We believe that chocolate should be exciting, original and made with authentic ingredients. And when it is, chocolate has the power to take us on a sensuous journey that captivates each and every one of our senses. The look of beautifully glossy chocolate, the distinct snap of a solid bar, those stunning aromas and finally, the heavenly textures and flavors…
And that is possibly chocolate’s most seductive quality. It melts at mouth temperature releasing a flood of flavors that washes over our taste buds, taking us to chocolate bliss.
Tasting ChocolateLook… Chocolate deserves to be savored and that starts with how it looks. Well-made chocolate should have glossy shine, which can range from a delicate sheen for solid bars, to a high gloss finish for filled chocolates. The color will clearly vary with the type of chocolate, but it should always be constant, never blotchy, dull or powdery looking.
Listen… If you’re dealing with a solid bar of chocolate, then it should break with a clean snap. And if you’re contemplating a filled chocolate, then the shell should have a delicate crispness.
Touch… Chocolate will obviously melt if you hold it too long, but it should feel silky smooth on the fingertips, not powdery or sticky.
Smell… The cocoa bean has more than 400 distinct aromas and, depending on what kind of chocolate you’re smelling, you might detect such things as red fruit, berries and even olives, jasmine, tobacco, or spices like pepper and clove. The coca bean picks up a great deal from the surroundings in which it was grown and a great deal depends on how well it is treated after harvesting.
Taste… Finally you get to taste it! Put a square of chocolate in your mouth, give it a quick chew and then leave it on your tongue or press it against your palate. As it melts, the chocolate will start to flood your senses. Everyone’s taste buds are different, so we might not taste the same chocolate in the same way, especially as cocoa has over 300 natural compounds that affect taste.
With
single origin and
single estate chocolate, you’ll experience the full character of the bean – influenced by the climate and the soil of that particular plantation or region, as well as the fermentation, drying and roasting of the bean.
Blended chocolate, on the other hand, is a deliberate mix of beans with different flavors to reliably reproduce the chosen house taste. And this is where the art of the master chocolatier comes into its own – balancing and blending until he has created the right intensity, sweetness, acidity and lingering notes.
