Published: 11:24 BST, 2 September 2026 | Updated: 11:28 BST, 2 September 2026
The UK has officially reached peak dark chocolate.
Forget 60, 70 or 80 per cent cocoa varieties – chocolatier supremo Lindt has now dropped a 100 per cent strength version.
The confectionery firm says the launch is designed to meet soaring demand for dark chocolate, driven by the desire for 'lower sugar, wellness-friendly' options.
The supposed healthful properties lie with compounds called flavanols within cocoa beans, which boast heart health effects.
'Flavanols are strongly linked to reduced blood pressure,' says dietician Clare Thornton-Wood. 'They're also antioxidants, which can neutralise harmful compounds in the blood called free radicals, which are associated with a host of diseases.'
But the quantity of flavanols varies widely between products – and the small benefit is often cancelled out by large quantities of fat and sugar.
So should we all be aiming for 100 per cent cocoa? Here, we analyse seven favourites of varying cocoa percentages, and reveal if going dark really is better than a bar of Dairy Milk.
The official UK definition of dark chocolate is a product that contains at least 35 per cent dry cocoa solids. In France, the figure is 43 per cent.
Per four squares: 123 calories, 6.8g saturated fat, 0.1g sugar
The first detail to note about Lindt's 100 per cent cocoa offering is that it is uniquely lightweight. In other words, while one square might have the same height and length as the 70 per cent version, it's far lighter.
In fact, the 100 per cent version contains just 50g of chocolate, compared to 100g in the 70, 85 and 90 per cent packets.
While the barely there sugar count is impressive, the manufacturers provide a generous fat content to ensure there's no loss in flavour.
In fact, there's more saturated fat here than you'll find in many 60 per cent cocoa bars – including Asda's offering below – and roughly the same as you'll find in a Twix.
However, Ms Thornton-Wood says the fat in this bar will bring unique benefits.
