Review: Trader Joe's Dark Chocolate

Lindy's Rating: 3.0 (previously *)

Richard's Rating: 4.0 (previously **)

chocolate maker (unknown) bar Dark Chocolate year (unknown) cacao trees (unknown) region (unknown) size 500g ~ 17.6oz plantation (blend) cocoa solids 54% fat cocoa butter sweetener sugar emulsifier soy lecithin flavoring (none) other ingredients (none) list price $4.99

color dark brown texture ridged top, smooth sides aroma earthy, leather, muted floral snap hard taste sweet, toffee, brown sugar, hint of vanilla melt smooth, but not creamy length short finish minimal, slightly bitter

Trader Joe's Pound Plus Belgian chocolate bars are so big that they probably shouldn't be considered bars. At 500 grams, they weigh more than a pound, and are 5 to 10 times bigger than a typical artisan bar. For the price of only $4.99, these Pound Plus bars are a fantastic bargain.

We tasted the Dark Chocolate bar. The cocoa content of the this bar is merely 54%, quite a bit lower than the other bars we've reviewed. The additional sugar gave the taste an overwhelming sweetness that hid much of the flavor of the chocolate. Lindy found the finish slightly bitter, but to me the finish was almost nonexistent.

Overall, Lindy liked this chocolate, but only gave it one star due to the significantly reduced chocolate taste from so much sugar.

By the way, this chocolate is excellent for baking. I use the Trader Joe's Dark Chocolate bar to make my favorite icing. Here's the recipe.

Trader Joe's also has a 72% Dark Chocolate bar that we'll review in the future.