Knowing how to taste chocolate rather than simply eating it distinguishes the chocolate connoisseur from the casual chocolate-lover. But developing a taste for fine chocolate isn’t difficult; mainly, it involves taking time to savor and experience chocolate via all five senses: sight, touch, hearing, aroma, and taste.
Here are a few basic steps to help you in your chocolate-discovery journey.
Step 1: Pre-tasting preparation
Like wine, fine chocolate has an ideal temperature for tasting. Generally, chocolate should be enjoyed somewhere between 65-68° F (18-20° C). If you tend to store your chocolate in a particularly cool area like your household refrigerator, we recommend that you keep it in the door. Let it come close to room temperature prior to consumption. Cocoa butter becomes brittle in very cold temperatures and letting chocolate warm slightly before tasting releases aroma and enhances flavor. If you’re tasting several different chocolates, have a palate cleanser on hand. Consuming something like plain crackers followed by room temperature water between samples will help you fully experience the individuality of each chocolate that you taste.
Step 2: Sight
Observe the chocolate. Is it smooth and almost shiny? A fine grain and even color indicate that the chocolate was well-tempered and stored. Blotchy patches on chocolate are described as “bloom,” which indicates that the cacao butter has begun to separate from the cacao solids. Bloom commonly occurs in mass-produced chocolate or when chocolate has melted and resolidified – while generally safe for consumption, chocolate with bloom has compromised flavor.
Step 3: Touch
Rub a small square of chocolate between your thumb and your forefinger to warm the square and release the aromas. Note whether or not the chocolate melts easily (you may have different preferences in this regard).
Step 4: Listen
Break the chocolate. A nice snap indicates that the chocolate is well tempered.
Step 5: Smell
The strongest aroma will be from the side that has been broken. Try to detect different scents. Frequent descriptors for the aroma include, but are not limited to, bright (like tropical fruit, raspberries or mango), smoky, floral, roasted (as in roasted coffee), earthy, herby, or nutty.
Step 6: Taste
Pop the square or piece of chocolate in your mouth. Let it sit on your tongue for a few seconds to begin warming it. Chew it just a few times and let it sit on your tongue once more. Try to identify the flavors that develop as the chocolate melts and stimulates your palate. Different flavors will emerge -- you might for example detect spicy notes like cinnamon or black pepper, or sweet and fruity notes like prune or coconut. Remember, a) that a good chocolate should be complex and b) there are no right or wrong answers! The point of the exercise is to enjoy the complex matrix of flavors that emerge from the particular cacao bean and the craft of the chocolate maker.
Step 7: Mouthfeel
Identify the mouthfeel – is the chocolate gritty or creamy/velvety? Which do you prefer? When sampling chocolate, keep in mind that everyone perceives things slightly differently, and the sensations and flavors we identify are often tied to personal experience. A fine chocolate should offer a complex, diverse flavor palette that people can experience subjectively and describe in different terms.
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Here at Minée, we specially source sustainably grown, organic beans from Ecuador, prized for their deep aroma and rich flavor. What do you think of our chocolate? What flavors and aromas can you identify? Let us know… questions/comments
