How does a chocolate sommelier choose chocolate?

Many people ask me how they can know how to choose the best chocolate when they go shopping. How does one know which bars are worth purchasing? How can one know which one is actually made by a fine bean-to-bar chocolate maker? Here I will briefly go through the main aspects I always look for when I’m confronted with a new bar or brand of chocolate. This is especially true if I just happen to come across a new brand of chocolate in a shop, and have never heard of it before.

The most important aspects to consider

Below are the most important things to look for. This is also in the order in which I approach it.

1. Read Ingredients

This goes for any food you purchase, but you always always have to look at the ingredients. Not so much for what to see, but what you don’t want to see. For instance, if the chocolate bar is a dark single origin bar such as “70% Peru” here are some factors I will use to decide if it is not worth purchasing.

Some things I do not want to see are:

Vanilla - fine dark chocolate does not require vanilla. Would you add vanilla do your espresso or your wine? A fine chocolate should stand out on the flavour of the bean used. It shouldn’t require any flavour enhancers.
“Natural”/Artificial Flavour - “Natural” flavour is essentially a flavouring ingredient that was manufactured and processed, and not a whole lot different from artificial flavour ingredients. The only difference is that the natural flavour came from an ingredient that was at one point living matter (like tree bark, algae, or something completely unrelated to the flavour it is trying to mimic. The argument here is not that these are bad or good, I’ll let you decide. The point here is just like vanilla, fine chocolate should not require any of these.
Any fat other than cocoa butter. Cocoa butter is just the pure fat squeezed from the cocoa bean. Some fine chocolate makers add a little extra of this cocoa butter to their bars. This is sometimes a contentious issue (for reasons such as pure origin), but it’s not a unfavorable ingredient that diminishes the flavour of the bar (not if done correctly). Usually it is a small amount of under 10% the weight of the chocolate.
Lecithin. Lecithin is a natural ingredient found in many foods, although doesn’t occur naturally on its own. This is a substitution for cocoa butter, that improves the fluidity (viscosity) of the chocolate, while also not being as expensive as pure cocoa butter. In my experience, most of the best chocolate makers shy away from this (for various reasons), and it is not exactly necessary. In my experience, chocolate brands that use this in their dark chocolate (not necessarily milk chocolate) produce chocolate that is quite underwhelming. This may be more opinion than fact, but lecithin is now something I use to filter out bars I have not tried.

What I want to see:

For fine dark chocolate ingredients should only be: cocoa bean (AKA cocoa mass, cocoa nibs, cacao), and sugar. And like I said, sometimes cocoa butter. That is it! For a plain fine dark single origin chocolate, there really should be no other ingredients. Of course you can have intentionally flavoured dark chocolate bars, but here we are talking about plain fine dark chocolate, comparable to an expresso shot or glass of wine.
For fine milk chocolate ingredients should only be: cocoa bean (AKA cocoa mass, cocoa nibs, cacao), sugar, milk powder, and cocoa butter. The cocoa butter is pretty much always necessary due to how thick the chocolate will be from the addition of the milk powder. Lecithin, again, is a contentious issue. However, there are some makers who do a splendid job on their single origin dark bars (with no lecithin) and then add the lecithin to the milk chocolate. Again, lecithin is a natural ingredient found in seeds or eggs. Most lecithin on the market is Soy lecithin, which is also usually GMO. For that reason, fine chocolate makers who do use lecithin usually seek non-GMO soy or even non-soy lecithin such as sunflower lecithin. More on this another time.
For white chocolate, the base ingredients should be: cocoa butter, sugar, and milk powder (and whatever flavours added, since in this case the fat itself has no real “good” flavour). If you see another fat in place of cocoa butter, or in addition to, then this is not a high quality white chocolate.

2. Information on making it from bean-to-bar

For some reason, and I still can’t figure out why, some really great fine bean-to-bar chocolate makers do not make it clear on the bar wrapper that they make the product from scratch themselves. The truth is, this turns off many consumers who are actually looking for that sort of chocolate, especially myself.

Most bars will have this information somewhere on there. It may be in the form of images depicted somewhere on the wrapper, or it may be written on the back or front of the bar. If you are one who seeks out fine chocolate, then it’s expected you’re reading the entire label anyway. If you are someone who is very particular about your food’s ingredients and where/how it was made, I assume you do this anyway as well.

Keep in mind there have been brands that knowingly or unknowingly use the term “bean-to-bar” inaccurately, when they did not actually make it themselves either. In this case it’s usually a private label chocolate bar. More on this another time. But there are those who sneak under the radar, so this is not a 100% fool-proof way of weeding out commercial or private label chocolate bars. There are also “nib-to-bar” chocolate makers who are not quite the same (for the most part) as a true chocolate maker who sources and roasters their own beans. It’s like a company calling itself a coffee roaster when they don’t go through the effort of sourcing the raw beans and roasting it themselves. That said, a true fine chocolate maker should have it on the bar, and if not, definitely on their website. In today’s world, it couldn’t be easier to look up a brand while you are in front of it in the shop, and find the information you need on their website in less than a minute. If you’re unsure, check their website! Go to the about or “our process” section and if it isn’t screaming at you in the face, then I may just forgo that brand until I look into it further another time.

A message to any bean-to-bar chocolate maker reading this, please make it clear on your wrapper that you make your chocolate from scratch: that is, from the raw beans into the finished chocolate product. Informed consumers are looking for this information, and if you don’t have it, they may pass you over as a private label brand.

3. Information on the cacao

The more information a chocolate bar has about where the cacao comes from and even information such as the roast, fermentation method, season, etc., is usually a good sign they are choosing high quality cacao and likely know what they are doing in regards to making fine chocolate. This isn’t always the case, as large commercial chocolate manufactures are starting to do this as well, but this is just another level of possible “insurance” that the bar may be made by a true fine bean-to-bar chocolate maker.

Nowadays, the country of origin isn’t good enough, as even a Lindt bar uses these terms as well such as their “Madagascar” bar. Usually the cacao growing region, the cacao co-op name, or in some cases the farm/estate name are listed as well. If you don’t see the details you are looking for on the wrapper, then you can also check their website quickly as well. The more information they have about the cacao other than the country it was grown in, is generally a good sign that they put care into the product and purchased high-quality cacao beans. And this may mean a fine chocolate bar with depth of flavour instead of just the basic cocoa flavour of commercial chocolate.

4. Taste it

Yes, I know, you can’t open a bar to taste it. Not like asking the producer manager if you can sample the peach, although I’m not sure people still do that these days. Either way, the truth is, after reading ingredients, getting information on the maker, and information on the cacao, the true test comes from tasting it.

Fine dark or milk single origin chocolate should have these attributes:

Should have flavours beyond just your basic cocoa flavour. It should contain layers of flavours such as woody, fruity, floral, baked, honey, pie crust, etc. No off flavours such as mold, hammy, metallic. There is no “right” flavour for fine chocolate, as there are may favorable ones that rely more on your subjective preference for deciding which you like and which you do not.
Dark should not be very bitter or bitter at all (sometimes a little is unavoidable in higher percentage bars)
Chocolate should not be too astringent (sometimes a little is unavoidable in higher percentage bars)
Chocolate should not be too acidic (there are some “fine” chocolate brands out there who think white vinegar is a flavour worth having in their chocolate)
Milk chocolate should not be too sweet. Most commercial milk chocolate is around 30% cocoa bean, but a fine milk chocolate can be around 50% to even 65% cocoa bean which means a chocolate that is not too sweet, robust cocoa flavour, yet still creamy and milky.

What doesn’t matter

Here are some factors that don’t matter in regards to flavour and quality of the chocolate. Now, all of these factors are in some way important, and some much more important than others. However, None of these are determinates of overall chocolate quality. Lacking these factors listed below does not disqualify a chocolate from being fine. All of these are used mostly as marketing tools, and with that comes stretching of the truth and over-embellishing. Again, these factors do matter, and some a great deal, but they shouldn’t be used to “filter out” your chocolate choices. If you do use some or all of these factors in your process of elimination, you will actually be filtering out most of the best chocolate in the world. So below I will explain why they don’t matter as much as you may think or were told they do.

1. Origin of the maker

Gone are the days where the best chocolate comes from France, Switzerland, Belgium, or Europe in general for that matter. Today, incredible chocolate can be found all over the world. Anywhere a skillful chocolate maker can get their hands on fine cacao, you will have incredible chocolate. Check out my bean to bar world map app to find a maker near you. Keep in mind that craft chocolate is sort of like artisan bakers. Some you may love, some you may not. Some may be produce high quality products, but you just don’t appreciate their style. Some may be doing their best, but missing the mark. In the same way, some chocolate makers are doing a fantastic job already, some are still learning, and some are not in it for the reason of promoting the craft and so miss the mark. As you learn to discern, you’ll get better and finding the chocolate makers you like.

Of course, it is important to know as much about the maker as you can. How did they get started? How transparent are they with their process and their selection of cacao and other ingredients? Does their mission and business values align with yours? These are questions you should be asking. It does not matter per se what country or city the manufacture is based. IT doesn’t matter per se what credentials or what pastry school (if any) they graduated from. What matters is the work they do, and how they do it. What matters is what they produce, not what can be said of them. Fine chocolate should always be about promoting the craft, and those who uphold it regardless of where they are from, how important they seem, how big their facility, or how marketable they are. Content matters.

2. Origin of the cacao

When I first fell into fine chocolate back in around 2007, origin mattered more than it does today. To put it briefly, certain country of origins were promoted in order to promote the brands who purchased from them. It was a way to increase the perceived value of your product if the region from where the ingredient grows is touted as the best of the best. This is partly why the idea of terroir was been used (and misused) so much, not only in chocolate but other sectors as well.

This is why today you’ll hear some say “Venezuela” produces the best cacao or this and that country. The truth is, if a country has the climate to properly grow cacao, they can grow the very best, and the very worst. It really depends a great deal first and foremost on the genetics of the trees being grown. This goes beyond the variety. This is not a Criollo/Trinitario vs Forastero argument. This is not an argument about any particular of the 10 wild strains suggested by C. Motamayor. Genetics in cacao is very complex, and very little about it is understood by most even in the fine chocolate industry. However, if you do your own research, or browse my research summary blog, you may begin to see how important genetics is (among other aspects) in regards to cacao flavour and quality, and how little the origin actually plays.

Ecuador can grow some of the best, and some of the worst cacao. Most regions that grow cacao have a mix of the two. Remember that, depending on who you ask, roughly 5-15% of the world’s cacao is fine cacao. And these small amounts of fine cacao can be found in many regions of the world. It’s always sad to see some chocolate influencer or sommelier promoting some origins over others. It’s the job of the fine chocolate industry to seek out the fine cacao, regardless of where it is, and help support and sustain those who grow it (whether they are well known or still obscure).

Fair trade certification

You can read more into this here. All I will say here is that fair-trade certification has absolutely nothing to do with quality necessarily. Many assume, through past marketing tactics, that fair-trade products are synonymous with quality. If you use fair-trade certified as a way to filter out the chocolate bars you do not wish to purchase, you will essentially filter out nearly all of the finest chocolate in the world. In fact, true fine chocolate makers buy cacao at prices matching and often above fair-trade certified standards. People have lost sight of what matters, and seem to purchase food nowadays based on what appears good or makes them feel good about themselves, instead of knowing what it is actually accomplishing. The certification is not what matters. If you value the idea of fair-trade food, it’s best to do your research and find out where that money is going and whether it is really making a difference where you think it is.

In the fine chocolate world, both the farmers who grow it and the makers who produce the chocolate would rather put their time, money, and efforts into producing the best quality products they can and sharing it with you, than wasting that precious time, money, and effort on a stamp of certification to satisfy the less-informed consumer.

organic certification

Again, organic (certified or not) is not synonymous with quality. You can purchase a chocolate bar with certifications that go over the whole package that includes fair-trade, organic, and more. But the truth is, none of that necessarily has anything to do with quality cacao beans or quality chocolate. You can buy a bar that is organic and fair-trade certified, but still made with the same commercial grade cacao that produces a nice but mediocre chocolate at best. If you were to use organic certified as your filter, you would filter a great deal of the finest chocolate in the world.

Of course, moving away from pesticides/herbicides that are harmful to us and the environment is a wonderful thing that all industries should be heavily involved in perusing. I understand and greatly endorse the idea of moving away from chemicals that may have been doing a great deal of harm. However, keep in mind that organic certified also doesn’t mean organic in the way you may think. It does not always mean (especially for produce sold at grocery stores) that no pesticides/herbicides were used. It doesn’t mean the farmers were walking around with bottles of cayenne pepper mixed with water or neem oil to shew away the bad bugs and diseases.

If organic is a must for you, there are plenty of chocolate bars out there that do use certified organic cacao. It also may not be all the bars sold by a particular chocolate maker, since they often use cacao from many sources for their various origin bars. Also keep in mind, like fair-trade, that the costs with having an organic certification on your bar, even if you use organic ingredients, is too costly to justify it for most small-scale fine chocolate makers. However, it will always say so on the ingredients list if the cacao (and other ingredients) are organic or not. Of course, the more information on the cacao the better, but don’t get so hung up on origin. Place more importance on quality and flavour of the bar.

awards

Awards are great. They make the chocolate maker feel achieved, and they work wonders for marketing. The awards ceremonies are fun ways to get like-minded chocolate enthusiasts together. Many positive aspects come from awards. However, as you may have guessed by now, they shouldn’t be held to the level of an Olympic gold or silver medal. Some makers receive awards that are well-deserved, and many do not. Remember that for most of these award organizations, it’s about marketing. On top of that, it’s a business. If you are too particular and few people get awards, less people will pay to be in the line up. This is why you often can’t turn a head without seeing a craft chocolate brand with an array of awards to its name.

Other things to keep in mind is that awards are not granted by very well-seasoned chocolate professionals who conducted a fair “blind” tasting and decided based on flavour and quality alone. There is a great deal of bias, and the maker is known before the chocolate is sampled. Many makers need to prove them selves or rub right shoulders before they get noticed, regardless of the quality of their chocolate. It’s not as transparent and clean-cut as many like to assume.

Again, there are positive aspects that surround awards, and they do wonders for marketing. However, if you are planning to be a very discerning fine chocolate connoisseur, you need to learn to look past these. And you probably will once you see who has won awards, and who has not. Brand who have incredible branding, but don’t know how to maintain their cacao, which grows mold, and imparts a moldy flavour to pretty much all their bars. Or a brand who produces chocolate so acidic that your throat feel as though you drank the vinegar at the bottom of your salad bowl. Yes, even these get awards. Why? Their branding is impeccable. They say all the right things, check off the right boxes, often have investors that drop tons of funding, and succeed in making it big into the fine chocolate world.

I never like to name the brands I don’t appreciate, since I think any chocolate maker should be allowed to produce what they wish, and have a fair share of the market. If people appreciate their work, so be it! However, do keep in mind that if you have tried award winning chocolate and were turned off from the fine chocolate industry thinking “If this is what fine chocolate is, I don’t like it”, then I’m asking you to reconsider. Don’t be afraid to like and not like what you prefer. And certainly don’t assume that purchasing a bar with an award or two on it will guarantee you will love it. There is much more to it than that!

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Chocolate TastingGeosephOctober 31, 2022FAQs