Review: Trader Joe's Dark Chocolate Covered Pomegranate Seeds

Here's a sign you're growing old: the arrival of the Trader Joe's newsletter today is met with the same enthusiasm as the arrival of the Victoria's Secret catalog ten years prior. All kidding aside, I love the booklets TJ's sends in the mail - it reads like the J. Peterman's of food catalogs, and there's always something inside that drives me to the store to get something we really don't need but have to have that instant. This month, it's the Dark Chocolate Pomegranate Seeds.

I'd only had fresh pomegranate once before. A co-worker split his with me and showed me how to mine all the juicy seeds. They resembled little corn kernels gone bloody with antioxidant juice, but I enjoyed eating it. There's a certain rewarding feeling one gets when you have to work to enjoy food, but with the chocolate covered delights there's no effort. Just pop 'em in your mouth, and be careful not to finish the whole five-ounce container in one sitting.

One could do it, in theory. The seeds come in shiny dark pellets, each about the size of an abnormally large Wonka Nerd candy, but smaller than a Raisinet. In fact, the best way to describe the taste would be a tarter, crunchier Raisinet. You definitely get the chocolate first, then the boldness of what bit of juice there is. Because they are small, they are addictive, too. I'm careful to scoop my portion out a tablespoon at a time (about 2 WW points) and keep the rest for later.

For the record, the newsletter did advertise fresh seeds as well, and I picked up a container. Can't have too many antioxidants. Gonna live forever!