The pros: Quinoa and chocolate work in Trader Joe's Golden Spiced Milk Chocolate Bar to make a crisp texture and in fact I wish and would be willing to buy many bars containing this combination. It's a healthy improvement to a familiar flavor & texture combination.
The cons: Eating this whole bar is 70% of your saturated fat for the day. Spice combination that might not be for everyone.
The verdict: For $1.49 this is a chocolate bar that sounds appealing, but if you skip to the ingredients you might feel the need to put it back. Quinoa was my first hint that something strange is coming my way. It adds fiber which may or may not be a good thing when it comes to a candy bar. For me this made me think instantly to a Krackle bar or to a Crunch bar especially when you look at the back side of the bar. Biting into this you get the familiar flavor of chocolate but then the potent spices kick in. The most potent of these that announced itself to my palate was the curry powder. There are other flavors here but they are more subtle. Coconut would be the next flavor I picked up on but it is pretty low key. Other spices here include ginger, turmeric, black pepper, nutmeg and cardamom. For me I was enjoying the quinoa and chocolate so much I found the spice to be a bit distracting from an otherwise enjoyable tasting experience. It almost reminded me of a curry that wanted to me a mole, but as a candy bar. I didn't hate, but I won't repurchase it. I think it's worth a try for nothing other than convincing you that crisped quinoa and chocolate need to be a thing.
The bar:
The nutritional information:
The ingredients:
Out of the package you get:
On the other side you get:
Would I buy this again? Had this been sold this just as chocolate and quinoa, yes. The spices are going to be hit or miss depending on your palate. If you appreciate Trader Joe's Indian selections then Trader Joe's Golden Spiced Milk Chocolate Bar should work for you. If you avoid them, then you should avoid this bar. I enjoy Trader Joe's Indian, but I wasn't sure what to make of this chocolate bar. This is going to be a hit or miss item and I'll pass on buying this again. Curry and chocolate don't work for me.
Want to see more items I've reviewed from Trader Joe's? Click on Thoughts & Reviews of Trader Joe’s for a searchable list.
Did you try it? Let me know what you think in the comments section!
Naturally, I wish this was a dark chocolate bar, but once again, you have showed me some TJ's chocolate that I haven't seen before. Thanks! I am adding this to my shopping list.
I loved the texture. Just not sure about the spice combo. Let me know what you think. I'd love to hear your thoughts when you try it!