Before I get into the actual review, let me begin by saying that I understand that there are two types of chocolate bars on the market today, artisan chocolate bars and mass-produced chocolate bars. Both have their place, and let me add that there are some pretty outstanding mass-produced bars out there. Once you start sampling minimally-processed, high-quality artisan chocolate, though, it's hard to go back. Still, I won't say that I skip the mass-produced bars, because there are some that are consistently good and aim to take what smaller companies are doing in terms of ethics and originality and produce quality chocolate bars on a larger scale.
Dark chocolate pear and almond bar.
This bar is hard to take. There are so many things wrong with it; I hardly know where to start. About the only good thing going for this one is the packaging, which is nice. It's nothing extraordinary, but it's an eye-catching cardboard box that looks somewhat commercial but still has a free-spirit semblance. Upon opening the container, I expected to be blasted with a strong chocolate aroma, but instead the smell was very mild.
The bar is thin, so I was expecting the almonds to be peaking out through surface somewhere, but the chocolate maker somehow managed to squeeze those suckers in there without them showing. The result is they are so thinly sliced that a nice nutty crunch and flavor are both lacking.
What I wish were lacking but isn't is the pear flavor, which is overpowering. It jumps out at you like a were-clown in a haunted house. Though the label claims natural flavorings, the pear tastes like anything but. It reminds me of some unpalatable candy I had as a kid once...or maybe it was cough syrup, I'm not sure. I just know that the flavor makes me cringe. If you close your eyes and try really hard, you can sort of imagine pears, but the initial impact in the mouth is far too sweet and there's a terrible bitter, pungent aftertaste. Instead of being tangy, the pear comes off more as sour, like yogurt that has gone bad. In a word: Ick.
The worst thing about the bar is that you can't taste the chocolate. Sometimes with strange flavors added, the quality of the chocolate can save the entire bar. Not so here. The pear flavor is in your face from start to finish, pushing the chocolate off center stage and onto the floor of the orchestra pit for good. I found there to be an abnormal dry finish that lingers in the mouth, too. Give me a smooth chocolate that coats the palate over this any day.
Milk chocolate toffee and sea salt bar.
Compared to the pear bar, pretty much anything would be impressive. The reality is that this bar is good, not great. The biggest problem is, like with the other bar, the chocolate just doesn't shine through. I happen to like toffee, so this one isn't as offensive as the pear bar. Still, it needs more of a chocolate accent added to it. Overall, it's too sweet. It can be difficult to balance the sweetness of toffee with milk chocolate, but it's not an impossible task. Unfortunately, Whole Foods missed the mark with this one. I almost want to dip the entire thing in dark chocolate to fix the problems of both the excessive sweetness and the lack of a good chocolate taste.
That said, the toffee is very nice. It's crunchy and sticks to your teeth when you chew it. The flavor is buttery with strong notes of caramel and toasted nuts. I didn't detect an overabundance of salt, but what was added did add a nice saline touch. The milk chocolate has a nice texture; it's smooth and creamy. I just wish the cocoa flavor were stronger. I would also prefer a thicker bar, as it feels really good to sink your teeth into chocolate with toffee in it.
Next time I try a Whole Foods brand chocolate bar, I will go for this one:
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| Dark Chocolate Bar - Tanzania Schoolhouse Project Enjoy our Whole Trade Guarantee dark chocolate bar any time of day. A portion of the proceeds go to help fund the education of children in Tanzania. |
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