Milk Chocolate Truffles

Milk Chocolate Truffles with Soft Creme Center

The wrappings on these truffles are very, very pretty.  They are extremely detailed little pieces of artwork.   The truffles are made in Germany and the nutritional information says that a serving size is 2 pieces.  For ME, 1 piece of these is a serving.

This photo really doesn't do the wrapper justice.  They are very pretty.

David is our resident sweet expert, and here is what he thought of these truffles:  “There are 3 different colors of wrapper, but the truffles inside are all the same.  The chocolate is excellent, really great.  The overall truffle is good.  I think the inside is a little bit heavy for me.  I wouldn’t mind something a little more mousse-like.  The crème is very rich and buttery.  Maybe most people would pop a whole one of these in their mouth – and the balance is very good.  (Editor’s note:  David would never eat a treat like this all in one bite 😊 ).   I give these a 4.25.”

Even before we opened the BAG David's mouth was watering.

As for my take on this special treat, I am surprised at how cheap these are.  There are 10 truffles in a bag and they sell for only $2.29.  I think they would be GREAT to buy a bag of, open, and put a few into Easter baskets.  They are very tasty.  They beat “normal” Easter candy hands down.  (In other words – I would prefer one of these truffles over a fake-y hollow chocolate bunny any day.) 

The milk chocolate quality in these truffles is very nice.  The size of each truffle is a little too big for me, but I think most people would be perfectly fine with the size.  The flavors are a very nice blend – the crème-y, truffle-y inside and the milk chocolate outside.  These would be good to give as gifts.  I give them a 4.25.

Here is the creme center

So, there you go!  We both really liked this new treat from Trader Joe’s.  It may well be seasonal, so you should get some soon.  I think we will grab another bag.  Or two…  Ok, probably two… 

P.S. – We liked these better than TJ’s Milk Chocolate Truffle BAR.  You can see a previous review of that product here:  Milk Chocolate Truffle Bar Review

Price:  $2.29

Rating:  4.25

Bonus photo:  HAPPY EASTER (to those who celebrate) from my sisters and I. 
I think this photo is circa Easter morning, 1968 or 1969.  Attractive, no??

Chocolate Filled Crepes

I love crepes.  I like chocolate crepes.  So, I was very excited when I saw these in the frozen food section at Trader Joe’s!!

Apparently THIS is my excited face.

We used to live in Paris, and I loooved getting crepes from the little stands on the street corners.  I especially loved the simple butter and sugar crepes…  Ahhhh, just writing about them brings back memories and makes my mouth water!  If digital cameras had been around when we lived there, I am quite certain I would have photos of us sitting at some café eating crepes, but sadly, that was back in the time of 35 mm film…  I do, however, have a couple of old Paris vacation photos.  😊

David, long hair and leather jacket, sipping coffee at a Parisian Cafe circa 1998
(You cannot tell me this look is not sexy...)

Us, touring the Paris sewers in 1989.  It looks like I am wearing a shirt I borrowed from someone who wore
 8 sizes bigger than me, no?  What was I thinking... 

All that being said, I guess you could say that I have sort of high standards where crepes are concerned.  However, I do not know how to MAKE CREPES myself, so I do not have a lot of room to judge or criticize other people’s crepes!  However, review is what I am here to do, so let’s set about reviewing these TRADER JOE’S CHOCOLATE CREPES, shall we?

Here's the box!  

First, they are frozen and so easy to prepare.  You just put them on a plate, bung them in the microwave, and voila – it is crepe time! 

My first reaction the first time we had these was, “Well, they are better than not having any crepe, that’s for sure.  But it is definitely not as good as having a “real crepe” on the streets of Paris.  The crepe part is a little bit rubbery, but it is nice that it holds all of the chocolate filling in.  you can pick it up like a sandwich, you don’t even have to use a fork if you do not want to.  In my opinion, the chocolate filling tastes a bit like melted ganache.  The size of each crepe is rather small, but that is not a negative in my book.  We have had them for snacks, dessert, and breakfasts (I prefer breakfast with a nice cup of coffee or cappuccino). 

Look!  A bit of chocolate is peeking out!  So pretty.  I served them with blueberries
 from TJ's,  a fig from our garden, and cappuccinos.  

I think these would be good if you added fresh whipped cream, or strawberries, or banana slices on top.  That would add some pizazz, but even without those additions I think these are a winner.  I give them a 4.25.

David’s opinion:  “I think these are very good.  I like the rubbery crepe quality of them, because the taste of the crepe is really quite flavorful.  I love that they managed to figure out how to make it a nice little sealed rectangular pocket so that stuff doesn’t gush out at the bottom.  I think the taste of the chocolate is quite nice – it is dark chocolate-y and there is not too much of it.  if the crepe itself didn’t taste so good I might say there wasn’t enough chocolate, but as it is I think it is a great balance.  I am going to give this a 4.25.”

These things are CHEAP!

Price:  $2.69 (which comes out to a whopping .38 cents per crepe, cheaper than a candy bar!!)

Rating:  4.25

Bonus Paris photo - lunch outdoors for my birthday - 2007

Campfire S'Mores Bar

I am guessing that this is a seasonal item, for s’more season.  The package says a serving size is 1/3 of the bar.  Here is what we thought when we tried it for dessert after a late night dinner while watching the very disappointing final episode of the Amazing Race on DVR (the wrong team won):

David when we bought this treat.  He looks not 100% convinced, which surprises me!  He loves chocolate stuff.

David:  “Very good.  The chocolate is good.  The marshmallows are very good.  I would just say it could use more graham cracker to set it off, to give it substance.  As it is, it is kinda more a “chocolate bar with marshmallows with a little bit of graham cracker”, and if it had more graham cracker then I think it would be a nicer balance.  I’m going to give this a 4.0.”

Here is the TJ's Campfire S'mores before David dove into it.

My take on it: The thing that makes a S’MORES special is a campfire.  I think Trader Joe’s knows that, or they wouldn’t have named this product CAMPFIRE S’mores Bar, eh?  The whole concept of a s’mores brings to mind camping, sitting around a fire, smelling the smoke from the flames, laughing or singing with friends, and roasting marshmallows.  On the contrary, this “s’mores” from Trader Joe’s has us open a box and cut open a little bag.  Let’s just say that, in my mind at least, that destroys the “magic” of the s’mores.  Not making it yourself around a campfire defeats the purpose.

Also, this bar is weird.  Its base is a layer of mini marshmallows coated in chocolate, where a S’MORES base is a GRAHAM CRACKER.  Am I right here??  Can I get an “amen”???  This TJ’s s’more has no graham cracker bottom, let alone graham cracker top (yes, in my world a s’mores both begins and ends with a graham cracker.)  This TJ’s product is false advertising, man!!  It is calling itself something it is not 😊 .  There are only a few wimpy pieces of graham cracker scattered on top to make it look pretty.  I’m telling you, in a REAL S’MORES, the graham crackers serve a function, to hold your treat together!!   This is a campfire fail.  Why, if I was camping and someone handed me one of these puppies and said, “Would you like a s’more??” I would say, “Are you out of your frickin’ mind?  That is no s’more!  Where are the graham crackers?”. 

David pigging out

The taste of this treat is okay.  It is not amazing.  I am not a calorie counter, and even I say this is not worth the calories.  It is not that it tastes gross or anything, it just isn’t mind blowing and it is not a s’more. 

Price tag - see, it is NEW

Pretty packaging - doesn't it look like you would
 find graham cracker as a base??

One thing this has going for it is the packaging – the faux s’more is displayed nicely.  Though that display is also part of the trick – it makes it look like there is a traditional graham cracker base (which, I know am beating a dead horse when I mention this again, there is not…).   But dude, David even went through our cupboards looking for spare graham crackers to ADD to this treat (alas, we had none). 

Lest you think we are real CAMPERS, I must confess:  we do not camp.  Growing up my family "camped" in an RV (sorta faking it I guess, I mean, we had a little tv with us (though I am so old that it WAS black and white if that makes it sound more like "roughing it"...).  David hates bugs, so therefore hates tents.  However, we went GLAMPING a few years ago and it was insanely fun and cool.  We went to Yellowstone Under Canvas and loved it.  Here are a couple of photos - there was even a campfire!  (Link to the glamping site here:  Yellowstone Under Canvas Glamping

Oh, don't mind us.  We are just enjoying morning coffee on the "deck" of our "tent".  

See, a real live CAMPFIRE!!

Gorgeous set up and stunning surroundings 

Despite all of my misgivings about this Trader Joe's Campfire S'mores, I guess I will give this thing a 3.25. 

Price:  $2.99

Rating (average of 2 raters):  3.5

Chocolate Almond Butter Tarte (the "e" on the end makes it fancy!)

We had a very special guest reviewer help us out on this one – our friend AMEDEO who was visiting from Italy!  We served him pasta with our homemade pesto (he loved the pesto!!  A rave review on our pesto from a real live Italian, that made me proud.)

An out of town (out of country!) visitor meant we got to sight see in our own city - I love that!
Here are David and Amedeo at the Lincoln Memorial.

But we are not here to review our pesto, we are here to review Trader Joe’s Chocolate Almond Butter Tarte!  Here is what David thought:  “This tarte is very good.  It is chocolate-y, but it is not too chocolate-y.  It is not like a chocolate bar.  It is between the softness of mousse and the moistness of pudding (EDITOR'S NOTE:  It is chocolate GANACHE, isn't that fancy schmancy??).  It has a bottom that I like (I like my tarts like I like my women, with a nice bottom!) (Editor’s note again: he’s here all week, folks!).  It is flavorful.  It has a hint of nuts on it.  it is good for the end of a meal and would be good with an espresso.  I would give this a 4.5.”

Doesn't it look SO PRETTY on the box?

Amedeo thought: “E molto buona dopo cena (it is very good after dinner). I think 4.5 is good.”

It is just as pretty in real life!

My take on it:  I think this is GOOD.  I was worried it might be a bit too chocolate-y for me after eating a big meal, but it is not too much chocolate.  It is a light rather than strong chocolate taste.  It’s a nice dessert and pairs well with a red wine.  I personally could use a little more NUT taste.  We all liked the texture – it is a bit of a double texture when considering the chocolate part and the crust.  That’s nice!

Delicious!  

The box says there are 4 servings, but we all agreed that the servings would be too big to cut it into 4.  6 servings seems more reasonable.  Because we did not eat it all for dinner, we had some leftovers the next morning for breakfast and reviewed it again.  I preferred it for DINNER because it was so good with red wine.  I do not oppose eating it for breakfast, but I liked it better at night.  Amedeo agreed that it tasted better for dinner, the mousse part was not as good in the morning after being refrigerated overnight.  David thought it was delicious for breakfast and loved pairing it with coffee, so he votes to eat it for breakfast!!

We all agreed that whenever you eat it, eat it in one sitting for the best taste.  This one is a treat worth getting – try it!  The signage at our local Trader Joe's said it was a new product, so pick one up next time you are shopping. I think the boys got the rating spot on so I will agree with them – it gets a 4.5 from me, too.

This is very reasonably priced.  Recommended!

Price: $5.99

Rating: 4.5 (from all 3 reviewers)

Bonus photo - David and Amedeo with the Washington Monument behind them :)

Fake Trader Joe's, Mt. Pleasant, SC Trader Joe's, and Salty Honey Toffee Milk Chocolate Covered Crackers

Guys, WE WERE PUNKED!

We are on vacation.  Of course, that means VISITING NEW (to us) TRADER JOE'S stores, so I searched on my phone to see where the local Trader Joe’s are near Charleston, SC and 2 came up – one in Charleston proper and one near Mt. Pleasant.  We were in Charleston at the time, so I put the address of that one in the GPS and off we went.

Only, it was a FAKER JOE’S!!!!

Trader Joe's my a** - this is a THRIFT SHOP!

Look!  It was a junky old thrift store!!   And it is so  junky that even as a thrift store it gets some lousy reviews on Yelp!  (Note:  I love thrift stores.  But this one looked particularly sketchy, plus it punked me…)  Doesn’t the font even look like the real TJ’s font???  I think they are walking on thin ice here…  If anyone from Trader Joe’s corporate reads this – check these people out, man!  They are trading on your good name!

Look - they even sell used furniture for college.  (Why do the last THREE items have "and"s before them?
Did they just keep thinking of more amazing products they sell and write them on the truck?

The AirBnb we are staying at is in Mt. Pleasant, so off we went toward that Trader Joe’s address (with me taking a bit more care this time to make sure it was an honest to goodness TJ’s and not another fakey fakerton!).  Found it- REAL STORE.  I think it was our 29th TJ's visited in the 14th state, and it was very nice!!

Mt. Pleasant, South Carolina Trader Joe's!!

First off – look what they have for pooches!

Awwww - isn't that sweet??  A DOGGY DOCK!

I am not a dog person, but even I think it is awesome that they treat their 4 legged friends so nicely!

Secondly, the employees were great!!  They were so friendly and helpful!  The sample area is adorable – it is set up like a light house and very welcoming.  And the employees working the floor were so sweet!!  They helped me hunt for local South Carolina stuff (scored some local brew 😊 ).  And one of them even gave me a Trader Joe’s reusable shopping bag!  Isn’t that so sweet??  (ATTENTION TRADER JOE’S CORPORATE, IT IS ME AGAIN WITH A MESSAGE FOR YOU:  SOUTH CAROLINA NEEDS STATE SPECIFIC BAGS, MAN!  If the other states can have ‘em, good old South Carolina needs them, too!  They are getting ripped off by having to sell the generic bags.  Pony up!  They are totally worth it.)

Even the bathrooms in Mt. Pleasant are awesome!!!!
Gender neutral - if you are a mermaid or a fisherdude, here is where you pee!

I really liked the layout, lighting, cleanliness, and artwork at this location.  Here is my favorite sign:

GREAT SIGN!!!  Whoever paints the signs in Mt. Pleasant deserves a raise

Isn’t it great?? 

I love this sign.  And not just because I am a mermaid and sea shell fan.  It has great info!!  Look - they will open
 anything for you and let you taste it (except alcohol).  And NO QUESTIONS ASKED for returns.  Trader Joe's rocks.

I liked everything about this store.  As we were leaving we saw this sign:

Mt. Pleasant shoppers - find TJ the Turtle!

Their mascot at this location is TJ the Turtle.  I wish we had been hunting for him while we were there!  I didn’t think of it til we saw this sign.  If we pop in again we will see if we can find TJ.

OK, now onto a review!  ,Let’s talk about Salty Honey Toffee Milk Chocolate Covered Crackers.  (We did not get these at the Mt. Pleasant, SC store, these were from our “home store” in Virginia.)

The box says CRACKERS - but are they really CRACKERS?

David’s take on this one:  “These are very nice.  There are all different kinds of sweet and chocolate-y and toffee-ish – the chocolate is very good which is nice.  The big surprise is that in the middle, where you would expect a shortbread cookie or something, it turns out to be something like a SALTINE CRACKER!  It is a little bit more substantial, but a cracker none the less.  And you think, “Well that doesn’t belong in here!!” but then, after you chew it awhile, you go, “You know what??  It is good that it is bringing a different kind of flavor to the experience!”  particularly it is bringing a blank palette – against which the chocolate and the toffee can play – and it brings the SALT, the grains of salt, which makes it so nice and tasty.  I would have to subtract .25 points though, because it doesn’t ADD cookie-ness to it, it just provides a blank canvas against the rest of the cookie can play.  I am gonna give this a 4.75.”

"I wonder what these are like!!  They have CHOCOLATE, I bet I will like them!"

This photo was the SECOND time we got them - he looks happy to be getting them again .

My take:  I also was surprised by the cracker.  Sure, the box says CRACKER, but I thought, “Certainly that can’t mean an honest to goodness cracker….”  I was certainly wrong on that.   I think this whole thing would be better if it were not so THICK.  It is just too HARD.  It is difficult to bite through it or to break it – it is super hard.  I think if they made it half as thick it would be twice as good. 

Aren't they pretty?  (This is on a tiny plate.)

The package says there is a hint of coffee but neither of us could pick up on that.  This product is quite MESSY.  I broke mine in half and then ate them and little bits flew everywhere. 

I do not dislike these, but I wouldn’t say they are amazing or anything.  The box says serving size is 2 crackers – I ate 1.5 and that was plenty for me.  I would give these a 3.5.

Price: $3.99

Rating: 4.25

English Butter Fudge

If you have ever wondered if I am a Trader Joe’s employee, or are somehow getting compensated from Trader Joe’s for these reviews, you obviously haven’t read any of the “clunkers”.  Not all products we try get a rave review, that’s for sure.  And today’s happens to be one of those – let’s use “nice language” like our mothers taught us and just say, “It wasn’t one of our favorites…”.

My mom

David's mom - they taught us well :)

Here is what we thought of Trader Joe’s ENGLISH BUTTER FUDGE.

Let’s get David’s take first.  Remember, David is a man who loves him some desserts.  He eats cookies.  He eats cake.  He eats candy.  And he loves chocolate bars.  In fact, before trying the English Butter Fudge, he was eating a fancy candy bar I got him for Valentine’s Day from Harris Teeter (shhhh, it is another grocery store, a competitor of Trader Joe’s, and the fact that I went there is another dead giveaway that I am not on the TJ’s payroll!). 

It LOOKS tasty enough

David:  “I never thought I would say this, but it is TOOOOO SUGARY.  (Much laughter from me upon hearing this statement, as this may be the first time in my nearly 30 years of being with the man that I have heard these words come out of his mouth.)  This is probably what the English eat for FUDGE.  I think it needs more CREAM, rather than that glucose syrup condensed milk stuff.  I give this a 1.5 rating."

This is, of course, in the store BEFORE he tried this sugary fudge!  He looks happy, doesn't he??
Little does he know what he is in for....  

Susan:  The box says this is a product of England.  The first ingredient listed is, indeed, SUGAR.  However, the title of the product does not have the word SUGAR in it.  I expected more buttery-ness!  And some FUDGE-Y-NESS for heaven’s sake.  It is called English BUTTER FUDGE, is it not?  I think a more accurate title would be “Super Ass Sugar English Butter Fudge”!!

Other ingredients listed make your teeth hurt to read.  It is basically sugar, sugar, sugar with a little bit of butter.  It says a serving size is 4 pieces, but I defy anyone to stomach that.  David says, “You would have to be drinking a lot of unsweetened tea or coffee to eat 4 pieces of this...  I say no, no.  I think we should take it back.  I can’t imagine eating that!”.

This is what he looked like AFTER he tried this English Butter Fudge.

I like the packaging of this “fudge”, and I like that it was something we haven’t had before.  It looked interesting.  I also was probably also attracted to the fact that it was from another country.  David adds, “Of course, not remembering when we saw it was from ENGLAND that English people at the highest amount of sugar per capita of any people in the world!” (editor’s note: I did not fact check this statement J ). 

Susan:  I had one piece.  The best thing I can say about it is that the pieces are too small.  If the good thing you have to say about a product is “the pieces are small”, then this is probably not the product for you.  David suggests dropping one piece of this in a cup of hot tea and you will be fine.

If you really, really like sugary stuff, you might like these.  We, however, did not like them.  I agree with David on the rating of 1.5.  We returned this product to Trader Joe’s and they happily took it back.  They are great about returns.  Thanks Joe!

Price:  $2.99

Rating:  1.5

Billionaire Shortbread Truffles

MERRY CHRISTMAS EVE AND HAPPY HANUKKAH from us in sunny, warm Florida to YOU, wherever you may be!!

Our Christmas tree!  (Honestly, it is a fire hazard...  Was pretty dead when we got it.  But isn't it pretty?
Handmade shell garland and topped with a STAR FISH!  Christmas Beach Style!

We just opened a sweet treat – Trader Joe’s Billionaire Shortbread Truffles.  So while the Trader Joe’s Brie en Croute is baking in the oven (do you sense a theme here?) I thought I would go ahead and put up the review of the sweets! 

Hmmm, wonder how these will taste???

The packaging says, “A truffled twist on a much loved treat.  Individually wrapped Billionaire Shortbread Truffles.  Buttery shortbread crumbles, gilded with sticky toffee, covered in a rich dark chocolate shell.”  That sounds like a lot to live up to, no??  It is a bit confusing, saying it is a “twist on a much loved treat”…  I do not know of a much loved billionaire treat, do you?  (I know of a certain billionaire I would rather not speak of, but that is beside the point…)  I checked the Trader Joe's article and apparently they are referring to "millionaire shortbread", which is something I do not know about (see more here ).  

Anyway, let’s see what David thought of this seasonal holiday treat:

“First off, the chocolate on the outside is very fragrant and smells delicious and quite rich.  I love that – like a really dark chocolate truffle.  Then, when you bite into it, it is delightfully not gooey, so it doesn’t run out the sides.  That is a plus for me.  It is tasty.  It’s not overly sweet but it is sweet enough.  The center is yielding and the truffle is tasty.  The shortbread cookie kind of gets overwhelmed by all of the other delicious flavors, but maybe it doesn’t mind that as shortbread is kind of the “middle of the range” in cookies.  I just ate one in about 4 bites.  It was a delicious experience from beginning to end.  I am sure you could get through 4 or 5 of these in a sitting.  I would give this a 4.75.”

Take the WRAPPER off first, David...  

Editor’s note:  I think you can tell how much David enjoyed these by his repetition of the word TASTY in his review.  J  Also, David mentioned he took 4 bites to eat 1 of these.  Just to clarify, David is likely one of the few human beings on the planet that would take 4 bites to eat 1 of these truffles.  Some would chomp them down in 1 bite, others 2, a few 3.  But 4 bites?  Oh 4 bites is David territory. 

My take on this treat:  This is the first time we have ever had these.  I am not sure if TJ’s carries them every year and we have just missed them before or if they are something new.  The packaging is what caught my eye in the store – it is very clever.  It looks like a CHRISTMAS CRACKER, which we like.  If you have not done a Christmas cracker before – they are a British tradition (I think).  They are a tube-like shape with twisted ends.  You hold one end of your cracker, your neighbor holds the other end.  You both tug and POP – your cracker opens with a small crack!  Inside you find a flimsy paper hat and a really cheap tacky toy (like, not even as cool as Cracker Jack toys…).  But even though the treats on the inside are typically not “amazing”, the Christmas cracker experience is very fun!  So, the packaging for these Billionaire Shortbread Truffles looks like a Christmas cracker!!!  And the printing on it is a lovely font – the reds and maroons used are really nice.  The DESIGN of the package gets an A+!!!  When you go to open it, you see that it is rather origami-like!  You twist and pull an end to open.  It’s super cool.  However, once you open it, you see that the truffles are sealed into 2 little plastic bags.  That part was odd to me – it felt like over-packaging. 

Made in IRELAND!  

But enough about the package – let’s talk about the truffles!!  Ooohh-la-la!!  These are delicious!  I really like them.  The chocolate is realllllly good dark chocolate – I love it!  My first bite spooked me a tiny bit – the texture felt a little gritty…  I think it was some shortbread, because after that first bite, the gritty factor was not a problem at all.  I think these are a big hit!! 

These would be a really nice gift – put them in someone’s stocking!  I am sorry that I did not review them in time for your gift giving 2016, but if Trader Joe’s has them again next year get some to give (and of course some to EAT).  And if your TJ’s still has some of these left when they re-open on December 26^th, grab some!  The “best by” date isn’t until September 2017, so you have plenty of time to enjoy them if you can still snag a box.

Happy holidays.  May this season find you eating amazing food, talking and laughing with the ones you love, and doing what you can to make the world a better place. 

Panoramic view of my beach walk - see my shadow in the center?  :) 

Price:  $4.49

Rating:  5.0     THIS IS UNPRECEDENTED!!!  We have been eating more of these delicious treats, and we realized that we scored them wrong.  I AM UPPING THE SCORE (it was a 4.75) to a 5.  They deserve it!  

Chocolate Chai and Almond Bar

I snagged this product at the Annapolis, Maryland store.  I think it was made in Maryland – a kind Trader Joe’s employee was helping me hunt around the store to find some local products to try and, though the packaging doesn’t SAY this is made in the area, he thought he had been told it was.  So in my cart it went! 

The ingredients list a spice blend of cinnamon, ginger, lemon peel, nutmeg, cloves, and cardamom.  My take on it:  it is TOO BIG for what it is.  If it was 1/3 of the size it would be a better product.  It is TOO THICK – it is not a chocolate bar you could just sit down and munch on.  And trust me, we munch on some chocolate bars (big non-American ones – Lindt and the like), but this Chocolate Chai Almond Bar one just didn’t do it for me.  This puppy is bigger than a Ritter Sport bar!  It is more like a hunk of BAKING CHOCOLATE (David correctly my language here and said it is not a HUNK, but rather a SLAB). 

See, it LOOKS good, doesn't it??

The packaging says it is milk and dark chocolate – but sadly the dark chocolate functions more as a decoration than a taste.  The best part in my opinion are the almonds, which are big hunks (slabs?) of almonds – like half almonds, as opposed to other chocolates that put in slivers of nuts.  Overall – the bar is just TOO THICK.  The chai taste is also too strong, as is the cinnamon.  Everything is competing for my taste buds and nothing ends up winning with this product.  The outer packaging is cool – it is a funky looking recycled cardboard looking cover, but inside of that is just a simple plastic bag (with the slab o’ chocolate).  I think this is Trader Joe’s attempt at making a good, artisanal, fancy chocolate.  But sadly, the attempt does not succeed.  I would give this product a 2.5.

It's new, but it is not tasty

David:  “When I first bit into this it tasted a bit like a gingerbread boy cookie.  I agree with Susan’s review above  – all of the specifics she mentioned are precisely correct.  I would say that the chocolate tastes like really good quality chocolate, but the CONCEPT itself…  The chai-ness…  And it is a bit GRITTY in the chai-ness, which is not good.  The almonds are great, and like I said the chocolate itself seems to be good.  But I am not a fan.  I will give this a 2.0.”  (Editor’s note: this is a shockingly low score from David for a chocolate bar.  He loves most any chocolate, but apparently not this chocolate…)

Never have I seen David less excited about chocolate.  Never.

When you see this on the shelf, you think it is going to be something special.  It is new!  It looks like it should special!  You think, “Oh, this would be a nice stocking stuffer!” or, “This would be a sweet gift for Larry in Accounting!”.  But don’t.  Don’t gift it.  Or be like David, who says, “YES!  Give it to someone!  That way YOU don’t have to eat it!”.  It looks like something special, but it is not.  It is not worth the calories, let alone the price.  The serving size listed is a third of a bar, but you would have to be a big ass person to get through a 1/3 chunk of that slab!  Plus, you would have to not have a lot of taste buds…

Give presents, for goodness sake GIVE PRESENTS!  Just don't give
THIS CHOCOLATE CHAI AND ALMOND BAR as a present

We do not take many things back to TJ’s, really we don’t.  But we took THIS one back.  I think more than getting your 3 bucks back, it is worth returning it to “vote” and let Trader Joe’s know that this one is not a winner.  I am glad the guy showed it to me, and I guess I am glad I tasted it, if only to let you know not to buy it for anyone on your holiday list.  (And if you have already bought it and wrapped it, well, I hope you don’t really like whoever you are giving it to…)

Price:  $2.99

Rating:  2.25