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.