The Best Chocolate in the World 2022
International Chocolate Awards was an undeniable authority in finding the best fine chocolate from around the world made from the best cacao. It was founded in 2012 and now it's the most reliable award you can use as guidance for navigating an exciting craft chocolate industry. We simply refer to it as the Chocolate Oscar. The award is the most reliable sourse of defining of who is the best chocolate maker in the world.
The awards have a professional jury board that is very passionate about the quality of fine chocolate and its overall sustainability metrics like fair trade, and social and environmental impact. The awards consist of several regional competitions that filter chocolate products that reach the world finals. And the quality of the finalists is always impeccable. Especially, when we're talking about the best dark chocolate in the world.
But in 2022 happened something truly remarkable that highlighted the new stage for the craft fine chocolate industry. The average final scores for the winners skyrocketed during the 2022 Finals which confirmed that the innovations and the quality of craft fine chocolate raised the bar to a new high leaving mass-market and pseudo-fine chocolates far behind. The highest-scoring products in origin dark and milk chocolate bars were announced as overall winners of this year’s competition. This season’s overall winners came from Peru, an important and historical fine cacao-growing country, and Thailand, a growing country with an ever-evolving craft chocolate scene.
So, without further ado, please meet the world's best craft chocolate brands 2022.
Asian Chocolate
Over the last few years, Thai chocolate makers have stepped up their game, creating world-class artisanal bars that we can be proud of. And PARADAi is one of those brands. This award-winning crafted chocolate maker has gained a reputation for its highly creative and quality products made from cacao sourced from Nakhon Si Thammarat and other parts of the country. PARADAi dedicates a significant amount of time and effort to every step of the chocolate-making process, from selecting cacao seeds to crafting flavours to production. The result is an impressive array of chocolates in unconventional flavours inspired by local cuisine. All these bars were created by Phurich Tanawut, one of the founders of PARADAi and a self-taught chocolate maker.
PARADAi Chanthaburi 70% - The Best Dark Chocolate 2022 (Score 91.8 of 100)
In 2022 “Chantaburi Dark 70%” became the best unflavoured dark chocolate bar, made by PARADAi, a small micro-batch chocolate maker in Thailand, with a fabulous score of 91.8 out of 100 on the chocolate scale, which is one of the highest we have seen for the past several years. PARADAi was awarded with a Special Gold as Chocolate Maker and for Direct and FairTrade. The bar has a boozy-fruit flavour, like tropical fruits in rum or maybe tequila.
SHOP HERENakhonSi Dark 70% with Coconut Sugar - The Best Plain / origin chocolate bars with alternative ingredients 2022 - Gold (Score 89.3 of 100)
A lot of people believe that coconut sugar is a better and more sustainable substitute for traditional cane sugar. Although the evidence is scarce and very often the flavour of coconut sugar balances out the flavour of cacao, fine chocolate makers continue to experiment with adding it to their bars. And this bar by PARADAi is one of the rare examples that succeeded to find the right balance between the two.
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NakhonSi Dark 65% with Palo Spices - The Best Dark chocolate bars with infusion or flavouring 2022 - Silver (Score 90.0 of 100)
Another more common name for Palo is Five-spices Powder and it is one of the crucial ingredients in Asian cuisine. It is a mixture of star anise, cloves, cinnamon, peppercorns, and fennel seeds. It encompasses all five tastes—sweet, sour, bitter, salty, and umami. This full-package set features single-origin bars land Thai-flavours-infused Palo Five Spices 70% chocolates featuring PARADAi’s artwork galloping picturing Asian patterns and gods, with the silhouettes of cacao pods—three of PARADAi’s most distinctive physical features—towering in the background. Bonus points: numerous international chocolate awards make for one hell of a gift for any chocolate lover.
SHOP HEREEuropean Chocolate
In the world of bean-to-bar chocolate, the Meybol Cacao chocolate is making a remarkable entrance, quickly gaining recognition with its prestigious accolades. With a notable prize and a bronze medal already under its belt, this brand new and sizzling venture is capturing attention in the luxury chocolate industry. Meybol Cacao takes great pride in sourcing its cocoa from a remote region, emphasizing the importance of proximity to tradition. By immersing themselves in the rich Inca culture and championing the preservation of cocoa tree varieties, Meybol Cacao brings a unique touch to its chocolate-making process. The result is an exquisite range of chocolates crafted from rare cocoa beans harvested in the magnificent mountains of Peru. One standout creation is the Inti single-origin dark chocolate bar, a testament to the company's exceptional recipe selection. This particular delicacy, comprising 70% cocoa and raw sugar, garnered well-deserved recognition at the esteemed International Chocolate Awards in 2022. The quality and pure origin of the beans infuse their bars with an unparalleled flavor and genuine authenticity, leaving a lasting impression on the taste buds of chocolate enthusiasts. While Meybol Cacao may still be in its early stages, there is no doubt that its innovative formula and steadfast philosophy will generate substantial buzz and conversation in the industry. The future looks incredibly promising for this ambitious chocolate maker, poised to become a prominent player in the ever-evolving world of rare artisanal chocolate.
Meybol Cacao Inti 70% - The best plain-origin dark chocolate bars - Bronze (Score 86.7 of 100)
In the language of the Incas, Inti means "sun". Meybol's Inti chocolate, made with some of the best cocoa in the world, consists of 70% fine flavour cocoa from the Chuncho bean variety. This grows in remote Andean valleys in the Vraem region of southern Peru and is threatened with extinction. It is one of the world's finest and rarest cocoa bean varieties, with a fascinating aroma profile and very low acidity.
SHOP HEREAt Spanish Puchero we find some entrepreneurs who produce award-winning chocolate and also specialty coffee. An Italian from Turin came to Valladolid and fell in love with a woman from Valladolid, then they went to London together where they discovered the art of specialty coffee and the value of good chocolate. They decided to return and develop their passion for coffee and chocolate next to the family restaurant and farm. There they produce chocolates with cocoa from different sources and also offer surprises such as their chocolate with a croissant or their award-winning chocolate with pine nuts - so typical of the area.
Puchero Pine Nuts 50% - The Best Dark chocolate bars with infusion or flavouring - Silver (Score 89.0 of 100)
A pine (Pinus Pinea) takes between 20 and 30 years to produce pine nuts. A pine cone takes 3 years to form, first it is like marble or “chota”, then a small ball or “perindola” and finally it grows and acquires its final size, with removable pine nuts. Piñonsol is a cooperative from Pedrajas de San Esteban, very close to Puchero's factory in Nothern Spain, created to directly market the pine nuts. Soconusco in southern Mexico is the birthplace of the “cacao real”, the royal cacao, consumed by the Aztec kings and priests. Sourced from smallholder farmers, this organic cacao from Soconusco has balanced acidity, full-body profile and distinct flavours of dried fruits, nuts and several spices.
SHOP HERENorth-American Chocolate
While we barely talked about it ten years ago, chocolates from the bean to the bar - or " bean to bar" - produced in Quebec are attracting a growing number of gourmets and professionals, who no longer hesitate to pay more expensive to taste the qualitative, local and ethical difference of these products. Quebec now has a handful of such producers and one of the most respectful places in this list is dedicated to award-wining Chaleur B Chocolat. The company's primary focus is on a selection of professional single-origin baking chocolate and more and more chocolatiers, pastry chefs and processors are using their chocolate in their creations.
Chaleur B Chocolat Tanzania 79% - The Best Plain/origin dark chocolate bars 2022 - Silver (Score 88.2 of 100)
Chaleur B Chocolat took silver with a score of 88.2 for its Tanzania 79% bar. The cocoa used to make this chocolate comes from Tanzania, from the village of Mbingu. It is the social organization Kokoa Kamili, which buys beans from surrounding producers at a fair price, which allows the export of this exceptional cocoa through a very strong social mission. Note that nothing has been added to the chocolate and that the fruit flavors you will taste come directly from the bean.
SHOP HEREChaleur B Chocolate - Tenebris - The Best Micro-batch Plain/Origin Dark Chocolate 2022 - Bronze (Score 86.9 or 100)
Tenebris 70% has a classic chocolate aroma, a nice roundness and a lingering aftertaste. The taste of this "very cocoa" chocolate is punctuated with very pleasant notes of red fruits and blackberries, which will not leave anyone indifferent.Note that nothing has been added to the chocolate and that the fruit flavors you will taste come directly from the bean.This chocolate is great for baking, making hot chocolate and conjuring up desserts. Be creative with chocolate: whether it is mousse au chocolat, pies, cakes, filled chocolates or chocolate mochi - we have the stuff for your ideas.
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South-American Chocolate
Chocolate Sierra Sagrada was born from the idea of the biologist Marco Caraballo Pérez and the industrial microbiologist Andrea Díaz Ovalle, who in addition to being the founding partners of C & D CACAO SAS, the Colombian company that owns the brand, have been passionate about chocolate since they were children, so deciding undertake, with the pleasant surprise of falling madly in love with the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta and its wonderful cocoa. The company is located in Santa Marta, department of Magdalena, in the north of Colombia and we are 100% dedicated to the production and marketing of high-quality premium dark chocolate.The origin of the cocoa beans is the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta, the highest intertropical coastal mountain in Colombia and on the planet and the fifth highest peak in the world. The Sierra Nevada is declared by UNESCO as a Biosphere and Man Reserve and in its vicinity is located the National Natural Park that bears the same name and adjacent to it the Tayrona National Natural Park, both areas exuberant in biodiversity, endemic to species of fauna and flora having functioned as a refuge from the Pleistocene.It is also the sacred place of four indigenous peoples (Arhuacos, Koguis, Wiwas and Kankuamos) who have protected, preserved and guarded their natural wealth for thousands of years, making spiritual payments to mother earth, in gratitude for crops such as cocoa. The Arhuaco people that inhabit this imposing massif cultivate white cocoa or “bunsi” as it is called in the Iku language, a Criollo beans that is distinguished by its soft, less bitter and aromatic notes, giving magic to the chocolates.
Sierra Sagrada - Sierra Nevada 72% - The Best Micro-batch Plain/Origin Dark Chocolate Bar 2022 - Silver (Score 89.2 of 100)
Enjoy premium chocolate made with cocoa from a sacred territory the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta - the Heart of the World. The maker operates from Santa Marta, Colombia and makes absolutely delicious single-origin small-batch bean-to-bar chocolate using Criollo (Creole) cacao from the highest intertropical coastal peak of the planet which is rich in biodiversity and culture. Due to its geographical position, the Sierra Nevada is a unique place highlighted in its' gratitude to Mother Earth for crops such as cocoa from several original tribes - Arhuacos, Koguis, Wiwas and Kankuamos - that consider the place to be sacred.
SHOP HERESierra Sagrada - Sierra Nevada 64% - The Best Micro-batch Plain/Origin Dark Chocolate Bar 2022 - Silver (89.0 of 100)
Sierra Sagrada's process begins with visiting cocoa farms and collection centres where the beans are processed. Once batches are verified under strict quality standards, direct purchase without any intermediaries is made from Arhuaco indigenous paying a fair price, generally above the competitive price offered by other buyers. The cocoa was obtained in a form of dried beans that were processed in accordance with the highest standards of chocolate-making. Later it is processed manually into pure dark chocolate bars with 64% cocoa content.
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Pacari Chocolate (Ecuador)
Paccari has been the #1 chocolate in the world since2012. The products of Paccari is produced in the country of origin, Ecuador, and is 100% organic andseveral biodynamic. Their premium chocolate is sold in more than 42 countries and holds more than 360 awards. The exceptional quality rest upon two main ingredients; the Ecuadorian fine aroma cocoa bean,known as “Arriba Nacional”, and the small-scale farmers whose knowledge comes from a tradition of nurturing their own cacao. They take care of the community and all aspects of the chocolate-making process through community advocacy and sustainable sourcing. From tree to bar. They work with more than 4000 small-scale farmers and no intermediates.
Paccari Lemongrass proudly carrying the title of one of the best dark chocolate bars in the world. Paccari Dark Chocolate with Lemongrass is a unique and delicious combination of two popular flavours. This rich and creamy dark chocolate is made with 60% cocoa, giving it a deep flavour and plenty of antioxidants. Lemongrass is very popular for its use in Asian cuisine, however, we think it works even better with chocolate. Lemongrass adds a zesty kick to the chocolate, making this a truly unforgettable experience.
SHOP HEREPacari's Organic yerba mate dark chocolate bar stands as a remarkable creation, seamlessly fusing the delectable essence of chocolate with the myriad advantages of yerba mate. This masterpiece not only exemplifies one of the finest chocolates globally, but also encapsulates a harmonious marriage of flavors and wellness.
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