With Valentine's Day just around the corner, isn't it about time
that your treated your significant other to some chocolate? For
a change, try a really respected brand, take your time, and
concentrate on the whole chocolate experience.
So here are some guidelines for what to look for in chocolate,
but be forewarned, eating *really* good chocolate trains your
taste buds to identify mediocre chocolate. Once you've tasted
the good stuff, there's no going back...
Appearance
The chocolate should be smooth and shiny. If there are white
blemishes on it (known as bloom), it could be a sign that the
chocolate was not properly stored. It could be that the
chocolate was warmed to the point where it melted or it was
stored in a moist refrigerator. A little bit of bloom shouldn't
affect taste much but the texture won't be as smooth. If you're
paying for good quality chocolate, you should make sure that
it's being treated right.
Snap
Try bending the chocolate. It should break off with a clean
snap. If it bends, it probably means that the chocolate maker is
substituting vegetable oil for cocoa butter, which lends
chocolate its magically smooth texture.
The Percentage/Darkness
The main ingredient in chocolate is derived from the cacao bean.
A lot of the time you'll see a percentage sign on the chocolate
package that tells you how much cacao is in the chocolate. The
higher the percentage, the more bitter the chocolate will be.
Darker chocolates usually have a higher cacao percentage.
The percentage to choose is largely a matter of taste, but to
taste the complex flavors of good chocolate, I would aim for
above 60% cacao. This level is often called semi-sweet.
Chocolates that are above 80% are pretty bitter and not as
accessible to casual chocolate lovers.
Tasting (Finally!)
Take a bite of the chocolate, and let it slowly melt on your
tongue. The texture should be perfectly smooth with no hint of
graininess. The flavor should last long on the tongue and be
pleasant all the way down. This long "hangtime" allows you to
search for other secondary tastes. Is it nutty? Is it fruity? Is
it woody? Tasting great chocolate is similar to wine tasting in
a way.
With cheaper chocolates, I find that that their lower cocoa
butter content makes for a less smooth texture and a shorter
lasting flavor. Worse, preservatives often lend an unpleasant
aftertaste.
With a little practice, you'll be able to spot bad chocolate
instantly. It's both a blessing and a curse; you might not see
supermarket chocolate bars quite the same way anymore, but
you'll be in nirvana when you get a piece of high-quality
chocolate.
Recommended Brands
This is not an exhaustive list of good chocolate makers, but
they all make premium chocolate and are not too hard to find in
the US.
Callebaut
Cote d'Or
Dagoba
Domori
El Rey
Ghirardelli
Green & Black's
Lindt
Michel Cluizel
Scharfen Berger
Valrhona
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