Trader Joe's 72%, chocolate covered espresso beans, and chocolate covered cherries

Trader Joe's: people have opinions.  But good news: I love opinions.  And ain't nobody gonna out-opinion me, no sir.

So here's my opinion: nice.

Trader Joe's makes a 72% bar.  It tastes like chocolate.  You know what chocolate is supposed to taste like?  Chocolate.  So let's just consider that a success.  It's sort of like a quality upgrade from the Food Emporium or CIBO Express bar, but it's a similar principle.  Nothing fancy but likely to win plenty of taste tests.

I also got my hands on dark chocolate-covered cherries, which I gave away (cherries are not my thing) and dark chocolate-covered espresso beans, which I should have given away, but instead devoured over two long nights at works, winding up shaking pretty noticeably for about a week straight.  Remember that I have only recently come to tolerate coffee and chocolate, so this was a pretty intense experience.  But I'll say this: I ate them all, and I wasn't complaining.

Bottom Line: There is a reason the lines are so long.  It's for the chocolate.  Right?

Fine and Raw Blueberries Bar

I am usually not a raw chocolate fan, nor am I a fan of fruits in chocolate, but I am definitely a fan of this Fine and Raw bar.

The blueberries don't affect the texture. There aren't like big chunks of dried berries in here (which would definitely put me off). The initial taste has a rush of blueberry, which is intriguing, and the aftertaste is pretty much just high-quality 70% chocolate.

BOTTOM LINE: An enjoyable bar with an interesting twist that will appeal to many chocolate-lovers, even those who are usually not fruit fans.

Edible Arrangement's Chocolate Dipped Strawberries

I don't like chocolate-covered strawberries. One, because I don't like strawberries. Two, because, almost all the time, fruit served with chocolate serves only to detract from the chocolate.

So I am probably not the best person to judge these things. But a box of them was sent to my coworker, and she offered me one. What was I supposed to do? Say no?

The strawberries were fine, as strawberries go. The chocolate on them was quite good. All in all a worthwhile thing to eat, and I felt pretty good about my decision to break my no-strawberries rule in this instance.

BOTTOM LINE: Probably quite enjoyable if you like strawberries, but, if given the choice, I would have preferred a pound of the chocolate dipping sauce.