Tasting 101-Part 2: How to Taste Chocolate

Approaching Prestige (Gourmet) Chocolate

Part 1: Gathering The Bars To Taste

Understanding how to taste chocolate requires lots of practice—which is music to the ears of any chocolate lover. Chocolate experts agree that the only way to learn how to taste is from plain bars. Anything else—bonbons, truffles, or bars with nuts or other flourishes—gets in the way of analyzing the pure chocolate.

In an organoleptic* exploration of chocolate, one examines:

*Relating to perception by a sensory organ. The term is used extensively in food-tasting.

Appearance
Snap
Aroma
Mouthfeel
Taste

Appearance

Look at the surface appearance of the bar.

It should have an even texture and a shiny gloss with no discoloration, pitting, or bloom. Good gloss is an indication of good tempering. Discoloration or bloom is an indication of chocolate that has been on the shelf too long and/or has undergone temperature changes, causing the fat or sugar to separate from the tempered chocolate. The feel should be neither too soft nor too brittle.
Color is not an indication of quality, nor is it an absolute indicator of cacao content. While one might say in broad generalization that the higher the percentage of cacao, the darker the chocolate bar, that is only true within a particular producer and bean. For example, Porcelana, one of the finest beans in the world, is light in color—even at 85%. And, if the producer prefers a dark roast, the chocolate will be darker in color.
Cacao content—whether one prefers chocolate that is milk, semisweet, or bittersweet—is a matter of personal preference. A very dark bar containing a high percentage of cacao can be made with inferior cacao.

Snap

Professionals gauge the quality of chocolate by its “snap”: the clear, crisp sound made by breaking a piece of chocolate from a bar. A good, clean snap is indicative of high cacao content and well-tempered chocolate: the higher the cacao content, the harder the chocolate and the more pronounced the snap.

The snap should be clean, without crumbling or bending. The opposite of snap is crumbly.
Milk chocolate, which has lower levels of cocoa solids, and white chocolate which has no cocoa solids, are softer and don’t have the same clean snap as dark chocolate.

Aroma

The aromas of chocolates vary widely: the different varieties of beans have different characteristic aromas, as do beans grown in different parts of the world (and different regions within the same part of the world). There is a parallel to wine: just as Cabernet Sauvignons from different producers will have very different aromas, so will chocolates from different producers. To extend the analogy, chocolates made by the same producer with beans of different areas will bear the distinctive aromas (and flavors) of their terroir.

As with wine, there are hundreds of aromas of chocolate. In THE NIBBLE™ Guide to Chocolate Descriptors, we have categorized them as alcoholic, bready, colors (e.g. green as in grass, brown as in dried), dairy, floral, fruity, herbaceous, nutty, spicy, sugary, vegetal and woody. An experienced taster will also learn the scent of roasts, and will be able to tell what kind of roast the beans underwent.

Review the list of general chocolate descriptors.

In addition, each chocolate-growing area produces beans with distinctive regional aromas. In Venezuela, the Criollo bean generates aromas of strawberries, cream, and butter notes in the genetically pure Porcelana strain; in Madagascar, the Criollo bean can yield aromas of vodka and white wine plus spice, cedar, and other woody notes.

Review the list of regional chocolate descriptors.

Then, inhale the aroma of the bar and try to distinguish the different scents.

Mouthfeel

Mouthfeel is the technical term for (literally) how a food or beverage feels in the mouth. With chocolate, we look at the texture and other sensations the chocolate provides as it dissolves in the mouth and is chewed. In general, good chocolate will liquefy in the mouth without being chewed: the cocoa butter melts at at around 97°F, and normal body temperature is 98.6°F.

Chocolate texture can be smooth, or it grainy or gritty. It can feel velvety or creamy, or it can be waxy or greasy. Waxy chocolate is often an indicator that a cheaper vegetable fat has been substituted for the cocoa butter.
Chocolate producers can add extra cocoa butter to create a smoother, richer product; however, this is not to everyone’s taste. If you find that a brand of chocolate is too unctuous, it probably not a problem with the chocolate but the style of chocolate that you don’t like. You should seek a less lush, more austere style.

To evaluate the mouthfeel, break off a small piece of chocolate and place it on your tongue. Run your tongue over the surface; but tempting as it is to begin to chew it, let it begin to melt on its own and examine the texture. Then, pop in another piece of chocolate and chew it, evaluating the consistency.

Taste

The tastes of fine chocolate parallel the aroma descriptors that you can study in the charts—i.e., caramel and blueberry, which are descriptors in the chart, can be both smelled and tasted in certain chocolates; although sometimes they only can be smelled and sometimes they only can be tasted. Smelling a component does not mean you will taste it.

Allow the chocolate to slowly melt on the tongue. Different tastes will reveal themselves initially, at mid-palate, and in the aftertaste (what is known in wine-tasting as the finish, although the finish in chocolate refers to the surface gloss of the tempered product). As with wine, the aftertaste may be short, or it may be long and lingering—which is desirable, assuming you enjoy the taste!

The more you taste chocolate and compare one bar to another, the more your palate will become acclimated to the nuances, and the more you will be able to discern the differences among chocolates.
It helps to taste with other people. As each mind comes up with different concepts in a brainstorming session, each palate will find different nuances and will contribute to the learning of the group as a whole.
Always taste within a related group of chocolates (milk, Venezuelan, Madagascan, Criollo, Trinitario, 50% cacao, 85% cacao, single origin beans from different producers).
Taste the lowest percentage cacao chocolates first.

Just because chocolate is a familiar product, expertise does not come easily. As with wine, there’s a lot to master. But, it’s a most enjoyable course of study. Get a group together for a chocolate-tasting party.