I think a lot of the problem is that people think dark chocolate should be eaten the way milk or other heavily sweetened chocolate can be. If you take a big old hunk of dark and chew on it, you're not going to have a good time. And you can't just go with Hershey's special dark or Baker's chocolate. You gotta go with someone that makes dark chocolate as its own thing.

But then, you take smaller bits and let them melt across your tongue, more like you do something akin to hard candies. This allows the bitterness to be mitigated by the floral and earthy flavors. The sweetness that is there balances out the bitterness more. That's where dark chocolate becomes something delightful.

Works similar in "sipping" chocolate compared to the more standard hot chocolate. The little sips make the depth of flavor roll over your tongue I'm sensual waves rather than just hitting you with the bolt of sweetness and cocoa surface flavor.

Which is akin to the difference between boutique coffees and good but mass roasted stuff like Folgers. You drink Folgers when you want decent flavor and a hit of caffeine in a hot liquid. You use the others when you have time to sit down and really savor your cup.

Bringing it back to alcohol, you can have well brands that are booze with flat flavors, or "fancier" stuff that has layers of taste (that you may or may not like).

You'd also be surprised to find that the chemistry in chocolate give it a point beyond flavor as well. It won't get you high in any quantities you'd want to intake, but there's a ton of feel-good stuff in there.

Legit, not trying to change your mind here, just trying to give a view at those of us that genuinely enjoy dark chocolate. It isn't pretend, it's just a different goal.