How to be a chocolate connoisseur: choosing the best chocolate

With such a dizzying array of products on the market, if you don’t know what you’re looking for, choosing the right chocolate can be a chore. The best way to find your favourites is by experimenting with new varieties and paying close attention to the ingredients.

Ingredients

Most chocolate varieties include cocoa solids and cocoa butter. Cocoa solids are the low-fat component of cacao beans and the primary ingredient of cocoa powder. Chocolate gains its melting property from cocoa butter, a vegetable fat extracted from the beans.

Together, the solids and butter are sometimes referred to as cocoa mass in ingredient lists. Sugar and milk products may be added in varying quantities. White chocolate is technically a confectionary, since it contains cocoa butter, but no cocoa solids.

Alone, cocoa has a strong and bitter taste. Most chocolate manufacturers add sugars or sweeteners to balance this bitterness. Overly sweet chocolate can be a sign of poor-quality cocoa, where a large amount of sugar has been added to disguise the taste.

Cacao trees grow in warm, humid climates. Most of the cocoa products sold in Europe come from west Africa or Central and South America. With experience chocolate connoisseurs can distinguish between cocoa harvested from different regions and at different times of the year.

Packaging

True chocolate connoisseurs are not fooled by misleading marketing. Expensive, luxury packaging can often disguise an inadequate product. However, variety selections are a good way to try new types of chocolate. A considered selection, in a gift hamper or taster kit, is one way of experimenting with textures and flavours.

Many manufacturers now promote their chocolates by advertising the percentage of cocoa. However, as expert tasters point out, this can be a red herring. The cocoa percentage indicates the sweetness of the chocolate, but high-percentage products do not always use high-quality ingredients.

Recipes

When first getting to grips with types of chocolate, choose simple dark and milk varieties. Chocolate is a highly versatile ingredient and can be used in a wide range of recipes. Sweet chocolates work best in baked goods and confectionary, whereas dark chocolate can be used in savoury dishes. An unsweetened, high-cocoa-percentage product can add a slight bitterness and depth of flavour that works well with red meats. Which variety can be considered the best chocolate depends on how it will be used and who will try it. The ultimate test of any chocolate is in the tasting.