Chocolate Review: Equal Exchange Dark Chocolate Mint Crunch

 I have to admit that I'm a bit of a sucker for the "fair trade" label, especially when it comes to  my some of my favorite foods like coffee and chocolate. So, I'm predisposed to like the Dark Chocolate Mint Crunch Bar by Equal Exchange, which  was founded to support small farmers and ensure they work for a fair wage and under fair labor practices. 

However, I'm certainly not going to buy a fair trade product if it doesn't also taste good. Fortunately, the Equal Exchange Dark Chocolate Mint Crunch is quite delicious. I'm enough of a chocolate nerd to realize that my "sweet spot" (which in my case means it's not too sweet) is between 67% and 72% cacao. For me, the intense chocolate in this bar is just right, and the subtle crunchiness of the mint crunch is a pleasant surprise. Like other chocolate with this percentage of cacao, it's a bit dry, which is something I've come to like. The spearmint flavor nicely complements the dark chocolate.  

I like that this bar breaks easily into bite-size chunks, although I'd be lying if I said I only ate one. 

If you'd like some reading with your chocolate, there's always the inside of the wrapper, which lists the countries of origin of each ingredient and profiles a Latin American cacao farmer. 

The Equal Exchange website bills this chocolate as "vegan, soy and gluten-free," a plus for anyone following a specific diet. For everyone else, this bar is a tasty treat you can feel good about eating. 

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