Good Things Come to Those Who Wait

We're still busy at work on our projects so you'll need to wait a little longer for our next post.  We'll be kicking off October with a delicious tasting, so make sure to check back next week!

For now savor: “Put 'Eat Chocolate' at the top of your list of things to do today.  That way, at least you'll get one thing done.” - Anonymous

Break Me Off a Piece of That Kit Kat Bar!

We're taking a break from blogging this week to focus on a few of our other projects. Check back next week to see what sweet treat we've been nibbling on.

For now savor: “The 12-step chocolate program: NEVER BE MORE THAN 12 STEPS AWAY FROM CHOCOLATE!” - Terry Moore

Chapter Twenty: Strawberry Bits

Even though we’ve tasted chocolate purchased from World Market, this is our first tasting from the World Market brand.  We should note that the Dark Chocolate Dried Strawberry Bits with Pink Himalayan Sea Salt bar’s cocoa content is not listed on the packaging but we wish that it were.  This is something that we always like to know.  The box also has almost no information regarding origins, which is disappointing.  It seems that the mystery of an “exotic bar” is the main selling point, leaving you with little information about the bar.

Tasting No. :18

World Market DarkChocolate Dried Strawberry Bits with Pink Himalayan Sea Salt

Initial Impressions:

The first thing we noticed was the visible bits of freeze dried strawberry followed by the aroma of strawberries.  It smelled as sweet as the base bar, but did have a softer snap and lighter color in comparison.

Flavor Profile:

Initial – Pure strawberry

Middle – Salt, strawberry

After – Salt

Texture:

This bar had a rough texture, because of all of the added strawberry bits and sea salt.  However, the bite of it was softer than the base bar, even with the crunchy texture.

Overall:

This bar, like the TraderJoe’s Coconut Caramel and other World Market filled bars, left us disappointed on the chocolate front.  We found it to be very sweet, and would have liked larger fewer bits of strawberry in larger chunks instead sprinkled throughout so that you could differentiate between the strawberry and the chocolate.  With the ratio of chocolate to strawberry as it was, we found the flavors too overwhelming to enjoy the bar slowly. We enjoyed this bar with a very dark black tea to combat the sweetness.

Rating: 5/10

*Notes:

Purchased at World Market

Price range under $4

Next week, join us for another Trader Joe's bar.  This one is a Belgium chocolate bar. Yum!

For now savor: "What you see before you, my friend, is the result of a lifetime of chocolate." – Katharine Hepburn

Chapter Nineteen: Dark Chocolate Truffle

This week’s tasting is Dark Chocolate Truffle and it is yet another bar from our Trader Joe’s shopping spree, we were drawn to the “truffle” component.  We noticed that the back of the package states that it contains a minimum of 57% chocolate.

Tasting No.: 17
Trader Joe's Dark Chocolate Truffle

Initial Impressions:
The truffle bar was darker and browner than the base bar and the snap was notably soft, probably due to the truffle element, and yet, the bite was firm. The aroma was similar to the base bar, but slightly less acidic - almost a dry straw scent.

Flavor Profile:
Initial – dry straw
Middle – jasmine
After – blackcurrant, blackberry

Texture:
The truffle made this bar ultra-creamy, almost like a firm ganache or a thick chocolate syrup.

Overall:
We noticed that our base bar was very earthy after tasting truffle bar.  This bar tasted more expensive than it really was and we would recommend it cost-effective organic alternative to other bars that you would commonly find at a grocery store.  Although it was only 57%, we still enjoyed that it was not overly sweet and the chocolate flavor was present.

Rating: 7/10

*Notes:
Purchased at: Trader Joe’s
Price range under $3
This is a good bar that will satisfy with a single square; it’s rich but not overwhelming and is delightfully creamy.

Next week, we're excited to be tasting World Market's house brand, a dark chocolate with dried strawberry bits and sea salt.  See you then!

For now savor: “A dark-chocolate truffle melts in my mouth, and I forget about everything else...even the fact that I'm on a diet.” - Barbara Brooke

Remember, fairly traded chocolate is a responsible way to support farmers by ensuring that the chocolate that you consume has been bought for a fair price.  By choosing to purchase fair trade chocolate, you can honor the cocoa tree growers and support their way of life which in turn leads to better chocolate.