Chocolate Tasting 101!

Chocolate has over 400 distinct flavour compounds, that’s even more than a fine wine!  Follow our chocolate tasting guide and get the best out of your chocolate tasting experience.

1) Allow the chocolate to rest at room temperature before tasting. Cold temperatures will hinder your ability to detect the flavors.

2) Start from plain chocolate then move on to flavored varieties, lower cacao percentages to higher.

3) Observe the chocolate. Good quality dark chocolate should have a radiant shiny and in a dark mahogany-brown color.

4) Break the chocolate into smaller pieces. Good quality and fresh chocolate bars should break in a clear snap. Dark chocolate has the highest cocoa liquor concentration and will have the cleanest break. This, of course, does not apply to ganache which are made with cream to create the silky smooth texture intentionally.

5) Inhale the chocolate especially right after you break it to pick up the various nuances of the aroma. Its scent may reminiscent of fruits, nuts, spices, flowers, herbs, milk, sugar, wood…etc, depending on its variety.

6) Let the chocolate melt in your mouth.  Good quality chocolates are filled with cocoa butter, so the chocolate melts in your mouth which accelerates the release of aromas. Its freshness and aromas should be present: balancing acidity, flavors, bitterness and sugar.

Every stage of the chocolate making process will influence the flavor of the final outcome. Taste your chocolate slowly and appreciate the quality of the chocolate and the skill of the chocolatier. Most importantly, you’ll have a better understanding of the kinds of chocolate you like best!