Attune Probiotic Chocolate Review
If you’ve read this blog for any length of tie, I’m sure you’ve guessed that chocolate is one of my favorite foods. And I admit–I’ve never thought there’s more that can be done to chocolate to make it any better. Fortunately, the people at Attune Foods did have that thought and put it into action. Attune Foods is a company that makes chocolate bars that have been fortified with probiotics, the same healthy bacteria found in yogurt. Each bar has 6.1 million cultures of 3 different bacterial strands. Eating probiotics has been shown to regulate digestion, bolster your immune system, and create an overall healthy wellness, which is why I generally aim for 2 probiotic sources daily. I had the great pleasure of trying some of the chocolate bars Attune offers. I could have released this summary post earlier after trying my samples but I liked the ones I had so much I had to go out and buy another flavor carried at my local Whole Foods to review for you all as well because I knew it’d be that good. Here are my reviews for 5 of the flavors. Have you ever tried Attune chocolate?
Chocolate Crisp
7.5/10: Attune is all about chocolate with a purpose; they probiotically fortify their chocolate with 3 bacterial strands at 5 times the amount found in a typical super market brand yogurt. They also add inulin for fiber and calcium carbonate to their products to provide 25% your DV. I loved the clean, milk flavor to this bar. Milk chocolate might not be my favorite, but I can still appreciate when it comes off as pure and perfectly chocolatey. The puffed rice threw me off a bit, and distracted me from the smooth texture of the chocolate without adding a particularly desirable texture. Overall, however, the unique nutrition and smooth flavor greatly impressed me in the end.
Coffee Bean Dark Chocolate
8/10: Coffee and dark chocolate undoubtedly go together. Usually, I have a cup of coffee with any dark chocolate bar, but this is even more efficient. This bar threw me for a bit of a loop compared to the other chocolate coffee bars I have; rather than a flavor infusion, Attune took their regular dark chocolate base and inserted whole coffee beans. While the flavor did diffuse into the whole bar, there was a huge contrast between biting into chocolate and biting into the bean. Since I’m a melter(I take a small bite and let it melt in my mouth), I wasn’t really a fan of the whole beans; their dryness just didn’t work with the smoothness of the chocolate. Still, it had good flavor and excellent nutrition and I’d probably buy it again if I were needing a java-fix.
Dark Chocolate
9/10: A good dark chocolate is like a friend you know will have your back no matter what. Fortunately, I’ve found a lot of good chocolates like that in the past, and now I have one more to add to that list. This has a 68% cacao content which puts it just past sweet but right before bitter. It’s enjoyable in flavor, has a good amount of calcium and fiber, and has a very simple ingredient list. That combined with the power of probiotic really makes this one healthy indulgence you can feel good–and about–having.
Raspberry Dark Chocolate
7.5/10: This was one bar I really wanted to like; I think anything with chocolate and berries automatically goes together well and is unique. I loved the simple nutrition of this bar, with 90 calories and 4g fiber–definitely a sensibly portioned amount of chocolate. Of course, the probiotics were a plus on its behalf as well. The bar itself was dark chocolate with chunks of freeze dried raspberries throughout. I really liked each of the flavors but I didn’t think they meld together well in the mouth; the bar would have been improved if their was some essence of raspberry in the chocolate itself rather than just whole chunks. That being said, the more I ate and the deeper into the bar I got, the more I liked it. So if I had a whole box of these I’m sure I’d be in love by the last one.
Blueberry Vanilla
8.5/10: Too often, “white chocolate” is given a one-note, sugary flavor, and not the deep rich vanilla essence it deserves; not so here. In terms of white chocolate flavor, this was 10/10. I’ve had trouble finding a good white chocolate bar I can rely on and–though this isn’t your average chocolate bar–I think this just might be my standby. The flavor was just as it should be: rich. The chocolate was smooth and deep. What I didn’t enjoy so much was the rice crisps in the bar; I think it detracted from the silky smoothness of the chocolate. And I didn’t get a very big blueberry flavor off of this. I didn’t mind that so much because I wasn’t looking for blueberry, but if anyone buys this for that purpose they might be disappointed. Otherwise, this bar was pure decadence and one I’ll buy again.
how big are these bars? they have a pretty small calorie count so i’d think they wouldn’t be too big or filling….but i guess you’d eat it as a snack or something so it’d be good for that
marathonmaiden
November 4, 2009
They’re each two squares of chocolate. Definitely not a meal or snack to hold you over, but perfect for a little after dinner dessert
Evan Thomas
November 4, 2009
I’ve never had the bars before, but I just love that you said it’s “Chocolate with a purpose.” 🙂
Abby
November 4, 2009
What a thorough review! They sound interesting…I just wish they would have snuck in some protein and I think they would have nailed the nutritional content. But like you said, it’s not a meal just a snack so maybe I’m overthinking it! 😉
Joanna Sutter
November 5, 2009
Thanks for your comment!
I’ve tried that dessert hummus (it’s called crazy camel) and it’s *delish* and tastes like *dessert*, not hummus! It’s seriously mind boggling. And yes, there are chocolate flavors 😀 Although I think my favorites were maple and pumpkin pie.
Lele
November 5, 2009
I love Attune bars too! I bought the sampler pack from their website so I could try all of the flavors.
The chocolate bars are all great, but the Whold Foods near my house only has a few if the flavors. I agree about the texture issues that adding rice puffs, coffee beans, and dried raspberries created but I’m willing to overlook that since it’s chocolate that’s good for me!
I love that the chocolate bars have even less calories than the granola bars, as if I need an excuse to choose chocolate.
Natasha
November 5, 2009
woah i have never even heard of these bars!! the chocolate coffee one is grabbingmy attention (just like the mocha milk chocolate newmans own ;))
Christina
November 5, 2009
I’ve never tried these, but the flavors sound great! thanks for the review
Brandi
November 5, 2009