Did you know? Every now and then, our office turns into a real lab, and when it's time to analyse, develop or tweak recipes, the whole choco team rolls up its sleeves. Fancy joining us? Grab a few different chocolate bars (des Français, obviously!), a sheet of paper and a pencil, and off we go! ✍️
Aren't my bars beautiful? 👀
First, let's look at the chocolate's appearance. We check the colour of the bar: it can range from very light brown to deep dark brown, but that tells you nothing about the cocoa percentage. Bars with 45% cocoa can be lighter than some with 37%. Do you know why? No? Well, we'll tell you right away: it depends on the amounts of milk powder, sugar, cocoa butter and so on. Next, we check whether the chocolate shines like Fabien Barthez's bald head and whether it's smooth, because that's the sign of good craftsmanship in the chocolate workshop.
Does the chocolate go snap-mmm? 👂
Then we break the bar, and it should go SNAP! The sound should be clean and crisp. Next, we look at the inside of the break: if the work is good quality, there should be no bubbles or lumps! The break must be smooth to score a 10/10!
Do you have a good nose? 👃
Next step: the nose! On its own, the cocoa bean doesn't really have that lovely chocolate smell we know so well (mmm, Mum's chocolate cake 🤤), yet the chocolate's aromas really do come from it: they're released during fermentation and roasting, and will multiply in your mouth! So the little square of chocolate does give off a scent that creates a first impression or emotion. Some smell so good it's almost a shame to bite into them!
The taste of chocolate 🫦
FINALLY, here we are! Put the chocolate between your teeth and bite. It should snap cleanly. Then it moves into your mouth and should melt straight away, coating your taste buds in delicious sweetness. The first aromas appear. Good to know: the aromas vary depending on the variety of cocoa tree and are also shaped by the terroir, giving characteristic notes to a particular origin or plantation. Venezuela brings notes of honey or caramel, for example, while Madagascar surprises with a light acidity. As for taste itself, we won't give you advice, since it depends entirely on you, the moment, your mood or what you fancy!
And there you go, you're now true experts in chocolate tasting! So next time you bite into a bar, remember all these steps.
Every chocolate tells a unique story, shaped by its origin, its terroir and the expert hands that crafted it. All that's left is to savour the moment and share your discoveries with your loved ones. So, ready to give it another go? 😏
