Endangered Species Chocolate Review

Endangered Species Chocolate Review

Endangered Species on display.

After the Whole Foods Pear Almond Chocolate bar fiasco, I have been gravitating toward less exotic chocolate combinations, going back to plain chocolate or my normal go-to bars. Included in the bars that I can always count on to be consistently good even if they are not out of this world are the Endangered Species chocolate bars. These are not artisanal or hand-crafted chocolates, but they are affordable, good quality chocolates. Plus, I love that the company donates 10% of their net profits to organizations around the world that support species conservation, habitat preservation and humanitarian efforts.

I actually went a little nuts, because there was quite the sale going on in two different stores for the entire line of Endangered Species chocolate.  As a result, I ended up with four different bars, two large and two small. All but half of one is left, and that will disappear soon enough.

In the past, my biggest complaint with these chocolate bars was with specific flavors, not the overall chocolate. I think the chocolate itself is fine. It's a good quality, straightforward, above-average chocolate that's not overly complex or necessarily intriguing but serves its purpose. For me, the flavors that include nuts are problematic, because the nuts are chopped into pieces that I feel are too small. I like being to feel the crunch of the nut between my teeth, so pieces that are too small are a disappointment. Besides, the flavor isn't as pronounced when the nuts are so finely chopped. The good news regarding the nut flavors is that the ones I sampled contained fresh ingredients. That's always the worst when nuts in chocolate are rancid. Yuck!

Endangered Species Chocolates

Recently, I noticed that Endangered Species is carrying a new line of chocolate bars: vegan, cream-filled chocolate bars. I couldn't resist buying the almond butter flavor. You know how strange it is when you expect something, but reality doesn't match what you created in your head? Well, that's what happened. I expected a different texture and flavor, so I was caught off guard. It took me some time to get used to the real version, because I was expecting a thicker, more substantial texture, more like the filling in a Reese's peanut butter cup, even though it says right there on the package that it's creme filled. That implies light and fluffy, not thick and chewy. D'oh!

Chocolate with almond creme.

This flavor grew on me, but I wasn't thrilled at first. The interior is too light both in terms of flavor and texture. It doesn't stand up to the solid dark chocolate and comes off more as slippery than creamy. If I had been blindfolded, I wouldn't have known it was an almond filling. In fact, it was hard to detect any real flavoring in the filling at all. I would be curious to try a different creme flavor to see if there is any difference.

I have to admit that the mini cherry-flavored chocolate bar was my least favorite. I love cherries, but I'm not a big fan of cherry-flavored products. That may seem strange, but I would have preferred actual dried cherries in this bar. Instead, it had a funny cherry flavor added to the chocolate itself. I'm sure some people would like it, but it's not for me.

Dark chocolate bar and cherry chocolate bar.

The other mini bar I tried was just a regular dark chocolate bar, no frills and nothing added. While it wasn't exceptionally memorable, it was fine and just what I needed after a rare bad-chocolate experience. For the price, I was OK with it. Knowing that the beans are ethically sourced and bought from small, family-owned farmers makes me feel better about eating it. For vegan chocolate, it's one of the better tasting bars on the market for the price. It's chocolaty and simple with very little bitterness, and it's not overly sweet, which appeals to me.

With the sale going on, I was tempted to buy one of the more interesting flavors such as cocoa nibs with yacon and acai or gogi berry with pecans and maca, but I hesitated. I didn't know what yacon was or what it tastes like. Another flavor that looked interesting was one with maca, but I couldn't imagine how that would taste in chocolate. I will eventually try one of those bars, especially since I just discovered that yacon is a "perennial plant traditionally grown in the Northern and Central Andes from Colombia to Northern Argentina for its crisp, sweet-tasting tuberous roots." it sounds like something I'd probably like, however, I opted for the plain chocolate with nibs instead. 

Chocolate with cacao nibs

Once again, this is just good chocolate. It's not extraordinary, and there's nothing that jumps out to grab your attention, but the chocolate has a nice pure cocoa taste. The nibs are appropriately crunchy, though there's not a whole lot that's intriguing with them other than the added crunch. I like that the chocolate is not overly sweet, yet there are no strong bitter tones, even with the added nibs. The taste is balanced and even, and the texture of all their chocolates is smooth, not chalky. Each bar has a nice, clean snap, too.