Lindt Extra Dark Chocolate Review

 

Summary:

Cooked.

Not Organic.

Sugar, but in low amounts.

 

 

To keep my reviews consistent for "apples to apples" comparisons, I use the same overall structure for each.

 

Cacao Content:

I'm specifically reviewing this version of Lindt's dark chocolate line because I'm looking for the healthiest chocolates to recommend. At 85% cocoa content (portions derived from cacao) Lindt's Extra Dark chocolate is just about top of the line in terms of cocoa, and this also means that it's low in sugar relative to other bars using sugar as a sweetener.

 

Organic:

At one point I was under the impression that Lindt chocolate was organic, but it's not. None of its ingredients seem to be, and if you've read through this site, you know that I feel this is an important issue if buying chocolate as a health supplement rather than as a candy.

  

Sweetener:

As far as I can tell, Lindt uses traditional, refined sugar in its chocolate. However, the Extra Dark bar is only 12.5% sugar, whereas most dark chocolates are 25% or more sugar.

 

Taste

Lindt's Extra Dark chocolate has a very nice dark chocolate taste, definitely not sweet. At 12.5% sugar, you know this is a more bitter chocolate, but I found it very satisfying.

 

Magnesium

Any quality dark chocolate should represent a good source of magnesium, so this isn't a KEY item to consider, but it's worth noting because magnesium plays so many important roles in our health, and most people only get 50% of the recommended amount. The Lindt label does not give exact magnesium levels per serving.

 

ORAC Scores

Lindt does not provide an ORAC score for its chocolate.

 

Fat, Calories, and Sugar

Lindt's recommended serving size is 25 grams of chocolate, which will naturally feature quite a lot of fat and calories. To measure it a little better against other chocolates I've reviewed, I'll cut that in half (2 squares of the bar), which is almost identical to the size of a Xocai Nugget or a piece of IsaDelight (and about 50% larger than a piece of Tru Chocolate).

 

At 12.5 grams, the Lindt chocolate would represent 9 grams of fat (5.5 saturated) and 105 calories, which is a good deal more than any of the other "healthy chocolates" reviewed. Admittedly, most of this comes from cocoa butter, which is not a bad form of fat; nevertheless, it should be considered by those trying to watch their fat intake.

 

BOTTOM LINE

As far as cooked chocolate and health goes, this is a pretty good choice because of the high cocoa and low sugar content. But it's not raw or organic, so it's not the ideal choice for those wanting nutrition. Still, it costs substantially less than raw chocolates like Gnosis Chocolate or ChocoNat.