In my search for the next best chocolate anything I try to keep in mind that my guilty pleasure can also be healthy. My fiancee recently discovered the benefits of flaxseed so it has become the need enhancer for many a meal in our home. Flaxseed powder in cereal or oatmeal, flaxseed oil in tea or coffee, and sometimes we sneak it in a random dish just to get an each health benefit as well as that nice toasty flavor the flax provides.
On a recent trip to the market I perused the organic food section for anything with flax in it and to my delight there was a dark chocolate bar packed with flaxseed goodness. Brought to us by the people at Sweet Riot, Inc is the 70% dark chocolate bar with flaxseeds. While my excitement was high the product did not quite meet expectations. While it was not a complete dude it was definitely a case of two things just not completing each other well leading to a sub-par experience.
A good chocolate bar experience occurs when you break off a small square or piece from the bar and place it on your tongue, pressing gently against the roof of your mouth. This allows the chocolate to melt in your mouth releasing the cocoa solids and fats slowly onto your palate allowing you to really taste and appreciate the chocolate. Any additions to the chocolate will follow with their own notes and complement the chocolate.
In this case the flaxseed jumps to the forefront making itself the star of the show. This is not necessarily a terrible thing depending on your tastes but the flavor of the flaxseed not only overpowers the dark chocolate, it almost sees to dry out the chocolate and make the flavor more bitter than usual.
If you like the toasted, roasted flavor of flaxseed you may be more forgiving than I but if not I would recommend passing. If you're interested you can find this little treat at any local Giant with a good Nature's Promise section or Cocova in Dupont Circle. The bar will run you between $3.49 and $3.99.
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