Good and Bad Buys at Lidl and Aldi stores (***Please don't expire***)

YoungBlueEyes

There'll be more drink at the back of the store Rob, the bits at the front are the adult equivalent of stacking round the checkouts with chocolate bars. 
Ooh pretty and cheap, I'll lift one of them etc.

I haven't noticed a dearth of that choc in my store but I'll check today and report back. 

harz99

A few remaining Easter choc goodies knocked down to about half price in my local Aldi this morning.

YoungBlueEyes

Not exactly what you asked about but this is the nearest my Aldi has @maman. There were no dark ones in the boxes. 

Brie

Apparently cocoa bean harvest has been dreadful and prices have sky rocketed.  More likely to hit Lidl/Aldi ahead of the other shops and the premium chocs sooner than the milky cheaper ones. 

maman

Thank you so much for checking @YoungBlueEyes. I suspect @Brie may be correct and it's because of the cocoa harvest. I'd better start panic buying from Lidl while it's still in stock. 🤣

Brie

maman said:

Thank you so much for checking @YoungBlueEyes. I suspect @Brie may be correct and it's because of the cocoa harvest. I'd better start panic buying from Lidl while it's still in stock. 🤣

My info source was Mark Tilling who apparently is famous in chocolate and was talking us through chocolate tastings today on my cruise. I'm never going to get less than 66% cocoa again, maybe Mexican source only.  Amazing the differences!!

YoungBlueEyes

Ooh good info, thanks @Brie

I keep some of these in, for emergencies. It does have a bit of bitterness to it even though it's not 70%. They're about £1 iirc. The hazelnuts taste lovely and toasted and there's plenty of them. It's decent. 



Brie can I ask - why will you not go lower than 66%?

Brie

YoungBlueEyes said:

Ooh good info, thanks @Brie

Brie can I ask - why will you not go lower than 66%?

It was the difference in taste in the chocolate. 

Now I was a chocolate fiend in my mis spent youth.  2 or 3 LARGE chocolate bars every evening.  Didn't drink tea or coffee but I loved hot chocolate.  At some point along the way I spent what seemed a huge amount for a single chocolate from a posh shop.  And it was marvellous.  And I didn't need any more.  That was clue one.

As I've gotten older I've grown to appreciate dark chocolate over milk (rarely liked white chocolate).  And at the tasting yesterday we were taken through the increments up from cheap milk chocolate (28% and made with veg oil) as opposed to better milk chocolate (34% & cocoa butter), golden chocolate, ruby etc and on up until we got to single origin ones which are a bit like wine with specific tastes. 

The Ghana one at about 46% was very nice but the jump up to the Mexican one at 66% was a shocking difference.  So very much better, more satisfying without being bitter or too fruity.  There were a couple of others a bit higher than that (Tanzania? at 78%) which were very nice but it was that gap from 46% to 66% that made the most difference to me.  We did get to try a cocoa solid (99.999%) but it is too extreme.

maman

When I was a child, my mother ate Cadbury's Bournville which was what was accepted as dark chocolate.

Over the years, my tastes have become less and less sweet. I now find 70% cocoa is just what I enjoy for a chocolate hit and I only have a minimal amount.

I tried a bar of Bournville a few years back and it was disgustingly sweet to my current tastes. 

So you can see why I'm disappointed that the high cocoa content bars have disappeared from Aldi. I'll be buying from Lidl while it lasts. 🤞

Rosa_Damascena

maman said:

When I was a child, my mother ate Cadbury's Bournville which was what was accepted as dark chocolate.

Over the years, my tastes have become less and less sweet. I now find 70% cocoa is just what I enjoy for a chocolate hit and I only have a minimal amount.

I tried a bar of Bournville a few years back and it was disgustingly sweet to my current tastes. 

So you can see why I'm disappointed that the high cocoa content bars have disappeared from Aldi. I'll be buying from Lidl while it lasts. 🤞

I can just about tolerate Bourneville. The rate I'm going I shall be 80 and gummy before I appreciate 70%

ETA: had another nibble of this and it remains unpalatable. It's only fit for dilution in some capacity!