The Good: Great taste, Decent quantity, Generally natural ingredients, Beautifully dark, A decent value.
The Bad: None that I can find!
The Basics: Lindt Excellence 70% Cocoa chocolate squares are a perfect chocolate treat for those who crave and love dark chocolate!
For the holidays last year, my wife picked me up a whole sampler of Lindt Excellence Dark Chocolate Squares and that might have been one of the best values for the holidays from her; every day, I get to try a delicious new (to me) chocolate treat and some of them are absolutely delightful. In fact, ever since I had the Lindt 99% Cacao (reviewed here!), I’ve been looking for something just a little less bitter and miserable to my taste buds. Well, I found it right off the bat in the Dark Assortment. Lindt hit perfection for dark chocolate lovers with their 70% Cocoa chocolate squares!
There are very few products I call perfect, but the Lindt Excellence 70% Cocoa chocolate squares are one!
Basics
Lindt Excellence 70% Cocoa chocolate squares are one and 5/8” squares of chocolate that are about one-quarter of an inch thick. Each of the squares comes individually wrapped in a white and dark brown wrapper. It is worth noting that while I usually rail against the environmental impact of such things, it is hard to imagine Lindt Excellence chocolate squares not wrapped. This keeps each one clean, unmelted and intact.
Each chocolate square is a seamless square that is solid, with lines etched into the top and the Lindt name also punched into the top. The 70% Cocoa chocolate squares come in a standard 4.9 oz. bag, the individually-wrapped chocolate squares are packaged together in a thick foil paper bag. The thick foil paper bag does little to protect the squares, though I’ve never had any breakage. The bag is not resealable, though this matters very little considering that the chocolate squares do not go bad as they are individually wrapped.
Ease Of Preparation
These are candy, so preparing them is as simple as opening the bag and then opening one of the foil wrappers around the actual chocolate square one wishes to eat. There is no grand secret to eating Lindt Excellence 70% Cocoa chocolate squares. This is a flavor that is good at room temperature or frozen; it has a delicious solid flavor to it that carries the taste in all temperatures.
Taste
The Lindt Excellence 70% Cocoa smells incredibly inviting for anyone who loves dark chocolate. It smells rich and dark, consistently. These have a powerful aroma that does not diminish, so they instantly attract anyone who loves dark chocolate.
On the tongue, this chocolate is rich and powerful with its cocoa taste, without being at all unpleasant. As a result, this tastes like super-concentrated dark chocolate without any diminishing flavor. There is no waxiness or creaminess to it. While not truly sweet, the 70% Cocoa squares are not at all dry. This flavor is akin to having a slightly sweetened coffee bean, it is so potent, but not oppressive to the taste buds. In other words, it is a perfect rendition of dark chocolate for those who love the real thing!
Nutrition
These are candy, so they are not healthy, but the Lindt Excellence 70% Cocoa chocolate squares are not nearly as bad as they could be. The primary ingredients are unsweetened chocolate, sugar and cocoa butter. There is nothing unpronounable in these candies and everything in these could be readily identified by me.
A serving of the Lindt Excellence 70% Cocoa chocolate squares is considered four squares. From four squares, one takes in 230 calories, including 15 grams of fat. There are 25mg sodium and 3 g protein, but no vitamins (save 2% of the RDA of Vitamin A) in these chocolate squares. There is 6% of one's daily iron and 2% the RDA of Calcium in four squares, so that is a plus.
These are not Vegan-compliant (they have real milk), nor are they recommended for anyone with a nut allergy as they are produced on the same equipment that peanuts and tree nuts pass over. They are, however, kosher.
Storage/Clean-up
The bags of these Lindt Excellence 70% Cocoa chocolate squares remain fresh for quite some time. The bag my wife gave me in late December had an April 30, 2014 expiration date. One assumes that if they are kept in a cool, dry environment they will not melt or go bad. Given that they are individually wrapped in a very sealed package, it is hard to imagine just what it would take for these to go bad outside melting and refreezing.
As for cleanup, I applaud those who actually throw the wrappers away in socially appropriate places, as opposed to litter. Outside that, there is no real cleanup needed, unless one is eating them in a hot environment. In that case, it is likely one would need to wash their hands. If these chocolate squares melt into most fabrics, they will stain. Getting them to melt is surprisingly hard, though.
Overall
Lindt Excellence 70% Cocoa chocolate squares are perfectly priced for a premium, perfect rendition of dark chocolate. They are a must-have and are likely to become a staple around my house given how wonderful they are!
For other Lindt chocolates, please check out my reviews of:
White Chocolate Lindor Truffle
Milk Chocolate Lindor Truffle
Dark Peppermint Lindor Truffle
10/10
For other food and drink reviews, please visit my Food And Drink Review Index Page for an organized listing!
© 2014 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.
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