Friday, October 22, 2010

Review: Trader Joe's Dark Chocolate Lover's 85%

Lindy's Rating: 2.0 (previously *)
Richard's Rating: 2.0 (previously *)

chocolate maker(unknown)
barDark Chocolate Lover's 85%
regionColombia
plantation(unknown)
cacao trees(unknown)
year(unknown)
size100g ~ 3.5oz
cocoa solids85%
added fatcocoa butter
sweetenersugar
emulsifiersoy lecithin
flavoringvanilla
other ingredients(none)
list priceN/A

colordark brown
texturesmooth with text imprints
aromastrong vanilla, hint of caramel
snapbrittle
tasteoverwhelmingly chalky, hint of burnt
meltsmooth
lengthminimal
finishminimal
MORE RECENT REVIEW: Trader Joe's Dark Chocolate Lover's

Trader Joe's Dark Chocolate Lover's 85% bar has cacao beans from the Tumaco region of Colombia.

This bar had a strong vanilla aroma, with an added hint of caramel. Sadly, an overwhelming chalky flavor killed enjoyment of this chocolate, and perhaps hid more subtle flavors, although Lindy noticed a slight burnt taste as well. The length was minimal, with the flavor fading almost immediately after the chocolate. Fortunately, the finish of this bar was negligible.

This was the worst "quality" dark chocolate that either Lindy or I have reviewed, and thus the first one star dark chocolate for each of us :-(

8 comments:

  1. Did you perhaps have an old crusty bar? I've recently discovered this chocolate and I love it. I normally go for 92% cacao or thereabouts but gave this one a shot. It doesn't taste burnt to me. It tastes smooth, fruity and delicious. Perhaps I don't have the trained tongue but I've been eating high end dark chocolate for so long that I'd rather eat wax than eat a Hershey's Bar.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks for sharing your experience. The bar we reviewed looked fine and had a best before date well into the future. However, based on your feedback, we'll get another bar and review it again.

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  2. it's my favorite chocolate, drove to Trader Joes today at noon to get more but they ran out.

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  3. Its the only dark chocolate I buy. I eat half a bar every day. Please review again.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. As noted in May in the comment above, we will be reviewing this chocolate bar again soon. I've already purchased another bar and it's in our queue. Thank you for writing, and you can expect a new review near the end of June.

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  4. It does seem that either the chocolate we reviewed was from a bad batch or it has much improved in the past two years. I posted a new review today.

    Thanks again for your comments.

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  5. Ive tried other dark chocolates (85 or higher) and this is by far the best one. It look a little to get used to after going from eating straight up sugar (hershey bars, etc.). Most chocolate under 70percent are like candy. Is there a dark chocolate 85 or higher you recommend to try? Cause I havent found one as good as the trader joes yet

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Here are a few I would suggest trying if the flavor profiles interest you:
      Cluizel Grand Noir 85%
      Pacari Raw 85%
      Kallari Sinchi Supreme 85%

      If you're up for 100% cocoa solids, check out the best of those on our Chocolate Rankings page, or perhaps Cluziel Noir Infini 99% or Taza Wicked Dark 95%.

      Sorry for the delay in replying. I hope the above is useful for you.

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