The words "sugar-free" on a chocolate bar tell you what has been taken out. They don't tell you what has been put in, and that is what decides how the bar tastes.

I spend my days with very good chocolate and am no nutritionist, so I won't tell you what to eat. What I can tell you is how these bars are made and which ones I would happily eat if sugar were never the question.

The three kinds of sugar-free chocolate

Almost everything sold under this label falls into one of three groups, and the ingredient list tells you which.

The first group is the largest, and it is where sugar-free chocolate earned its reputation. Sweeteners do different jobs: maltitol is close to sugar in sweetness, while erythritol is noticeably less sweet. Sugar alcohols such as these can also upset some stomachs, particularly in larger amounts, so it is worth starting with a few squares.

The second group is small and interesting. The third is the oldest idea of all: make the bean good enough that it needs no help.

The sugar-free bars worth eating

These are the bars I would start with, from the gentlest to the most uncompromising.

If you still want it sweet. Prague Chocolate's Aluna 50% has no added sugar and is sweetened with dates and banana. Coconut and cashew give it a dense, chewy bite, and date caramel comes through before the cocoa. I wrote more about this bar and its odd category here.

If you want it to taste like dark chocolate. Feliu's Soconusco 70% is sweetened with erythritol and monk fruit. Expect raisins, forest fruits and a hint of toasted dough.

If you are ready for 100%. Start with a small piece and let it melt slowly. Chewing it is how people decide they hate it.

• Goodnow Farms Special Reserve: Peruvian beans and their own cocoa butter, which softens the edges. Lemongrass, green grape and peach, and my pick for a first 100%.
• Cacaosuyo Rupa Rupa: herbs, fresh wood and red fruit, with very little bitterness for a bar this dark.
• Feliu Soconusco: gentle fruit and nuts, lifted by a little acidity.
• Vigdis Rosenkilde Piura Blanco: blackberry, citrus and nuts from Peru's prized white beans.
• Cacaosuyo Amazonas: one ingredient and layered depth, from beans grown in the Peruvian Amazon.
• Meybol Solo Kakao: Chuncho cacao and nothing else. Deep, earthy and roasted, with a clean mineral finish. Save this one for last.

How to read the label

Turn the bar over and ignore the front. Three things are worth a look:

• The first few ingredients. Cocoa should lead. If a sweetener comes first, you are mostly buying the sweetener.
• "No added sugar" versus "sugar-free." A bar sweetened with fruit can honestly say the first, but it still contains natural sugars.
• The nutrition panel. If you are watching sugar for medical reasons, this is the part that counts, and your doctor or dietitian is a better guide than any chocolate seller.

Giving it to someone

If you are buying for someone who has cut sugar, you can't go far wrong with a pair: one sweetened bar and one 100%. That way they get something familiar and something to think about.

If you would rather not choose, our Sugar-Free Gift Box does it for you, wrapped in reusable linen with a gift note included. The full range is in our low-sugar and sugar-free collection.