Thanks for the review, Mark. I've been wondering what happened to Alex Rast.
Did he just stop posting, or did something happen to him?

This product has two remarkable features: a) it's really
good chocolate and b) it's really cheap. It is only $0.99
for a bag containing 5 oz. of chocolate, in the form of
tiny individually wrapped bars. It's 65% cocoa mass,
so it's very dark for most people and just barely dark
enough for me. There's also a milk chocolate version
at the same price, but nobody cares about that. (Nobody
I care about, anyway.)

I would place it in the same category with many fine
chocolates such as Lindt. My preference is for lightly
roasted chocolates such as Scharffen Berger (before they
screwed it up), Valrhona (some types), and Chocovic, but
I find this chocolate to be good for a slightly darker
roast. Alex Rast disliked light roasts, but I think if he
were still around he would approve of this chocolate.

The label says it's a product of Columbia. Usually, it's
not hard to figure out who makes a Trader Joe's product.
(The 3 oz. bars wrapped in thin cardboard on wooden
shelves next to the checkout stands are Villars.) But
I don't know who makes chocolate in Columbia.

The only thing I don't like about this chocolate is to use
it in my ACMC chocolate temperer I'm going to have to unwrap
all those tiny bars. I suppose I could have worse things to
complain about. Bigger bars would be nice for me, but I
suppose little ones have more utility to the soccer mom set.

At the same time this chocolate appeared, another new
chocolate appeared over in the baking section, Baker Josef's
Unsweetened Baking Chocolate. Also from Colombia and also
a good value at $1.99 for an 8 oz. bag of thin discs. I've
always disliked eating 85% and above chocolates straight.
It seems like eating dirt. This is the first high-percent
chocolate (100% cacao mass) that I find palatable. If I get
used to eating this stuff, I may even come to like it.
I think Alex would have really liked this one. I've never
smelled such a blast of chocolate aroma as when I opened
a bag of this one.

I anticipate it will be useful for boosting the % of the
Minis, should that be deemed desirable. It's interesting
for exploring how chocolate can be combined with savory
foods. I've already tried it with dried tomatoes. That's
a non-traditional combination worthy of further research.

(For anyone who thinks I write nothing but glowing reviews
of Trader Joe's products, wait till the next one. I'm very
angry about what they've done to a product I use every day.
Very angry, indeed.)

On May 25, 7:04*pm, Mark Thorson > wrote:
> This product has two remarkable features: a) it's really
> good chocolate and b) it's really cheap. *It is only $0.99
> for a bag containing 5 oz. of chocolate, in the form of
> tiny individually wrapped bars. *It's 65% cocoa mass,
> so it's very dark for most people and just barely dark
> enough for me. *There's also a milk chocolate version
> at the same price, but nobody cares about that. *(Nobody
> I care about, anyway.)
>
> I would place it in the same category with many fine
> chocolates such as Lindt. *My preference is for lightly
> roasted chocolates such as Scharffen Berger (before they
> screwed it up), Valrhona (some types), and Chocovic, but
> I find this chocolate to be good for a slightly darker
> roast. *Alex Rast disliked light roasts, but I think if he
> were still around he would approve of this chocolate.
>
> The label says it's a product of Columbia. *Usually, it's
> not hard to figure out who makes a Trader Joe's product.
> (The 3 oz. bars wrapped in thin cardboard on wooden
> shelves next to the checkout stands are Villars.) *But
> I don't know who makes chocolate in Columbia.
>
> The only thing I don't like about this chocolate is to use
> it in my ACMC chocolate temperer I'm going to have to unwrap
> all those tiny bars. *I suppose I could have worse things to
> complain about. *Bigger bars would be nice for me, but I
> suppose little ones have more utility to the soccer mom set.
>
> At the same time this chocolate appeared, another new
> chocolate appeared over in the baking section, Baker Josef's
> Unsweetened Baking Chocolate. *Also from Colombia and also
> a good value at $1.99 for an 8 oz. bag of thin discs. *I've
> always disliked eating 85% and above chocolates straight.
> It seems like eating dirt. *This is the first high-percent
> chocolate (100% cacao mass) that I find palatable. *If I get
> used to eating this stuff, I may even come to like it.
> I think Alex would have really liked this one. *I've never
> smelled such a blast of chocolate aroma as when I opened
> a bag of this one.
>
> I anticipate it will be useful for boosting the % of the
> Minis, should that be deemed desirable. *It's interesting
> for exploring how chocolate can be combined with savory
> foods. *I've already tried it with dried tomatoes. *That's
> a non-traditional combination worthy of further research.
>
> (For anyone who thinks I write nothing but glowing reviews
> of Trader Joe's products, wait till the next one. *I'm very
> angry about what they've done to a product I use every day.
> Very angry, indeed.)


Sounds like this chocolate would work with this recipe from
theshiksa.com

http://theshiksa.com/2011/05/18/trip...nd-mandelbrot/

Harriet & critters in Azusa.

On May 25, 9:04*pm, Mark Thorson > wrote:
> This product has two remarkable features: a) it's really
> good chocolate and b) it's really cheap. *It is only $0.99
> for a bag containing 5 oz. of chocolate, in the form of
> tiny individually wrapped bars. *It's 65% cocoa mass,
> so it's very dark for most people and just barely dark
> enough for me...

That comes to barely over $3/lb for 65% cocoa chocolate? That is
immensely cheap for real chocolate. Are you sure it's real chocolate,
and contains only cocoa butter as it's only fat?

I may have to check this out!

John Kuthe...

"Mark Thorson" > wrote in message
...
> This product has two remarkable features: a) it's really
> good chocolate and b) it's really cheap. It is only $0.99
> for a bag containing 5 oz. of chocolate, in the form of
> tiny individually wrapped bars. It's 65% cocoa mass,
> so it's very dark for most people and just barely dark
> enough for me. There's also a milk chocolate version
> at the same price, but nobody cares about that. (Nobody
> I care about, anyway.)
>
> I would place it in the same category with many fine
> chocolates such as Lindt. My preference is for lightly
> roasted chocolates such as Scharffen Berger (before they
> screwed it up), Valrhona (some types), and Chocovic, but
> I find this chocolate to be good for a slightly darker
> roast. Alex Rast disliked light roasts, but I think if he
> were still around he would approve of this chocolate.
>
> The label says it's a product of Columbia. Usually, it's
> not hard to figure out who makes a Trader Joe's product.
> (The 3 oz. bars wrapped in thin cardboard on wooden
> shelves next to the checkout stands are Villars.) But
> I don't know who makes chocolate in Columbia.
>
> The only thing I don't like about this chocolate is to use
> it in my ACMC chocolate temperer I'm going to have to unwrap
> all those tiny bars. I suppose I could have worse things to
> complain about. Bigger bars would be nice for me, but I
> suppose little ones have more utility to the soccer mom set.
>
> At the same time this chocolate appeared, another new
> chocolate appeared over in the baking section, Baker Josef's
> Unsweetened Baking Chocolate. Also from Colombia and also
> a good value at $1.99 for an 8 oz. bag of thin discs. I've
> always disliked eating 85% and above chocolates straight.
> It seems like eating dirt. This is the first high-percent
> chocolate (100% cacao mass) that I find palatable. If I get
> used to eating this stuff, I may even come to like it.
> I think Alex would have really liked this one. I've never
> smelled such a blast of chocolate aroma as when I opened
> a bag of this one.
>
> I anticipate it will be useful for boosting the % of the
> Minis, should that be deemed desirable. It's interesting
> for exploring how chocolate can be combined with savory
> foods. I've already tried it with dried tomatoes. That's
> a non-traditional combination worthy of further research.
>
> (For anyone who thinks I write nothing but glowing reviews
> of Trader Joe's products, wait till the next one. I'm very
> angry about what they've done to a product I use every day.
> Very angry, indeed.)
>
>
They don't have "mini's" at our Trader Jose's anymore. Where are you
located?We're crazy about the milk chocolate minis.

Kent

Janet wrote:
>
> Thanks for the review, Mark. I've been wondering what happened to Alex Rast.
> Did he just stop posting, or did something happen to him?

I think he took a new job and moved to England.
Maybe he's just too busy for newsgroups.

John Kuthe wrote:
>
> On May 25, 9:04 pm, Mark Thorson > wrote:
> > This product has two remarkable features: a) it's really
> > good chocolate and b) it's really cheap. It is only $0.99
> > for a bag containing 5 oz. of chocolate, in the form of
> > tiny individually wrapped bars. It's 65% cocoa mass,
> > so it's very dark for most people and just barely dark
> > enough for me...
>
> That comes to barely over $3/lb for 65% cocoa chocolate? That is
> immensely cheap for real chocolate. Are you sure it's real chocolate,
> and contains only cocoa butter as it's only fat?

Doesn't list any other fat on the ingrediants list.