chocolates we selected. Each was tasted 20 times, and tasters were asked to rate the chocolate from zero (dislike a lot) to four (like a lot). We also asked people about their preferences for dark and milk chocolate.