This chocolate is delicious. It has plentiful raisins and hazelnuts. It is not a good chocolate for a taste test but nevertheless, it was really good and enjoyed by all of my taste testers.
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Rachel, Sandy, Jason, Michael, Christi, Christian
Tasting chocolate is much like tasting fine wine -- there are subtleties of flavor and tones that you can train yourself to appreciate. Also like wine, professional chocolate tasters have developed a procedure for judging the qualities of a piece of chocolate.
Our Tasters
Rachel, Sandy, Jason, Michael, Christi, Christian
THE ART OF CHOCOLATE MAKING
The origin of the Cacao Tree
The cacao tree is a tropical evergreen plant and was christened Theobroma Cacao during the eighteenth century by the Swedish botanist, Linnaeus.
Theobroma Cacao means 'the food of the gods' from the Greek 'theos' meaning 'god' and 'broma' meaning 'food', reflecting the reverence chocolate has.
The Harvest
The tree bears fruit in the form of bright red, green, purple or yellow pods, that change colour as they ripen. The pods are harvested from May to December and are cut using long-handled, curved steel knives, because the trees are too frail to climb.
Fermentation
This is the first stage of flavour development. The beans and their surrounding layer of pulp are taken out of the pods and covered in banana leaves. After 3-9 days they have turned a dark brown colour and give off a wonderful cocoa smell. The beans are then dried and graded.
Roasting
The cocoa beans are then roasted, which further develops the flavours and aromas and enriches the colour.
Milder varieties of bean tend to be roasted at lower temperatures than stronger varieties.
Winnowing
The beans pass through a machine, which cracks them open and separates the husks from the 'nibs' (the centre of the bean).
Grinding & Mixing
The winnowed beans are ground, which refines the cocoa particles, releasing the cocoa butter and the cocoa mass (a liquid pulp). Both these, plus other basic ingredients such as sugar and milk powder, are mixed and kneaded. Further grinding between steel rollers reduces the particle size even more.
To ensure chocolate melts in the mouth and is of high quality, it should contain a high percentage of cocoa butter. Using pure cocoa butter causes chocolate to melt at body temperature, unlike chocolate made with a percentage of cheaper vegetable fat.
Conching
This refining process removes 'volatile' components (unwanted flavours and aromas). The liquid chocolate is constantly agitated and heat-treated, and flavours are added. By the end of this process the chocolate has developed it's full flavour and characteristic velvety smoothness.
Tempering
The liquid chocolate is cooled from 45*C to approximately 28*C, then heated again to 30*C. This is a critical stage which, when done correctly, delivers the perfect structure of cocoa butter crystals, resulting in chocolate having a high gloss finish and a sharp 'snap' when broken.
Blog Archive
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April
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- Neuhaus 73% West Africa blend cacao - Made in Belgium
- Lindt Excellence 85% cocoa - Made in France
- Lake Champlain 75% Tanzania cocoa - Made in Vermont
- Lake Champlain 60% Grenada cocoa - Made in Vermont
- Harry London 70% cocoa - Made in Ohio
- Michel Cluizel Tamarina 70% Sao Tome cacao - Made ...
- Lake Champlain 70% Sao Thome cocoa - Made in Vermont
- Chocovic Ocumare 71% Venezuela cocoa - Made in Spain
- Chocovic Guyave 71% Grenada cocoa - Made in Spain
- Sterling Collection 90% Ecuador cocoa - Made in Be...
- Valrhona Caraibe 66% Carribbean cacao - Made in Fr...
- Michel Cluizel Mangaro 72% Madagascar cacao - Made...
- Michel Cluizel Los Ancones 72% Santo Domingo cacao...
- Michel Cluizel Concepcion 72% Venezuela cacao - Ma...
- A. Korkunov Milk Chocolate - Made in Russia
- Baron dark chocolate - Made in Poland
- Trader Joe's Swiss 71% cocoa - Made in Switzerland
- Villars Chocolat Noir 72% cocoa - Made in Switzerland
- Perugina Nero 70% cacao - Made in Italy
- Grands Crus by Caffarel 70% cacao from Ghana - Mad...
- Le Noir Amer by Valrhona 71% cacao - Made in France
- Hachez 88% cocoa from South America - Made in Germany
- The Grenada Chocolate 65% cocoa - Made in Grenada
- Droste Pastilles 72% cocoa - Made in Holland
- Domori GEM 85% cacao - Made in Italy
- Grands Crus Cuba 70% cacao - Made in Cuba
- Cocoa D' Arriba 77% cocoa - Made in Germany
- Noirissime 99% cacao - Made in France
- Lusty 55% cocoa - Made in New Zealand
- Evasions de chocolat NOIR 64% cacao - Made in France
- Scharffen Berger nibby bar 62% cacao - Made in Ca...
- Dagoba eclipse 87% cacao - Made in Oregon
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About Me
- Karen
- New York, NY, United States
RATING SYSTEM
1. INEDIBLE
2. APPALLING
3. UNAPPEALING
4. EHH
5. NEUTRAL
6. OK
7. GOOD
8. DELICIOUS
9. SUPERB
10. THE BEST
2. APPALLING
3. UNAPPEALING
4. EHH
5. NEUTRAL
6. OK
7. GOOD
8. DELICIOUS
9. SUPERB
10. THE BEST
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