It should also be pointed out that natural vanilla is comprised of vanillin somewhere in the area of 80-90% of the flavor chemicals. Vanilla is mostly vanillin. And here’s something I just learned this week – don’t know why it surprises me, but it does – not all vanillin is artificial.

However, if the label says vanilla, both EU and US legislation are pretty strict that it’s actually real vanilla. However, that doesn’t guarantee that those making the labels are in compliance with regulations, but from a strictly regulatory standpoint, if it says vanilla, it is vanilla.

yup, i read it. i’m fairly certain vanilla has a standard of identity (thought i’d have to check to be sure) – i think the basic take away should be along these lines :

if the ingredient statement reads vanilla, it’s the real mccoy. at least it should be, if it’s not, the producer is intentionaly decieving, and i’d like to believe none would do this.
if it reads vanilla flavor, vanilla flavors, natural vanilla flavor, or vanilla WONF (with other natural flavors), then you’ve got either a nature identical or a fascimile.
if it reads vanillin or artificial flavor(s), then obviously it’s not made from the whole shebang.
if it reads natural flavor, then it could be any one of the above 8-)

hmm, ok, monte. i’ve just compared domori’s two esmeraldas (with and w/o vanilla) and i must agree that the one with vanilla is more round, though i can’t agree with you fully when you say varietal chocolates require vanilla for roundness. i find domori’s rio caribe superior is stunted by the added vanilla and that in the newer version w/o tastes much more intense and… well, yes, rough. but it doesn’t need to be rounded imo.
i can’t imagine what their sur del lago would taste like with vanilla, but it could end up pretty bland. if i had a say, many more bars would contain salt. i fell in love with salted chocolate when i tried the 80% in the hacienda san jose cases. more of that, i say! gianluca, are you listening?

Well, Sur del Lago has a relatively mild and noncomplex flavor to it anyway. I love Domori’s because of the peanut tone, gentle fruitiness, and overall cocoa flavor it possesses. Granted, it’s nothing that sticks out, but I appreciate it for its unassertive nature.

Alex, I didn’t say that single bean chocolate “requires” vanilla, but rather I pointed out a possible correlation of flatness that occurs in these chocolates. I was wondering that maybe the lack of other beans could explain the relative flatness I’ve experienced in some bars.

hmm, had some sur del lago again and this time i liked it. very quiet taste.

what if the ingredients say: ‘flavoured with natural vanilla’ (in german: ‘naturvanille (aroma)’)?
this is what my el rey gran saman says. sounds fishy if you ask me, especially the german labeling (aroma).

does pralus use vanilla? i can’t remember.

simply ‘vanilla’? no, mine says ‘flavoured with natural vanilla’.

:P i am having a hard time. but to simplify matters here’s my domori cru ranking. one being my fave and five the least so:
1. rio caribe superior
2. carenero superior
3. esmeraldas
4. sur del lago
5. sambirano

it’s all a bunch of thin lines though ;) not easy deciding it isn’t.