It takes all of your senses to taste chocolate. So no more gobbling it down and licking your fingers. Slow down. Like a fine wine, enjoy all it has to offer. Impress your friends with your ability to discern fine chocolates from the cheap ones.
Before we taste the chocolate we must first find real chocolate. Real chocolate? Real versus the cheap, full of sugar, on every shelf everywhere chocolate. The first test is distinguishing between fine chocolates and cheap sugared for the masses chocolates.
Real chocolate is good for you. It is one of the most nutritious and easily digested foods known to man. It contains a multitude of vitamins, minerals and complex alkaloids all of which enchance health and well- being. The iron in chocolate also comes in a form 93 percent useable by the body.
Real chocolate is low in sugar and has a low glycemic index – 49. There is a naturally occurring anti-depressant in chocolate called phenylethylamine (PEA) which increases the serotonin levels in the brain. They can induce a euphoric state, as well as boosting energy levels and mental alertness. High PEA levels are found in “love-addicted” women (pay attention guys!). Low levels are found in people who are depressed.
The benefits of real chocolate are too many to continue here, so now we will look into how to find it. Read the wrappings! Look for a high cocoa content of 35 to 70 percent cocoa solids. Look to see if it has natural vanilla in it or the cheap substitute vanillin (made from pine trees). The best way, however, is to find out about the origin and variety of the cocoa beans. The bean info can sometimes be found on the chocolatiers website, book or possibly the wrappings.
The first sense is sight. The chocolate should have a silky matte sheen and even texture. Break a bar of chocolate and look at the texture in the break. It should resemble, slightly, the bark of a tree. No bloom should be seen. Bloom is the white/grayish coating that develops when the chocolate has been exposed to moisture/condensation (like going from refridgerator to kitchen counter). It is caused by the sugar in the chocolate.
The second is touch. It should have a smooth and silky surface. It should melt when held in the hand for a few seconds. The reason for this is that cocoa butter is solid and crystalline at 92 degrees, but melts at 94 degrees. The speed of melting is an indicator of what proportion of cocoa butter the chocolate contains.
Third is sound. Yes I said sound. A clean distinctive snap is a sign of good quality. Cheap chocolate has no sound or a dull thud.
Fourth is smell. There can be up to 400 pleasant and intense aromas. Yes, up to 400. How many can you detect? Give it a try the next time you eat fine chocolate, stop to smell the aromas. It should have a well-balanced pleasing smell.
And fifth, but most important, the taste. Didn’t think I’d get to that did you. The taste should be a intensely satisfying flavor. Savor the moment, let your taste buds revel in delight as the taste should linger deliciously in your mouth. If there is a greasy residue it means the chocolate contain fats other than cocoa butter (think cheap). The chocolate should feel smooth, very fine on your tongue. And while it’s melting in your mouth it should be releasing more aromas…aahhh.
Suffice to say that eating chocolate is an experience, not something to stop hunger pains before your next meal. But, if you must control the hunger, indulge in fine chocolates and practice the art of ‘Tasting Chocolate’.
Here is one way to practice (and a good excuse to eat lots of chocolate). Buy 4 or 5 chocolate bars with varying degrees of cocoa solid content from 35 – 70 percent. Starting with the highest content and working your way down try to taste test each and see if you can tell the differences in each. Make sure your mouth is clean before tasting the next bar (like in wine tasting).
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