Chocolate should be served at room temperature, maximum of 25 degrees Celsius and a minimum of 20 degrees Celsius. At temperatures over 32 degrees Celsius chocolate will start to melt and at temperatures lower than 20 degrees Celsius the volatile aromas may not be easily released from the chocolate. It should always be kept away from direct sunlight, especially in summer. We recommend serving chocolate on a white plate to provide a contrast which emphasises its natural colour and allows accurate comparisons. Ensure the plate is not heated above room temperature.
It is useful when tasting any food or beverage that exhibits natural variation to undertake the procedure in a controlled manner. Carefully repeating the same process each time you experience a new chocolate tasting will allow you to accurately compare samples from different types of cacao bean, manufacturers and growing locations. It can make for an entertaining and enjoyable forum to share your chocolate experience with friends, family or like minded chocolate connoisseurs.
If you are familiar with the process many wine judges use for comparing similar wines then you will find the process for comparing chocolates will be recognizable. Essentially, any analyses, comparisons or judgments you make about the chocolate are your observations drawn from your experiences and preferences. If they differ from someone else’s opinion that does not make them wrong, just the way you see it.
There are four distinct characteristics of chocolate to look for when tasting;
1. ColourHold the chocolate against a white background - a napkin, table cloth, plate or saucer will do as long as you use a similar shade of white object each time. Darker does not necessarily indicate a better or more intensely flavoured chocolate. This is because Criollo cacao beans are lighter, often white inside, resulting in a light brown or red coloured chocolate. In contrast, Forastero cacao beans are often a deep purple resulting in a deeper brown coloured chocolate.
You might also note if the chocolate has a gloss or matt finish, the shape, size, if the appearance is favourable or not and any visible faults.
2. Aroma
It is thought that smell contributes 95% of a person’s sense of taste. This can be easily tested by tasting a piece of chocolate with your nose blocked and then again without.
To test the aroma of chocolate, melt a small portion between your thumb and forefinger to help release the volatile aromas contained in the chocolate. Hold this up to you nose and take a few lingering sniffs. This will allow you to compare the aromas of the chocolate to other similar aromas that may be familiar to you.
3. Taste
Taste is a sensation that you experience when you put an object in your mouth and as such it has multiple components. To taste a piece of chocolate ensure it is served at room temperature (approximately 25 degrees Celsius), put it into your mouth, bite into it and then let it melt over your tongue, ensuring the chocolate coats all parts.
Flavour is the main component of this sensation. You can compare the flavour that you experience when tasting chocolate to other sensations. Comparisons might be made with existing known flavours like the taste of berries, citrus, raisins, vanilla, cinnamon, flowers, dried herbs, forest, spices, wood, coffee, tobacco, ripe fruit, dried fruit, jams, nuts, caramel, honey, bread, butterscotch. Also using generic descriptors like acidic, smooth, mild, sharp, bitter, fruity, sweet, smoky etc. can be useful.
How long the flavours remain in you mouth is called the length of flavour. A good chocolate will usually have complicated flavours with little acidity, few harsh flavours and a long lingering finish.
4. Texture
Another part of tasting chocolate is how it feels in your mouth or its texture. This is a large part of the attraction of chocolate for some people and is related to the unique way chocolate melts at 3 different temperature points all close to human body temperature. Chocolate is often described as velvety, smooth or silky, however this depends on the manufacturing process - chocolates that have undergone less processing might be rough or gritty. Good chocolate is made with cocoa butter and no additional fats or oils as these will harm the natural mouth feel produced when the chocolate melts on you tongue.
Faults can occur due to the harvesting, manufacturing or storage processes. They are evident in taste or appearance and can even be caused by the use of inferior quality beans. Here are some faults to look for;
A taste of burnt rubber or plastic – this can be a result of unfinished fermentation or fermentation that is not uniform due to a combination of different types of cacao beans during the fermentation process. Additionally beans dried artificially, often using kerosene fuelled fires, can result in a taste of burnt rubber or plastic.
A grassy odour – can result from beans stored in humid conditions.
A smokey aroma – can be produced by beans having been dried by wood fires.
A flavour of rotting fruit – may be produced by beans having been fermented for too long.
Chocolate with a stale odour – may be produced when beans have been exposed to mould.
Chocolate that exhibits white or grey blooms on the surface – may indicate the chocolate has been exposed to moisture.
Chocolate exhibits a waxy appearance, is misshapen, white or grey blooms appear on the surface or it is not uniform in luster – all indications a chocolate has been overheated.