Trader Joe's Chocolate Passport

The pros:  Trader Joe's Chocolate Passport has beautiful packaging, would make a great stocking stuffer or a really nice variety of chocolate to bring to work. A great way to see if single source chocolate is for you. I seriously bought this because I was oogling over the packaging. It's so pretty.

The cons:  A bit pricey for $9.99. Also, in doing more research on the topic I came across an NY Times article on the topic and unlike coffee there may be more elements in play than just the beans.

The verdict:  

Worth a try. Nice gift. Will hone your tastes to get you to buy individual origin bars. Each bar has its own flavor profile and nuances. They should be savored rather than snacked on. The notes hit you at different points and different phases of melting in your mouth.

Here is a quick visual rundown of what you are getting if you purchase this product. Below the pictures are my descriptions of each bar.

Trader Joe's Chocolate Passport box:

The nutritional information and ingredients of Trader Joe's Chocolate Passport:

This set reminded me of a mini library except the "books" are your bars of chocolate. They are arranged in a specific order from purple (least cocoa at 60% to most 73%).

If you are wondering what each tasted like here is a quick break down of what they tasted like. Keep in mind I'm not a professional, but these are the tastes that hit me:

Peru- reminded me of Hershey's Dark. In a blind taste test I would not be able to tell which is which.

Ecuador- very rich and intense chocolate flavor. More bitter and less sweet than Peru.

Venezuela- More bitter than Ecuador but not as intense. Some floral notes (not in every bite though). Also tasted slightly fruity to me.

Ghana-The very distinct flavor. This was more spiced with bitterness to it that the other ones.

Dominican Republic: Tasted almost like alcohol (like a high proof amaretto flavor) with a fruit finish.

Papua New Guinea-Most distinct with a fruitiness (almost raspberry-ish flavor) to it. This was my least favorite of the bunch.

Sao Tome-Not sweet bitter and the strong chocolate taste hits you later. Almost a coffee like note at the end.

Tanzania- Highest percent of chocolate and had the strongest notes of vanilla. Not the most bitter either. Very fruity for chocolate.

Would I buy this set again? Probably not. It's not because the chocolate wasn't good (it was), it's actually a case of I'd rather buy these bars as individuals rather than the whole set. I think each had different qualities to them, and as it states on each bar they pair well with certain items. After eating each I could easily see why they would. There are some very tasty ones and some I'd rather not eat.

Is it worth a try? Yes, absolutely! Are you going to buy this over and over again? Probably not. If you are no where near a Trader Joe's and say this is a must have item there sometimes a number of third party sellers on Amazon.com

Want to see more items I’ve reviewed from Trader Joe’s? Click on Thoughts & Reviews of Trader Joe’s for a searchable list.