Lindt’s 90% Cocoa Bar. Yes, 90%.
August 28, 2009 by Heather R.
Filed under Chocolate Pictures, Chocolate Products, Chocolate Review
The other day I got a delivery. It wasn’t one that I was expecting, and when I saw that it was addressed to me with “Chocolate Bytes” under my name I got a little excited — I knew there was going to be a delicious chocolaty treat inside!
This is what I pulled out. Kept cool by an ice pack and Styrofoam insulation, I had a pretty organza bag with four bars of various Lindt chocolate. But it was the one top that made my jaw literally drop.
Do you see that? 90% Cocoa. 90%! Are these people mad?, I thought. Am I supposed to eat this or bake with it? The answer, of course, was eat it!
I was actually surprised at how well the molded bar had held its shape. We’re still in the low 100’s here, temperature-wise, and the ice pack in the box had given up the ghost probably a few hours before it hit the delivery truck that morning. Usually when chocolate shows up on my doorstep it has to go immediately into the fridge before I can even open the packaging. This bar has been at room temperature for two days.
Now, the highest percentage of dark chocolate that I enjoy is 70%. I like that it tastes so rich and decadent and that I don’t need a lot of it to get a fix, but there’s still just the slightest bit of sweet.
I knew this 90% bar was going to not be as sweet, but I wasn’t expecting it to be so smooth. We’ve all taken a nibble of baking chocolate, right? Even though we knew it was going to be nasty and chalky? Well, this, while not nasty, was definitely not chalky either. It was surprisingly smooth and had a nice mouth feel, and of course didn’t melt right away like a milk chocolate would.
While it’s not necessarily bitter, the best way I can describe it is that there is a distinct lack of sweet. This won’t appeal to many people, however if you like really, really dark chocolate you won’t be disappointed with this one. It’s about as pure as you can get without nibbling on a chunk of baking chocolate, and to be honest, I do think this would be really tasty chopped up in cookies or melted down to add to brownies!
Have you had a chance to try Lindt’s 90% Cocoa Bar? What did you think?
They didn’t send you the 99% one? For shame! (Oh, well I guess because the 90% is the “new” one…)
I bought it in a shop once, it didn’t fare well through the heat of the day.
After eating maybe a square of it and sharing a square with family (who gave it the funniest faces ever), I decided it would probably be best with a nice glass of milk.
We have a lindt store at a nearby mall and they are going out of business, or rebuilding or something, so they are having a HUGE sale! We bought over $100 worth of chocolate for around $50 and one of the things i got was the 90% dark chocolate. I will say it’s not for everyone, and i am the only person i know who can eat half a bar of it in one sitting.
We recently went back to the mall and everything was still on sale so i bought 5 more bars of the 90% dark chocolate. As i walk to the cash register, lo and behold, what do i see but 99% dark chocolate; something i have always wanted to try. You will think i am crazy (which i am… about chocolate), but I risked it, taking two bars. When i came up to the cash register the lady asked me, “Have you TRIED this chocolate before?”, and i replied, “I REALLY like dark chocolate.” When i opened the container, i was greeted with a golden wrapper and a warning in three different languages, saying that you should acclimate yourself to darker chocolates before trying this one. HA! I laughed, i can handle this. And i did. The nutrition facts say there is no sugar, and to tell the truth i couldn’t taste any, but dang, that is REAL chocolate. Best enjoyed with a cup of coffee is what the “warning” recommends, but i just washed it down with tea. I LOVED it, but i’m not sure if anyone with normal taste buds will….
I’m a big fan of Lindt. I can always expect great quality and can be easily obtained at many retailers. The box says “New” on it which means they’ve changed the formula yet again. At least 4 times in the past two or three years. Out of the box, it is a definite improvement in terms of quality ingredients, because previously in one recipe they omitted vanilla entirely in favour of some other flavour additive to cut costs.
This new version is interesting too because of the ingredient list: cocoa mass, fat-reduced cocoa, cocoa butter, sugar, and “Natural Bourbon Vanilla”.
They use a fat reduced cocoa [a powder?] and then add fat back into it with cocoa butter.
I’m quite sure the original formula was simply cocoa mass and cocoa solids etc.
@Jess
The farthest I’ve gotten in terms of cocoa content is 97%. Will need to hunt down the 99% version. Someone told me you can get it at… Er, what did she say again? Shoppers Drugmart? London Drugs??? Whatever. This is the perfect excuse to visit a Lindt boutique!
I cook with the Lindt 86% bar all the time..well, not ALL the time! I’ve used it to make fudge and a nice satiny hot fudge sauce, several times. I like that it blends so nicely; the chocolate is always so smooth. I’ll look for the 90% now that I know it’s available. Thanks!
I had this a couple of weeks ago. Before trying this chocolate I hated dark chocolate with a passion, I didn’t get the whole dark chocolate movement and the percentage points obsession. However, after trying this 90% Lindt chocolate I am now a believer. It’s not as bitter as you would imagine, it just has the right touch of sweetness that will remind you that you are still having a sweet treat. For me one square a day is more than enough, well, two squares since once I laid down to write this review I had to return to the pantry for a second square.
I’ve tried the 99% ones that were sold in Japan and it did taste like baking chocolate to me. The bars specifically told people to consume them with sweet drinks because they were so bitter. They were mainly marketed for the health benefits of the antioxidants in the chocolate rather than as a treat.
It’s so dark it’s almost black! I will have to check it out and look at the sugar content.
I’ve had the 70%, but 90%- that’s intense! I’ll have to try it, since I don’t hate baking chocolate and you’ve described it as better, it must be good for the super dark chocolate lover!
I tried it and I loved it! Of course, it wasn’t as sweet as a lower percentage of cocoa would be. It gives me my chocolate fix and I feel less guilty about eating it because of the health benefits it provides.
The 90% is my new favorite replacing the 85% by the same company. Of course there are better chocolates out there but not in Boise. The 90% is in the Walmart here and for the price I believe it is the absolute best value out there – anywhere!