I'm in the same boat regarding the 70% Lindt. Very happy daily consumer for many years, now searching desperately for a replacement. It's hard to express how disappointed I am. Almost like I've lost one of my senses.

I was able to score about 30 bars a couple of months ago, which I'm slowly consuming to extend my addiction, and can happily report that vacuum freezing works very well.

I've tried Newman's Own, Ghirardelli, Scharffen Berger, and Green & Black, with no joy. Please post anything you find that's worth a taste, or an available non-U.S. source of the real thing. Thanks.

I'm a new member but a have followed the LTH forum for some time. This thread prompted a response of an interesting observation discovered. Like everyone here (and elsewhere I've read), the Lindt 70% was 'THE' go-to standard service bar when I didn't want to spend twice as much for the boutique bars out there. High quality, refined clean chocolate flavor, great value, and readily available.

No need to lament further about the new and 'improved' recipe--we all agree it's garbage.

What I found to be an interesting observation is that the original recipe is in fact still being produced--but with a catch.

My wife recently returned from Germany while on a business trip. She brought back a bunch of bars including two Lindt 70% variations. Curiously, I noticed that each were labeled "70%" but had different descriptions noted on the label.
One labeled: "Edelbitter Mild" and the other is Edelbitter Intensiv". (As most know, 'Edelbitter' means bitter chocolate)

I tried both. First the Mild, and as you can guess, this is the equivalent to the new terrible recipe marketed in the US--plastic like texture, flat in flavor, with very little fruit acid or deep chocolate flavor. Who would this appeal to?? we'll maybe the typical sweet tooth Hershey pseudo chocolate palate...that's about it. [no, I'm not a chocolate snob, just candid]

Next the Intensiv, and well, this is the old recipe that we love and dearly miss!

So I poked around to see if it was being dual marketed in the US--it is not.
It can only be obtained via online retailers (foreign based) and of course, by the time it is shipped it will end up costing you $8+/bar. (Not to mention the issue of shipping in the summer/winter and the resulting effect on the bars cocoa mass, transit time, etc.).

At that price it clearly cancels the appeal of the beloved 70% Lindt bar. (for even less that one can pick up truly superiors offering from Pralus, Domori, Amedei, etc....or more the readily available Valrhona, Scharfenberger, etc.)

This is a link from some overseas retailer that illustrates both bars I mention above:

http://www.germanshop24.com/advanced_se ... 25&x=0&y=0

Citori wrote:one can pick up truly superior offerings from Pralus, Domori, Amedei, etc...

While less readily available than Valhrona or Scharffenberger, are these available anywhere in the Chicago area?

Citori,

That is an interesting observation.

I would not give up finding it here. Often European import grocery stores import foods not originally intended for the US market. Now people are aware, we can keep an eye out when venturing.

Thank you!

Regards,

I'm not sure my chocolate-palate is as refined as some of yours, but I think it's pretty good--and I thought I'd share that I recently had a chocolate bar that did it for me. Lindt Dark Chocolate with Sea Salt. The salt, rather than contributing a "salty" flavor of its own, seems to bring out the chocolate, make it more complexly interesting.

FYI, the walgreens at pulaski and irving park had four bars of the old formula. I stashed them behind about 10 of the new formula ones on the shelf for any LTHers who wanted to race over there to pick them up.

edit: all gone, apparently. sorry!

Got a few bars of Intense Dark at Meijer, of all places, and the shelves were well-stocked. Is it possible they've pulled a New Coke on us?

I'm not sure what this will do to my standing among the chocophiles here, but I'm really liking the Sirius Pure Icelandic Chocolate 70% that I've been getting at Whole Foods lately.

The pace of consumption has slowed as the stash grows smaller (and our youngest left for college) ... now down to 35 bars (from 125 in Oct. 2010). The expiration date on all remaining supply was Aug 30 2011, but the flavors remain perfect. All bars were stored at room temperature in Ziploc freezer bags and kept in a box out of the light. They were removed 5 at a time as the kitchen stash was depleted.

I feel like a lost and desperate soul crawling through a flaming hot desert. It makes me crave the coolness of the "Intense Dark" that comes each night. The canteen is nearly dry ... nothing but "Smooth" sand everywhere I look ... pen almost out of ink ... down to my last couple pages of paper ... no French rescue planes in sight ... must ... find ... help ... soon

jrb6060

Anyone try the bitter chocolate bar at Aldi's? It's pretty intense! In Germany, the absolutely finest bitter chocolate is considered to be this one. I agree.

Geo

edited once