Tasting chocolate depends on sight, aroma, fragrance, snap test, flavor and texture. Flavors could vary from walnut, ginger, honey, pineapple, star anise, chili, juniper, cinnamon, caraway, cardamon, banana, bay leaves.

Start with the highest percentage. Sweet will make everything else bitter. Leave inclusions such as nuts, salt or fruit until last or after the plain chocolate.

I will tell you a few important informational facts about what to look for.

Cacao versus Cocoa. The indigenous had many names for it, but it was translated to cocoa when the Europeans brought it back. The botanical name is Theobroma cacao. Cacao is the pod and the beans.

Tempering is raising and lowering the temperature to alter the crystal formation of the chocolate. Tempered chocolate has a glossy look and a distinctive snapping sound when broken. It improves the hardness by reheating and then cooling.

Cocoa butter is the fat inside the cacao beans. It can exist in various different crystal forms. Milk and white chocolate contain high levels of fat.

Temper:

Dark 46-48 degrees C Dark 28 degrees C Dark 30 degrees C

Milk 43-45 degrees C Milk 27 degrees C Milk 29 degrees C

White 41-43 degrees C White 26 degrees C White 28 degrees C  

Untempered:

* Easily blooms and is prone to white

*It has a dull surface

*It has a dry, crumbly mouthfeel

*It breaks apart easily–no snap–bends or crumbles in hands *It is difficult to remove from a mold by sticking or breaking

*Melts too easily and quickly

Tempered:

* It has a shiny, glossy surface

* It has a smooth and creamy mouthfeel * It has a satisfying snap

* It easily pops out of a mold

* It stays solid in warmer temperatures    

Cacao Butter

It is the edible fat that is taken from the pod. This results in approximately 50%. It is yellow and has a strong cacao flavor and aroma. It is entirely vegan and plant based. It melts around 34-38 C (93-101 F).

It has moisturizing properties, rich in nutrients and antioxidants. It is a stable fat that does not go rancid, with a usual shelf life of three to five years. A deodorized cacao is treated chemically or physically to reduce the natural odors. This is often seen in cosmetics or for having no strong flavor. It takes away the antioxidants and natural nutrients. Non-deodorized is unrefined and natural. It is pale-yellow and has a strong cacao flavor and aroma. It also has vital antioxidants.

It is healthy if consumed in moderation. It is a heart-healthy fat, supports the brain, boosts mood and helps lower blood cholesterol.  

Ingredients

A good bar has no more than three to four ingredients. It must contain a minimum of 35% cacao and 10% milk. The cacao can be listed as cocoa beans, mass, solid or liquor. The percentage is cacao and cacao butter. An example would be for dark 80% or 70% beans and 10% butter.

Sugar will turn the natural bitter to sweet. Dark has 20-40% and white and milk have 40%+. Sugar is white (refined), raw, cane, brown, maple, coconut, caramelized. Sugar free is 100% cacao or erythritol, stevia, xylitol, maltitol, polyglucito.

Milk solids have powder or cow milk, but also can have an alternative. It is usually powder, dried milk powder, dried whole milk, cow milk, ewe milk, goat's milk, coconut milk, rice milk, almond milk, oat milk, soya milk, or cashew milk.

Lecithin can be used as an emulsifier; It is used to bind the solids to the butter and ensures smoothness and helps to reduce blooming.

Vegetable fats are cheap and unhealthy. It can separate the butter and become grainy. Watch for palm oil, which is used quite often. In the United States, it cannot be labeled chocolate if it has vegetable fats. But it can be reverted by labeling “chocolate-like” or “chocolatey.” In the EU you can 5%. Watch for shea butter, vegetable oil, palm oil, mango kernel, sal, sosum gurgi.

Also, be aware of coloring and vanilla added. Some of it is tampered with as an example of adding food coloring to the butter or even wood shavings.      

Chocolate Bloom

Blooms can happen because the cacao is stored in the wrong condition and a wrong temperature. It can be because of the sugar and fat. The sugar could have been kept too cold or in a very humid environment. The fat could be at too high of a temperature or not tempered correctly. If too warm, the butter melts and rises to the surface. If not tempered correctly, the cacao butter hasn’t been secured in the right crystal structure. Bloomed is usually crumbly and unpleasant. Bloomed is good for baking and hot chocolate.

The chocolate should be stored in an air-tight container, preferably glass, and at 59-70 degrees Fahrenheit. It will start to bloom when higher than 75 degrees Fahrenheit.  

Types of Chocolate:

Dark Chocolate. This can have a total mass of 100% and is made by grounding the nibs. There is no milk or sugar and is very bitter. Dark chocolate can be 65-99% with 1-35% sugar, and no more than 3-4 ingredients. Usually, cacao mass and butter, sugar, lecithin. This has a lot of health benefits. Dark milk chocolate is 50-70% cacao mass, 20-30% milk powder and 20-30% sugar.

  Milk Chocolate. This is 35-55% cacao mass, 20-30% milk powder, 20-30% sugar. It needs to have a minimum of 10% cacao mass. In the EU it has to have 25% and no vegetable fats.

White Chocolate. This is 30-45% cacao butter, 25-40% milk powder, 25-55% sugar. The minimum amount of cacao butter is 20% and 3.5% for milk.

  Ruby Chocolate. This is 40-55% cacao mass, 15-30% milk powder, 15-30% sugar, 1-5% citric acid. It was made in 2017 by Callebaut, a red-pink color bean and fruity taste. Citric acid is added to unfermented beans. It tastes sweet and tart. It has more cacao mass than white.

Gianduja Chocolate. This has 20-40% cacao mass, 25-35% hazelnuts, 30-40% sugar. The EU minimum is 32% cacao. It was invented in Italy in the 1800s and is light brown with a hazelnut taste.