Chocolate Santander Colombian Single Origin 70% Cacao Dark Chocolate Pineapple Bits

2.3oz (65g) bar

Ingredients: Cocoa mass, sugar, cocoa powder, cocoa butter, soy lecithin, pineapple extract

19g sugar/65g serving (29.2% by wt.)

I bought Chocolate Santander's pineapple bar during a trip to Chocolopolis. It caught my eye because it seemed like a nice change of pace, conjuring images of an only-in-the-tropics merger of sweet chocolate and chewy pieces of sweet-tart dried pineapple.

This sharply molded, deep brown bar does smell of sweet tropical fruit, as well as the nuttiness I remember from my first Chocolate Santander bar. The chocolate is nutty, tart, and dryly tannic—fine, but not exactly what I was envisioning. The pineapple, while plentiful, is in such small pieces that they can't possibly be really chewy, though they do have enough presence to stick around in all their tiny glory as the chocolate melts in your mouth. They also contribute a hint of the fruity sharpness particular to pineapple, but the strong-tasting chocolate base dominates here.

I have to admit I'm disappointed, though I'm not sure I'm being fair. This bar is just more sour than I had hoped, without the corresponding juicy sweetness I think of when I crave pineapple or the creaminess I thought the chocolate might contribute. On the other hand, I should have remembered that Chocolate Santander uses a stronger, sourer chocolate than the ideal I had in mind, and for what it is it's not bad. Maybe this is just not for me.

Conclusion: Chocolate Santander Colombian Single Origin 70% Cacao Dark Chocolate Pineapple Bits is strong, tart chocolate with a light touch of pineapple.

Trader Joe’s The Dark Chocolate Lover’s Chocolate Bar 85%

3.5oz (100g) in two individually wrapped 1.75oz bars

Ingredients: Cocoa mass, sugar, cocoa butter, soy lecithin, natural vanilla flavor

6g sugar/40g serving (15% by wt.)

I don’t have the best track record with Trader Joe’s chocolate. On second thought that’s not entirely honest, as I’ve only had trouble recently. Even when they’re not especially high quality, TJ’s candies are often addictive (try the mini peanut butter cups!), and for a short time when I was experimenting with 100% cacao bars—in very small doses—TJ’s carried a particular baking bar that I enjoyed to a surprising degree. It’s with my current diet’s very dark bars that I haven’t been so impressed. One memorable disappointment was the 73% cacao bar with almonds, the one in the pink foil wrapper, which sat partially eaten in The Chocolate Basket for ages before I finally tossed it. I couldn’t bring myself to review it because I’d have to eat it again, and I began this blog for fun; suffering for journalistic integrity is a somewhat lower priority. Thus, despite Trader Joe’s relatively low prices I’ve gravitated toward other brands, and this 85% cacao bar remained unopened in the basket until this week, when I decided to bite the bullet (and the bar--har har).

The good news is that it’s pretty decent. Inside the cardboard box are two smallish, flat bars, so you can open one and leave the other in its airtight plastic wrapper. The texture is as creamy and  smooth as 85% cacao bars tend to get, without any distracting chalkiness or brittle flakes. It has a sort of thin, nutty sweetness that might appeal to some, and it’s fairly bitter, a bit too much for me but interesting nonetheless. Both of those flavors aren’t quite my bag, so I don’t think this bar will be giving any repeat performances here, but I suspect there are chocolate lovers who would really enjoy it.

Conclusion: Trader Joe’s 85% bar is interesting but not to my taste.

P.S. I'm labeling this origin: Colombia, but since it doesn't explicitly say "single origin" on the box, it's possible they mean that it includes chocolate from Colombia. No promises.

Chocolate Santander Colombian Single Origin Dark Chocolate 70% Cacao

2.46 (70g) bar

Ingredients: Cocoa mass, sugar, cocoa powder, cocoa butter, soy lecithin, natural vanilla

20g sugar/70g bar (28.6% by wt.)

I tasted Chocolate Santander’s 70% cacao bar, though the single-origin Colombian chocolate company makes several others as well.

I found this bar to be creamy and sweet but surprisingly complex: It has some bright tartness, is very nutty, a bit fruity, and with a hint of bitterness.

Conclusion: Chocolate Santander’s 70% bar is totally accessible but also interesting.