Trader Joe's Dark Chocolate Bar with Caramel and Black Sea Salt Review

I'm very lucky that my friends know how much I love chocolate, because I often get suggestions about what chocolate I should try. It's even better when a sample lands in my hands. Oh la la! This was the case recently when a friend of mine started talking about one of her favorite chocolate bars. As she described the bar, my mouth immediately started watering. She talked about sticky caramel and black sea sea salt enrobed in dark chocolate, which sounded fantastic. When she mentioned it is from Trader Joe's and is very affordable, I was suddenly skeptical, not expecting a store brand could offer anything very memorable. 

A few days later, a Trader Joe's Dark Chocolate Caramel with Black Sea Salt bar was waiting for me at work with a note attached saying that I should try it and review the chocolate on this blog. I'm so touched that my friend thought of me and went one step further by buying me a bar! In the end, I was pleasantly surprised.

Dark chocolate bar with caramel and black sea salt

Let me start by saying it was a smart move to pair dark chocolate with caramel. Caramel is sugary; there's no way around that. Though it can be done, it's tricky to combine milk chocolate and caramel in a way that doesn't result in a cloyingly sweet treat. Using dark chocolate cuts the sweetness of the caramel. Voila! Problem solved.

There's much to like about the Trader Joe's bar. More than anything, it's interesting. Even just the black sea salt added makes this bar more intriguing than any standard store-bought chocolate. The salt not only adds a nice crunchiness, it adds a burst of saltiness that compliments both the caramel and the chocolate. Plus, the salt crystals look really cool sprinkled on the bar. I mean, you can really see the flakes of salt! Actually, that's the regular sea salt that shows up, but there is black sea salt added too. 

I didn't expect this chocolate bar to be so thin. "Where is the caramel going to go?" was my first thought. But rest assured that the caramel is in there. Between ultra thin layers of chocolate sits a lovely dark or "burnt" caramel -- caramel that's not actually burnt but is darker in color and stronger in flavor than other types of caramel -- that has hints of coffee, toffee, caramel and cocoa. 

The bar breaks easily and not always where it's scored.

Once a piece of chocolate is snapped off, the caramel can't help but ooze out. The sticky, gooey filling doesn't really drip like a true liquid caramel, but it does run, especially if it's left out at room temperature or above. It's the prefect contrast to the hard, dark chocolate, but some might find it too gooey. It lacks a chewy texture, but that's OK if you are expecting a more fluid filling. Just be sure to break the squares over a plate or napkin, because things could get a little messy. 

Sticky caramel oozes out quite readily.

The best way to eat this bar is to break off one of the large squares and stick it in your mouth. The chocolate quickly caves in on itself once it surrenders to pressure from your teeth, yielding the soft caramel sandwiched between. There are some wonderful textures and flavors that mingle in your mouth as you chew and savor the chocolate.

Dark chocolate bars.

The chocolate itself is a good quality Belgian chocolate. That sort of goes without saying, as there have been regulations in place since 1884 that prevent Belgian chocolate from being corrupted by any low-quality fat. As a result, Belgian chocolate is generally high-quality and always at least 35 percent pure cocoa. This bar is a 70 percent dark chocolate and has a nice even flavor, no real undertones or subtle notes, just a pure, straightforward cocoa taste that's typical of Belgian chocolate. The texture is ultra smooth and not at all chalky. Apparently, Trader Joe's has a whole line of dark chocolate bars.

Trader Joe's

Some people have said that Trader Joe's is a horrible company and even compared it to Walmart. Others claim it's the best company in the world. To be honest, I found far more positive articles on the company than negative ones. In fact, this is the worst article I could find, and it made me think that everyone needs to be informed when shopping, not just at Trader Joe's. Whether or not Trader Joe's in responsible for putting small businesses out of business is up for debate, but it's important to know the source of the products you buy, whether you purchase chocolate, fish or cereal. It's not always obvious where and how large companies get their products, and that's part of the reason why I try to support small, local businesses as much as I can. I also attempt to learn about the companies from which I buy. Still, it can be hard to beat the low prices Trader Joe's offers, and they really do a lot of good for a food company.