Trader Joe’s Dark Chocolate Lover’s Bar
Trader Joe’s has a unique style with their quirky, half-funny cartoons on chalkboards throughout the stores and on their newsletters. I’ve grown fond of it all; this chocolate’s design is also in keeping with that style. Dark brown against bright green and orange with an off-beat font. It draws the eye in differently from most of the usually more formal 85%’s. The potential problems from a name like “Dark Chocolate Lover’s” never really have a chance to form; there’s no blurb on the back explaining why this bar is so great or why it’s only for the dedicated. It’s just there as a simple attention-grabber.
Inside the box are two 50 gram bars, individually clad in brown and lime green. It’s nice to see the design work carry through on the inside. I’m a little puzzled by the logo on the twelve squares, though. The best I can make out, it’s the initials “ChL” inside a circle. “Chocolate Lover’s,” maybe?
It’s Columbian cacao we’re dealing with here, from the Tumaco Region. If there was only one word I could use to describe this bar, it would be “s’mores.” Chocolate and marshmallow are what it reminds me off. It hits that line where it isn’t sweet, it isn’t bitter. (At least not to me – there is a dry taste that gets close and may very well go over the edge for some palates.) The “smooth” description is an apt way of putting the balance it finds. It’s funny because it’s fudge-like while still a serious chocolate. You get a taste of both angles, which I’ll repeat is singular for such a high percentage.
Another chocolate that matches its packaging design well, the fun colors paired with the cacao vine. At $1.49 for the 100 gram total, it’s also a great deal for a chocolate fix.
Information
- Contains dark chocolate (85% cocoa solids).
- Filed under dark chocolate, trader joes, us.
Alas, I don’t think they are carrying this any more (and after such a short time!) and I am heart-broken because I think this is one of the best–if not THE best–chocolate bar that TJ’s has ever carried.
Lately I could not find them in TJ’s around the SF Bay Area either. Am going to miss them terribly.
I agree guys, definitely my favorite TJ’s chocolate, and one of the best among all chocolates imho. I really hope TJ is going to bring this yummy treat back.
Nice Post. I see them featuring this in their latest circular, so maybe it will appear back in stock to the people who can’t find it. I eagerly await trying it out for myself since it’s a great price for what sounds like an interesting bar.
Yech. This chocolate bar was horrid. I can understand why they’d be taking it out of rotation, if that was the case. However, I just bought and consumed one of these last week so I don’t think they’re discontinuing it. Shame, really. I love dark chocolate; I am a dark chocolate lover. And this bar was *maybe* the only chocolate bar I’ve ever stopped eating half way through and thrown away. I agree with the review inasmuch as the bar I had wasn’t sweet or bitter. In fact, it was near flavorless. The experience of chewing it was like eating the tile flooring out of a doll house.
Where can I purchase the 85% chocolate lovers bar in Oklahoma?
I think the chocolate tastes wonderful & I like that it has fiber in it. I’m happy to say my husband didn’t like it, so I don’t have to share it with him.
This chocolate bar is not for everyone–it is true that the flavor is not as strong as some bars, but I would argue that this is because other chocolate bars counter a strong bitterness with a strong sweetness. The cocoa that went into this bar must not have been so bitter- as the packaging suggests, its just smooth and fruity. A remarkable feat for such a high percentage, to use such little sugar and achieve a bar which is not overwhelmingly bitter.
The bar also does not leave that bitter taste in your mouth that even lower percentages often do.
I would not recommend this bar to someone who does not seek out very dark chocolate, but I also do not think it is prohibitive to someone like me who enjoys milk chocolate and even white chocolate, too :)
This could be my favorite chocolate ever! Has a very tangy, fruity flavor, and also does melt like butter! And very low sugar! And the price is just amazaing: $1.5 for 3.5 ounces! just an amazing bar! But the title is apt: my Mom, who hates dark chocolate, tried it and said it tastes like soap! -f
One of the greats imho, I think I prefer it to valrhona that Tj’s also carries. Smooth fruity and not overly bitter.
The best chocolate bar ever!! I cannot get enough if it!!
I just picked up a bar two days ago in the NYC Union Square TJoes. It does have a marshmallowey taste. I also pick up a little maraschino cherry. Very tasty.
I absolutely LOVE this chocolate and I eat four squares everynight after dinner. I can’t get enough of it. It’s so tasty and I love the texture as well.
I hope that it won’t be discontinued: it would be really bad news…
I’m eating a bar right now. I think its excellent for an 85%. I’ve tried a lot of different chocolate over the years (dark) and while this isn’t the best, its really good for a high percentage cocoa. My favorite snacking bar is probably Chocolove 77% bar.