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How do you eat dark chocolate? Well, put it in your mouth and chew, of course. It’s creamy, sweet, bitter, and probably very enjoyable. But what if you want to get more out of your dark chocolate experience? Learn to tell the differences between the growing number of varieties? Like tasting wine, you’ll have to apply a little more thought and awareness. You must learn to recognize things like snap, aroma, texture, and finish.
Chocolate is an incredibly complex product, but tasting can be broken down into a few components. Brad Kintzer, chief chocolate maker at TCHO, says that one of the most important things is taking your time. He brings a rather Jedi Master approach: “Pretend like you’ve never tasted chocolate before,” he says. “Monitor the experience from the time you break open the wrapper.”
In fact, you should monitor the experience even earlier. Start in the store: Buy different brands, different percentages, different origins. Buy organic and fair-trade chocolates. Taste widely and agnostically until you find brands and types that you like. There’s been a lot of emphasis placed on percentage, but Kintzer points out that one 80 percent bar can vary wildly in flavor and texture from another. Michael Recchiuti of Recchiuti Confections says that the exact same percentage can differ in every other aspect: sugar content, flavor, acidity, texture. Tasting is the only way you’ll discover the differences.
You’ve bought the bars; you’re ready to taste. Be prepared to write things down: “Don’t be afraid to geek out about it,” says Kintzer. “Taste is so subjective and personal,” says Recchiuti. “Tasting notes are always different.” You’ll want water as a palate cleanser and perhaps some crackers. Your chocolate should be at room temperature. Don’t taste right after you’ve brushed your teeth or drunk a few glasses of wine or coffee; your palate should be fresh.
Visual: Take your time; inspect the bar. A properly tempered bar is shiny and bright. What’s the color like? Color variations can be extreme, from light to dark. Is it dusty-looking with bloom? Bloom can change the texture of a bar, which affects flavor.
Aroma: Some people rub their fingers over chocolate to warm it up and release the oils that deliver aroma. Remember that as you taste, the aroma will develop. Some tasters will even melt chocolate and eat it with a spoon to get more of the aroma earlier.
Texture: Break a chunk off. A clean snap indicates that the chocolate’s been well tempered. Put it in your mouth. Close your eyes and think about what you’re experiencing. Chew a few times to break it up, and let it melt in your mouth. The rate at which it melts affects how quickly the flavors develop. Smack your tongue on the roof of your mouth to get a sense of the texture. Is it creamy, fatty, gritty? How well does it spread out across your palate?
Flavor: The basic flavors you might experience are bitter and sweet. But do you get any sour notes? Any roasted notes? Is there fruitiness from the acids? Sometimes you’ll get a zing of brightness and citrus. Some flavors come from flaws in the chocolate-making, like smokiness, mustiness, or earthiness; even hamminess, says Kintzer. How does the flavor linger? What is going on in your mouth even well after the chocolate is gone?
In the end, you’ll know what you like. And you’ll get a better understanding of the complexity of premium bars. But if you want to gobble down some Reese’s Pieces, Kintzer says he’ll understand. He does that too.
I loved this article, while I have the wine sampling down quite well at this point, I never really thought about tasting chocolate being so complex. I definately want to through a chocolate tasting party sometime soon.
Love this commentary. I included chocolate and cheese pairing suggestions ... though the field of knowledge in print form is pretty shallow at this time ... in a new book we wrote called Green Gold: Pairing Honeys & Cheeses. It seems indeed that the language, textures and characters of all of these earthly wonders to overlap deliciously, so they should indeed be used to make everyone's...+READ
Love this commentary. I included chocolate and cheese pairing suggestions ... though the field of knowledge in print form is pretty shallow at this time ... in a new book we wrote called Green Gold: Pairing Honeys & Cheeses. It seems indeed that the language, textures and characters of all of these earthly wonders to overlap deliciously, so they should indeed be used to make everyone's experiencing with combining foods a fantastic treasure hunt for new riches.
Thanks.
Allan-COLLAPSE
Our approach at my blog has always been to treat our "Sacraments" (the special reviews that look at items sent to us by companies) in all five senses. So this approach is honestly not very new.
One thing that isn't mentioned in this article is that when you take the time to fully appreciate chocolate on all sensory levels, it slows you down and increases the pleasure from the chocolate which in...+READ
Our approach at my blog has always been to treat our "Sacraments" (the special reviews that look at items sent to us by companies) in all five senses. So this approach is honestly not very new.
One thing that isn't mentioned in this article is that when you take the time to fully appreciate chocolate on all sensory levels, it slows you down and increases the pleasure from the chocolate which in turns makes you want to eat less. You save money or can purchase a wider range of products and you may lose weight as well. I lost over 30 with this approach but then I was a chocoholic.-COLLAPSE
This is a really great article on enjoying chocolate. What everyone needs to remember is that chocolate is similar to wine in many ways. Particularly, the best chocolate/wine is the one that you enjoy the most. I really enjoy super premium chocolate, like Sulpice Chocolat www.sulpicechocolat.com its based in Chicago. Its outstanding. I think that it pairs really well with wine and I especially...+READ
This is a really great article on enjoying chocolate. What everyone needs to remember is that chocolate is similar to wine in many ways. Particularly, the best chocolate/wine is the one that you enjoy the most. I really enjoy super premium chocolate, like Sulpice Chocolat www.sulpicechocolat.com its based in Chicago. Its outstanding. I think that it pairs really well with wine and I especially like the spicy bar. YUM!-COLLAPSE
Dark chocolate and a good, aged, tawny port. Now that's a combo!
I like the 100% eating chocolates the best. There are many makers and they all taste different, with many subtleties of fragrance and flavor.
I like it with a dry red wine too. And I'd add Zinfandel to your list! In fact, I think any full-bodied dry red would work.
Anyone else like dark chocolate and red wine? The more bitter the chocolate, the better the experience, in my opinion. I love letting the chocolate slowly dissolve on my tongue and then taking a sip of a heavy red like a Shiraz or Cabernet Sauvignon. (Note: I'm hardly a wine or chocolate connoisseur, but I do know what I like!)
Chocolate with a daub of sea salt and some caramel...but only very dark chocolate.
Great article.
But in the end, isn't chocolate comsumption just another SIMPLE indulgence?
Buy it. Eat it. Enjoy.
Have you tried pairing chocolate with tea? Great combo. I love to teach classes on this. There are some wonderful teas that go with dark chocolate. How about pairing a single estate chocolate with a single estate tea?
I asked Kintzer about this and he said brown liquors -- scotch, bourbon, Irish whiskey -- are really good pairings. He also thinks that dry ruby ports and beer can be really fun to pair with chocolate.
Did a tasting recently for single-malt scotches paired with chocolate. The chocolate REALLY brought out the flavors and aromas of the whiskies. What are some suggestions to pair with chocolates to bring out their flavors?