Wednesday, July 21, 2010

Trader Joe's 85% Cacao Bar

Trader Joe's 85% Cocoa

I have to drive almost an hour to get to a Trader Joe's, but I love the store. They carry so many interesting products that I just can't find in my area (even with our fancy grocery store). Last time I was there, this bar, The Dark Chocolate Lover's Chocolate Bar, was an impulse buy.

Unlike the Hageland bars I've been loving recently, the Trader Joe's bar contains soy lecithin - spoiling an otherwise bare-bones list of ingredients. Soy lecithin, for better or worse, can alter the flow properties of chocolate and replaces more expensive ingredients. It's hard to complain because Trader Joe's prices are very low for a reason, but it's definitely possible to make affordable chocolate bars without filler ingredients.

Trader Joe's 85% Cocoa

It was very hard for me to place the scent of this bar, and all that I could come up with was that it smelled a bit toasty and nutty. The first bite was very bitter, and it was a bit crumbly to chew. As it began to melt, the bitterness gave way to an intense, fruity flavor.

There was no aftertaste and no oily feeling in my mouth once the chocolate was gone. I've found that many dark chocolate bars have a similarly clean finish. The chocolate was not too acidic and the flavor was pleasant, but a little flat. The fruitiness never went anywhere, and I found myself wishing for a little more depth and complexity.

Read more reviews at Chocablog and Annmarie Kostyk's blog.

B

Trader Joe's Website

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