Last year I joined a group of dedicated foodies for a blind chocolate tasting to determine if there really is that much difference between an inexpensive brand and an expensive brand. We tried dark truffles made by 13 different companies and while opinions were mixed as to the best we all came away feeling a little wiser for the experience. 

Why? Not because we had reached any definitive conclusions but because we had learnt about the supposed four keys to chocolate tasting: Appearance, Aroma, Texture, Taste. In this article I spoke to three experts about these keys and get their views on chocolate tasting and cooking with chocolate. 

Appearance and Aroma

Like wine the appearance and aroma can be the first clues when determining the quality of chocolate. For Roger Chan, director and founder of artisan chocolate makers, Vero, the appearance should be smooth, uniform, with a radiant sheen and free of blemishes. "All we have to believe with is our senses, the tools we use to perceive the world," he says, borrowing a quote from the novel, American Gods.  

Yves Matthey, executive pastry chef at Mandarin Oriental, Hong Kong, says, "In finished chocolate, naturally the appearance of the chocolate plays an important role. I look for a chocolate that is very glossy and shiny." 

The sound the chocolate makes when it breaks is also important. "Break a piece of the chocolate and listen. It should resonate with a healthy sharp, crisp snap," says Chan. The crisp snap is a sign of good crystallisation.

Chocolate's quality can also be determined by touch, which is connected to the appearance and aroma criteria. "Hold the chocolate between your fingers. It should feel smooth. The warmth of your body will cause the chocolate to melt and release odours that will enhance the intensity of aromas," notes Chan. 

The next thing to do is to smell the chocolate, especially at the break point he says. "It should have subtle aromas and inhaling will prime the tongue for the incoming chocolate."  

Self-confessed chocoholic and two-star Michelin chef Richard Ekkebus from Amber says, "Chocolate is serious business; you've heard the jokes that newbie wine tasters make: It's got overtones of hay and...butterscotch! With a hint of, um, clean linen. Turns out different cacao beans (chocolate in its raw form) have different flavour profiles and the language to describe them are very similar to wine." 

Matthey agrees that chocolate tasting is very similar to wine tasting in that each type of chocolate has its own distinctive flavours and qualities. "It's important that the balance of these elements is right. A good chocolate must be distinctive and not too bland; I call that ‘the root', whether it's cinnamon or spice or another flavour that anchors the overall chocolate flavour. This shouldn't be overwhelming, but not weak either." 

Texture and Taste

For Matthey the most important quality is always taste. "When evaluating raw chocolate, taste is the overriding quality that we judge the chocolate on: I look for individual flavours that make up the overall taste, for example whether it has a hint of cinnamon or earthiness and how do those flavours balance together to give the final taste. I look for the sharpness of the chocolate, the acidity and the cleanliness on the palate. The next most important quality for me is texture; I have to consider how does it feel in the mouth and what is the aftertaste, how it feels in the mouth, or is it smooth or rough, for example. If it feels greasy, then the chocolate probably has a high fat content." 

Chan's advice is to place a piece of chocolate on your tongue and allow it to warm to body temperature. It should melt and release a variety of intense flavours in your mouth.  

He believes that no one judging criteria is more important than the others. "All elements are important from before you put the chocolate in the mouth, the enjoyment in the mouth, to the complexity and intensity of the aftertaste. For this reason, we feel the most important aspect is the entire experience of engaging all the senses." 

Ultimately, once you have found a chocolate that ticks all the boxes, whether you like it or not is a matter of personal taste. 

What About Percentages?

Most chocolates at the higher-end of the price market clearly display the percentage of raw chocolate, with the recent trend being a quality chocolate should have at least 60 per cent. However Ekkebus says that things are changing. He explains, "The trend among chocolate makers isn't just about percentages anymore. Consumers have begun to pay a bit more attention to how their food is made and processed. Fair trade and organic products are now main-stream, and chocolate is no exception. 

And like wine before it, chocolate is starting to be about "terroir"-where and how the raw fruit was grown and harvested. Now there's origin where we note the difference between cocoa's origins. It's not just marketing, either. In fact, there has been a real search by leading brands to create unique single estate chocolate each having its own characteristics. Chocolate is no longer what it used to be and foodies are becoming as particular about their choice of chocolate as they are with wine." 

For the experts it is the chocolate's single origin which creates the real difference, regardless of percentages. 

Is Expensive Best?

While the most expensive is not necessarily the best, all three experts agree that there is a connection between quality and price, mostly because of the quality of the raw ingredients. 

"Chocolate is a raw material, at real market prices, the best and most expensive in the world is still affordable. Like wine, fine chocolate is driven first by variety (cacao species), then by location (plantation)," explains Chan. 

Ekkebus says: "Good chocolate is as good coffee and good tea: expensive. However I compare it to truffle and caviar eaters; you have those who eat it because it is expensive or those who eat it because it is simply great." 

Chocolate Tasting Tips

Roger Chan:

• Engages five senses

• Try different varieties and brands of dark chocolate (preferably 70% for consistency)

• Try and do it in a quiet environment and concentrate on the aftertaste, if it is persistent, clean, and intense. Try and identify different notes and flavours.

• Eat lots of chocolate! 

Richard Ekkebus:

• Do not only buy based on cocoa percentage

• Buy single estate chocolate as truly the remarkable differences in chocolate will become more apparent

• Taste chocolates from different continents & regions: Africa/Madagascar, South America/Caribbean, Central Pacific, Asia. Each has totally different characteristics

• Eat bread in between the different chocolates and drink mineral water to cleanse the palate

• Do not feel guilty, good chocolate is full of antioxidants and is good for you  

Yves Matthey

• Eat chocolate every day - just a little bit - as this will start to train your palate and you will begin to understand what you personally like and dislike in chocolate. There is no right or wrong decision when it comes to chocolate because it's always a matter of personal taste.

• When tasting chocolate, sample each piece and concentrate on the flavour, the texture, how it feels in the mouth. Make notes about which qualities you liked and which ones you disliked about the chocolate being tasted. 

Cooking with Chocolate

What chocolate to choose depends on what you're cooking. According to Matthey, the professionals tend to use chocolate with a very high cocoa content but this can be quite difficult to work with. He advises to look for a chocolate with a slightly lower cocoa content which will be easier to use. "Always choose chocolate according to your personal taste and I would recommend using known brands that you are comfortable with rather than experimenting with an unknown chocolate." 

Chan's advice is to check the ingredients when choosing a cooking chocolate. "Keep an eye on the label to avoid preservatives, and artificial flavours. Vero chocolate boasts only four ingredients: cocoa mass, cocoa butter (not other cheap fats like vegetable oils), vanilla (not vanillin), and cane sugar," says Chan with some pride. 

Ekkebus says that when choosing chocolate to cook with the sugar content is a key factor. "Low sugar levels mean high percentage of cacao. However, it pretty much depends on for you are using the chocolate for, some sweet chocolates or even white chocolate can be paired with savoury dishes."

Most recipes that include chocolate requires melting first and Matthey suggest the following. "Melting chocolate should always be done in a bain marie (a bowl filled with water, inside which you place another bowl with the chocolate in - making sure that no water every touches the chocolate). Chocolate can burn very easily and shouldn't be heated to more than 35 degrees centigrade. Be careful not to burn chocolate when heating chocolate in a microwave or during baking." 

Chan advises that when making chocolates it is important to let the melted chocolate cool to 27-28C. He explains once the chocolate is at 27-28C, it is stable and fully tempered, but not at the best temperature for working with, so place the bowl back on the pan of simmering water and bring the temperature up to 31-32C. Do not heat past this temperature: take the bowl off the water every 5 seconds to test the temperature. You can test to see if the chocolate is correctly tempered by dipping the tip of a knife in the chocolate. The chocolate on the knife should begin to set within one minute with a shiny surface. If not, repeat the process. Keep the bowl on the dry kitchen cloth while you work with the chocolate, to maintain the temperature. 

On the creative front Ekkebus believes that the sky is the limit. "Let your imagination go with it I would say. In cooking there are technical rules to respect, however taste could be subjective so you can let yourself decide what taste is good for you. We have done White Onion Panna Cotta with White Chocolate Fish Soup with Lime Peel, sounds wacky but it truly works; or Chilli Ganache with Paprika Coated Pecan Nut and Crispy Parma Ham is another great one." 

Storage

It is important to store chocolate carefully and separately from other ingredients as it can take on the smell of other items very easily. It should be stored in a cool, dry, dark place, ideally wrapped with aluminium foil to keep the light out which can degenerate the chocolate.  

Amber's Chocolate Menu

Amber has teemed up with La Masion du Chocolate to create a six-course Chocoholics Menu, using chocolate in every course. The menu is priced at $1,188 per person.  

More Information

For an extensive amount of information on chocolate tasting, cooking with chocolate, and much more visit www.allchocolate.com.

Images

Image 1 and 2 courtesy of Valhrona 

Images 3 and 6 courtesy of Vero 

Images 4 and 7 courtesy of Mandarin Oriental, Hong Kong 

Images 5 and 8 courtesy of Amber and La Masion du Chocolate