What to Taste

Understanding Chocolate Lingo 

Before you select your chocolates, you need to know what your choices are and what kind of session you want to create. Chocolate is a lot like wine, and can be considered by type, by region of origin, by blend and by balance of ingredients. Find out the different ways to categorize chocolate and read our suggested tasting sessions.

You say "cacao", I say "cocoa"

Following is a list of terms commonly used in making and categorizing chocolate. Understanding these is the first step towards a solid chocolate education.

Cacao – used by the The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to refer to the bean, which is the source of the cacao components such as chocolate liquor, cocoa butter, and cocoa powder.

Chocolate liquor - produced by grinding the cacao bean nib to a smooth, liquid state. In the U.S., chocolate liquor can also be called chocolate, unsweetened chocolate, baking chocolate, or bitter chocolate. In Canada and Europe, other names include cocoa (cacao) mass and cocoa liquor. (Despite its name there is no alcohol present)

Cocoa butter - the fat naturally present in cacao beans. The amount of cocoa butter in cacao beans typically ranges from 50 to 60%, with the balance being non-fat cocoa solids.

Cocoa or cocoa powder - the product made by removing part of the fat (i.e., cocoa butter) from the cocoa bean and grinding the remaining material to a powder.

Kinds of Chocolate

The ingredients listed above are combined in varying degrees (along with sugar and/or milk) to make different kinds of chocolate such as milk, bittersweet, semisweet or baking chocolate. You've may have seen or tasted all of them, and never really known what those names actually meant. Here are the chocolates' official definitions according to the FDA.

Milk Chocolate A combination of chocolate liquor, cocoa butter, sugar and milk or cream. Milk chocolate must contain at least 10% chocolate liquor and at least 12% total milk ingredients.

Sweet Chocolate A combination of chocolate liquor, cocoa butter and sugar, but contains at least 15% chocolate liquor.

Semisweet or Bittersweet Chocolate A combination of chocolate liquor, cocoa butter and sugar, but contains at least 35% chocolate liquor. Bittersweet chocolate and semisweet chocolate are often called dark chocolate.

Unsweetened Chocolate Or Baking Chocolate Straight chocolate liquor formed into a bar with no added sugar is known as unsweetened chocolate or baking chocolate.

White Chocolate Made from the same ingredients as milk chocolate (cocoa butter, milk, sugar) but without the nonfat cocoa solids. In 2002, FDA established a standard of identity for white chocolate. White chocolate must contain at least 20% cocoa butter and 14% total milk ingredients.

Percentage of Cacao

The percentage refers to the total content of ingredients derived from the cacao (or cocoa) bean. % Cacao = chocolate liquor + cocoa butter + cocoa powder. Generally, there is an inverse relationship between the % Cacao and the amount of sugar in a bar.

For example, a 60% Cacao dark chocolate bar has more sugar (and is sweeter) than a 72% Cacao dark chocolate bar. Unsweetened baking chocolate is a 100% cacao product which has no added sugar, and will have a very bitter flavor.

Also, since higher %Cacao means more cacao bean solids, you'll experience a more intense chocolate flavor.

In a session, always start with the highest % Cacao chocolate and end with the lowest, so your tastebuds can adjust properly.

Single Origin

Many chocolate bars are a blend of cacao beans from around the world. But in Single Origin bars, the cacao used comes from one region within one country, and sometimes from one single plantation. Because each area has its own variety of cacao beans, as well as unique growing conditions and methods of drying and roasting the beans, there will be singular flavor notes connected to that region. These flavor notes will also vary year by year, crop by crop, just like with wine. Some single origin regions to look for include: Santo Domingo, Ecuador, Venezuela, Guatemala, Sao Tome, Java, Madagascar, Papua New Guinea, Côte d'Ivoire, and Ghana.

Suggested Chocolate Tasting Sessions

There's no one prescribed tasting session. You can be creative and come up with your own combinations of chocolates to sample. Here are some suggestions to get you started.

Collection of %Cacao: Try a range of chocolates from low (say, 35% cacao) to high (82%). You'll be tasting across the gamut of milk, bittersweet, semisweet and extra dark.

Single %Cacao: Find different chocolates all at the same percentage. For example, taste only 70% Cacao chocolates in one session. Note the subtle differences.

One Kind of Chocolate: Try a selection of only bittersweet chocolates, or only milk chocolates. Experience the array of aromas, textures and flavors.

Single Origin: Sample chocolates from different regions. Observe the variations between chocolates from Central and South America countries like Guatemala, Venezuela and Ecuador; or between African, South Pacific and Asian regions.

American vs. European Brands: Taste artisanal American chocolates like Scharffen Berger and Dagoba and see how they compare with French and Belgian chocolate bars. All come in different percentages of cacao, and some brands also make single origin versions.