What is the essence of fine chocolate?

Fine. Craft. Artisan. Bean-To-Bar. Whatever you want to call it. The fine chocolate market is a very small niche within a much larger chocolate industry. It will remain a small niche for a long time, but as long as it is growing we’re on the right track. However, growth for growth’s sake is one thing. Preserving a craft requires more than just growth. It requires standards. As a small niche, it will always face the pressure from the much larger chocolate sectors surrounding it as well as their consumer base (our potential future customers). Sometimes, these pressures result in the fine chocolate world taking on characteristics of the much larger sectors. Characteristics that should set us apart.

Any industry needs to adapt as it grows. However, how it adapts and why it chooses certain adaptations matter. There is an essence to what fine chocolate is all about, and we can’t forget that. As chocolate makers, sommeliers, and even fine chocolate consumers, we must all keep in mind what is most important. We can’t allow ourselves to forgo principals and standards just to make a buck. Otherwise, we are no different than the other sectors. If we want to preserve the craft of fine chocolate, we can’t allow ourselves to be taken off course by fads, industry pressures, and what is most marketable. There has to be a level of remaining true to what makes fine chocolate special.

It’s not simply “making really good chocolate”, for that is far too vague and subjective. Besides, what business or manufacturer doesn’t claim that? It’s not about being organic or fair trade certified, although those are important factors to consider. It’s not about beautiful packaging and clever marketing, although that does help in most instances. It’s not about meeting the need of the next social media trend. A fine food industry, chocolate or other, should have confidence in itself. It should believe in itself, it’s principles, and feel confident enough to dictate its own path, instead of being molded by outside forces.

If you ever worked with chocolate, you will know that you can’t exactly make it do whatever you want to do. Chocolate can be stubborn. Whether tempering chocolate or making bean-to-bar chocolate, you have to understand it and work with it. It’s temperamental. It has its own standards that you can’t exactly bypass to get it to do what you want it to do. In the same way, those who make, work with, and consume fine chocolate need to have the same mentality. Not to be easily squeezed into the next fad, or succumb to what the larger industries or misinformed consumer base dictates.

The essence of fine chocolate

So what is the essence of fine chocolate? Being in the industry for about a decade and a half now, I have seen tremendous changes in a relatively short time. Some great, and some questionable. The fine chocolate market is expanding, and many new makers are popping up around the world. You can see this on my Bean To Bar World Map App where I’m adding new businesses all the time. However, not everyone has the same mindset. Not every maker is creating bean-to-bar chocolate for the same reason. Not every sommelier or enthusiast understands the important facets of fine chocolate. And so, the fine chocolate sector is mixed with a great deal of chocolate that is coined “fine” which really is not. You also end up with a great deal of bad information by those who are misinformed (usually through social media and marketing). This information then becomes recycled often enough (again, usually through social media and marketing) until it is thought to be fact, when in reality there may be only a grain of truth to it.

Therefore, it’s important to understand what defines fine chocolate. For those of us within the fine chocolate sector, it’s important to remind ourselves so that we don’t veer too far off track from what’s important. For the consumer, both new and seasoned, it’s important to get this across so that there is an understanding of what fine chocolate really is about, and how their influence can help grow and improve this sector.

I do not claim this list to be complete authority, but these are the factors which are necessary to sustain and keep the craft of fine chocolate alive and well. They are simple points, but with a great deal to unpack. Also be aware that all these factors are not solely reliant on the chocolate maker, as the consumer and those in-between also influence or dictate the direction of these factors as well.

Dark chocolate

Whether or not dark chocolate is your chocolate of choice, it is the very reason why the fine chocolate sector exists. Not only that, but dark chocolate should be the core of any fine chocolate maker’s line of chocolate. It should be the priority for any sommelier when offering tastings and educational events.

Fine cacao

Fine chocolate is would not exist without fine cacao beans, and only dark chocolate can showcase the beautiful flavour of fine cacao beans to their fullest. Using fine cacao does not mean you will always get a well made flavourful chocolate, but it has the potential if using fine cacao. That said, one can make tasty, silky smooth dark chocolate with standard commercial bulk cacao beans. It will taste just fine, but be very simplistic compared to fine chocolate. It will be predictable, but nice enough to eat. Some chocolate snobs may argue commercial dark chocolate is “nasty”, and as a chocolate sommelier I would admit it’s nothing special, but not “nasty” if made with the right ingredients. It’s a food that tastes good enough to appeal to the masses, so it can’t be that bad. It’s not cod liver oil, or beer, or some other food that requires some getting used to. What I like to tell people in my tastings is that the dark chocolate they are familiar with (with that typical cocoa flavour) is not a bad flavour in and of itself, but just one of many flavours chocolate can have. This statement blows many people away. It’s like only ever eating processed cheddar cheese, and thinking this is how cheese should taste. And then being introduced into the world of fine cheese and realizing those cheeses taste nothing like the cheese you grew up with. The truth is, the diversity of flavour within chocolate is wide ranging. The reason most people are not aware of this is because they have only eaten chocolate made from one “type” or a narrow range of types of cocoa beans. On top of that, those beans are processed not to highlight the features of the bean, but to achieve a very specific flavour profile regardless of what the cocoa bean tastes like.

If one would like that special complexity of flavour in chocolate, that range of unique aromas, those natural aromas that are formed from only the bean itself, then that can only be accomplished by using fine cacao. Makers who use fine cacao, want to highlight it’s unique attributes and beauty, and that can only be fully showcased through plain dark chocolate. That is, plain as far as ingredients (cocoa bean & sugar), but not plain at all in flavour. Some of these fine dark chocolate bars contain flavours that don’t resemble chocolate (or that typical cocoa flavour) in any way, yet they are still made with the same ingredients as the commercial Lindt or Callebaut chocolate bar in your grocery store. The difference comes from the cacao. Yes, a big part of it is what the maker does with that cacao, but starting with fine cacao has the flavour potential. Bulk commercial cacao does not. Even a commercial dark chocolate with vanilla or “natural” flavours still does not taste as wonderful and interesting as a fine chocolate bar made only with fine cocoa bean and some sugar.

Dark is the litmus test of skill

There is not too much room for error when making fine dark chocolate. The recipe is simple: cacao bean and sugar. Sometimes a little extra cocoa butter. That’s it. No other flavours, no vanilla, no extracts, no infused oils, nothing. This is why dark chocolate is the litmus test for a chocolate maker’s level of skill. It’s much easier to make a tasty milk or other flavoured chocolate bar if your skillset is still improving, but for dark chocolate, there is not much you can add. It all comes down to the beans you select, and your method for creating the finish product. Even a well seasoned baker or pastry chef will tell you that the method is just if not more important sometimes than the ingredient list. The same is true for chocolate.

Think of fine coffee. You may love your lattes, mocha’s and such. Truth is, a good mocha is my coffee of choice (but I’m not a coffee sommelier, am I?). There is no reason to be self conscious of that as a fine food connoisseur. However, for the coffee roasters and the consumers who want to appreciate the flavour and quality of the bean itself in all it’s purity, the coffee should also be enjoyed as espresso or black coffee. No interference from other flavours. If they really want to judge the quality of the bean and the skill of the roaster, you go for the straight up black coffee or espresso. Only coffee bean and water. The same is true for fine teas. Anyone can add flavourings to enhance a mediocre or decent quality tea leaf to make a wonderfully flavoured tea most people will enjoy. However, a tea connoisseur will want to judge a brand first on their simple plain black, white, or green teas to get an idea of the quality of tea leaves they are using before it is “masked” with other flavours. Again, nothing wrong with flavoured teas or flavoured chocolate, but to get a true representation of the skillset and quality of ingredients a maker uses, one must try the plain dark chocolate.

You may think that dark chocolate is still not a true representation of the bean, since sugar is always added. When it comes to black tea or coffee, you are enjoying the flavour of the leaves and beans without sugar to enhance it. It is true that some raw and unrefined sugars do impart some of their own flavour, but for the most part the flavours of the cocoa bean are the dominate flavours, especially in most cases when cane or refine sugar is used. Sugars that impose the greatest flavour would be sugars like panela or jaggery, which are seldom used. Keep in mind that sugar is a way to “dilute” and in turn “bring out” the flavour of the cocoa beans. Espresso, black coffee, and black tea also is “diluted” with water. Most would not enjoy chewing on a bar of 100% ground coffee beans or tea leaves. They would be quite unpalatable. Infusing water with them to the right extent is what allows you to appreciate the best flavour. Chocolate used to be diluted with water in its original conception as a drink, but when it became a bar, water could not be used. Instead, one uses some sugar. Here, the sugar in dark chocolate works in a similar way as the water in coffee and tea. Not exactly the same, but very similar. Think of a dark chocolate bar with sugar as an espresso. Highly concentrated, but not without another ingredient to both mellow and enhance the bean’s flavour.

Flavoured chocolate

Flavoured chocolate is essentially any chocolate made from the whole nib, like dark chocolate, but with other ingredients added to flavour it. This could be milk chocolate, gianduja, tea infused, mocha bars, and so on. As a chocolate sommelier myself, I always judge the quality of a brand by their ability to make simple plain dark chocolate. Single origin, single country, single region, or single estate. If they can make an extraordinary dark chocolate bar with little to no bitterness, not overly acidic, no other off flavours, and a beautiful clear range of favorable aromas, then I would determine this is one skillful chocolate maker!

On the other hand there are brands who make superb flavoured chocolate bars, but not very impressive plain dark chocolate. I find this true for beginner chocolate makers who are still learning. Maybe they haven’t found the best sources of cacao beans yet, or still tinkering with their roasting and refining process. These makers know how to combine flavours well, and do an excellent job with it, sometimes better than those who master single origin dark chocolate. But, these same masters of flavoured bars sometimes lack a great deal of skill when it comes to their line of dark chocolates. Would I still appreciate them? If they are using quality ingredients, and the other qualities such as texture are also superb, then yes, I would still appreciate them. I would even use their bars in my tastings and sell their flavoured chocolate. Some of them are quite superb, and something I can’t find with my go-to brands for the finest dark bars. However, I wouldn’t rank them at the same skill level as a master dark chocolate maker. Not yet, anyway. Keep in mind that this fine/craft chocolate world is fairly new, and many makers have only been around a few years. As consumers and sommeliers we need to be patient and hopeful.

Milk Chocolate

So where does milk and white chocolate stand then? Is it important to the fine chocolate industry? Certainly. However, dark chocolate is the litmus test of quality when it comes to the skill level of a chocolate maker. Fine milk chocolate without vanilla is also an achievement if crafted well. It is not true that when making a milk chocolate, the quality and flavour of the cocoa bean does not matter. It certainly does, and will greatly impact the overall flavour of the milk chocolate. Although the milk does not allow the qualities of the bean to shine on its own as it does in dark chocolate, milk chocolate well made well still does highlight the qualities of the fine cocoa bean. It’s incredible to compare the flavour of a fine milk chocolate bar to commercial milk chocolate. It’s like comparing a flavourless beautiful strawberry from the grocery store that tastes like water, and a fresh naturally ripe strawberry picked from your garden or a local strawberry field. In the same way, there is a big difference between a latte made with superb coffee beans, and a latte made with poor ones. Therefore cocoa bean quality is just as important when making fine milk chocolate. Milk chocolate is essentially flavoured dark chocolate. You can read more on the “types” of chocolate here. Therefore, this also applies to gianduja and other flavoured chocolate bars that use the whole nib.

White Chocolate

White chocolate is a bit different though. One does not require high quality cocoa beans to make high quality white chocolate. White chocolate is made from the fat of the cocoa bean, but it is the cocoa solids (everything else other than the fat) which is really important to flavour quality. That said, the fat of cocoa beans is still equally important as the flavour to the overall chocolate product. There is no fat that has the same properties as cocoa butter. Indeed, white chocolate is still cholate if made from real pure cocoa butter. Like an egg white omelette is still and omelette. You can read more on what what chocolate is here. As I said, one does not actually require fine cocoa beans to make it. This is especially true if using deodorized cocoa butter. Therefore, it does not really uphold the idea of placing importance on fine cocoa beans. It doesn’t necessarily help grow the fine cocoa industry. Fine cocoa is rare and expensive and usually doesn’t end up being turned into cocoa butter. And to make it yourself as a maker is adding a great deal of cost to you overall business. Today you see many craft makers who are trying to grow their business, growing their line of white chocolate. Much of this has to do with appealing to a wider market, to create flavours you can’t do with whole nib chocolate, and to follow the silly trends on Instagram and other social media. That is a choice they surely can make if they wish. However, the rate and quantity and attention white chocolate is receiving within the fine chocolate sector is quite troubling from a fine chocolate sommelier’s point of view. It’s becoming a distraction. One may argue that it helps finance the other portion of the business (the fine dark chocolate), and there may be some truth to that. Again, I’m not saying a maker should or shouldn’t go heavy with the white chocolate. I’m not saying consumers shouldn’t enjoy it. I’m just making one aware of the consequences of going that route. I mean, having products that are sweeter and more appealing to the masses is more of a tactic Hershey and Cadbury use. Just something to consider. Although there is indeed a place for high quality white chocolate within the fine chocolate industry, it should not become a focus. It should not become a distraction from the milk and especially dark chocolate. It is also not as difficult to make great tasting white chocolate as it is other types, and so it should not necessarily be used as a standard to judge the skillset of a chocolate maker. A purist may argue that it really isn’t even a “bean-to-bar” product if the maker didn’t press the fat themselves. I would have to agree with that. Obviously I teach about and share white chocolate as well, but it will never become the focus or an anchor as it does not really help the fine chocolate industry as a whole.

Flavour

I have already touched on this above, as dark chocolate does highlight the true flavour that fine chocolate is all about. But allow me to expand. One thing that makes fine chocolate different from commercial chocolate is that there is no “best” or “optimal” flavour per se. There are characteristics which diminish the overall quality of the flavour, and there are characteristics which heighten it. However, what’s so wonderful about fine chocolate (be it both dark and milk) is that it doesn’t just taste like chocolate. For commercial chocolate “cocoa” is the flavour. It’s the flavour that they say consumers want (although I would disagree) and it’s the flavour that has been dictated to the world through a relatively small number of manufacturers. For many decades, commercial chocolate manufactures have grown to the size where a few brands/manufacturers make most of the chocolate for the world. Therefore, what they say goes. What they pump out, is what is consumed. Whether you are in Canada, South Africa, or Indonesia, the expected flavours of commercial chocolate are basically the same (with minor differences in some regions). Especially when you compare this to the flavours achieved within the fine chocolate sector. Even the whole “European vs American” chocolate argument is a bit overexaggerated. There is plenty of chocolate made in France, Italy, Switzerland, Belgium, and UK that is barely indistinguishable from some American chocolate brands. The issue is not the country of where it is made per se, but the quality of the beans, and the final flavour the manufacturer has in mind.

The fine chocolate sector is such a tiny slice of the entire chocolate industry pie. However, chocolate in general has a huge range in flavour even compared to fine coffee, tea, and wines. The problem is most people in the world have never tried that range and will never know of it. This is one reason why some people become so “enlightened” when trying fine chocolate for the first time. They had no idea it could taste as it does. So delicious, and yet so unique, and with only 2 or 3 ingredients (in the case of dark chocolate), or 4 with milk chocolate (cocoa bean, sugar, milk powder, cocoa butter). Not even vanilla is added or needed in this fine dark or milk chocolate, and yet the flavour is so much better than commercial dark or milk chocolate where vanilla and other flavour enhancers are added.

Losing Sight Of Flavour

Therefore, for me to taste new brands of “fine” chocolate which taste so similar to commercial chocolate, yet are sold as fine chocolate, can be discouraging at times. I have absolutely no problem with a company wanting to make the same standard taste as commercial chocolate, but to make it themselves from bean-to-bar rather than just buying couverture from one of the conglomerates. In fact, I respect that, even if they are not making fine chocolate. That’s not the issue here at all. That’s their business model, and fine chocolate is not for everyone. However, as a sommelier or enthusiast, one needs to be able to discern between the two. To see the fine chocolate “academies” hand out awards like candy to anyone who appears to fit the fine chocolate label is quite discouraging also. Keep in mind that not all, but some of these award organizations that hand out awards are a business, not a charity. Not a group of enthusiasts who have no problem breaking even if it means celebrating fine chocolate. If they don’t hand out awards to enough businesses, eventually people will stop paying them to enter their chocolate samples, so they need to ensure enough people get enough awards to keep the excitement going. Also keep in mind that many of the judges are just ordinary consumers, some of which have no discernment or knowledge of fine chocolate. I remember meeting people who told me they judged this awards ceremony and that, but admit they really don’t quite understand what they are tasting. As well, there is a great deal of other reasons some brand get rewards over others, or why it’s so hard for a new very skillful maker to get noticed. It’s not always about the quality of the chocolate, unfortunately. Sometimes it’s who you know and how you appear. Nearly all judgements based on flavour and quality are not blind tastes tests, and so bias is not controlled for. I remember I mentioned this one to anther sommelier. Their response was “well, it would be too hard to do a blind taste test at these award ceremonies". Is that so? People and makers who are supposed to be at the top tier of an industry can’t find a way to perform blind tastes tests in order to judge chocolate based on it’s qualities alone and not the branding or who made it? I find that very hard to believe. In fact, I know it is possible. I even know of makers discussing at these awards events how they need to start making their bars sweeter, making more milk chocolate, and appealing to a wider audience. I understand why they may say that, but are we not deviating from what fine chocolate is all bout then?

Flavour is key

You may say that a product like chocolate is not only about the flavour and texture quality, but also the branding and how it is presented. Yes and no. Are we talking about the characteristics of the product itself, or how marketable it is. All of those aspects are important to the maker who made it if they want to expand, grow, and attract buyers and consumers. However, the only thing important in regards to determining the skill of a maker and the quality of their chocolate, and whether it deserves an award, should only be based on the product itself. Anyone can market sub par chocolate as high end (and many do), but very few can actually be skillful masters of the craft. What we should focus on when perpetuating a craft is the skill, and those who carry those skills. It’s not solely about the product. The product wouldn’t exist were it not for the skillful craftsmanship of those who created it.

Uphold Flavour standards & educate

Therefore, flavour must be a priority of any fine chocolate maker. As a sommelier or educator, promoting and sharing those brands with incredible flavour over incredible branding should be a priority. Unfortunately, many chocolate sommeliers do not have the knowledge or discernment to do so, and so they go on promoting what is trending. The quality and confidence of fine chocolate sommeliers also needs to be upheld. A chocolate sommelier is not someone who has taken a course (regardless of cost) and received a certificate. Becoming a sommelier takes years of experience and your own studying and research. Becoming a great sommelier takes many years and decades of consistent persistent exposure and research. If you rely on a piece of paper of a course you took once, you’re going to end, as many do, being very insecure and unsure. However, there is a simple solution. Read, study, and understand what you are teaching based on what you know, not what you are told. It takes time, persistence, and most of all, passion for the craft. It doesn’t mean you have to wait until you are “good enough” to be a chocolate sommelier and share your passion with others, because a true sommelier will never be “good enough”. Your goal is to educate yourself (sure a course can help), but make sure you constantly learn and know why you say the things you do. Back it up with evidence and facts, instead of “It’s what so-and-so told me”. Although social media may be a good place sometimes to connect with others with the same passion, it is not the place to gain your knowledge of chocolate. That should be gained through reading published material, looking at primary research, and rolling up your sleeves and teaching and educating the public. You may have to say “I don’t know” at first, but that is only an opportunity to learn something new, not something to feel bad about. Be persistent, be honest, and your abilities will strengthen.

So, as this may seem obvious to most, and most would agree, flavour quality of chocolate is very important. However, who upholds the standards, their level of knowledge, their willingness to grow, and their willingness to not sell out all play a part in keeping the craft of fine chocolate alive. Another big issue with the people within an industry is their honesty. This is a huge part of what sets us apart from the larger sector of chocolate. I’m not just talking about honesty of the ingredients in the bar and where we get the cacao, that’s obvious. I’m talking about honesty of the information we share, who is paying you to share it (as this does happen), and the humility and honest to admit when you were wrong about information you share. This is something you don’t really see much in the commercial chocolate sector. This is something that could and should set us apart.

Transparency

This goes hand-in-hand with what was mentioned above. As much as I may admire a maker’s skillset and their ability to craft a wonderful chocolate, they will not gain my trust if I can’t see the necessary information. One major aspect that separates fine chocolate makers from commercial chocolate makers is their honesty and transparency about their ingredients, how they make the chocolate, and how they practice business. This may not seem like a major factor, but it is one of the most important after physical properties of the chocolate such as flavour and texture. Here is a list of some red flags when I’m reading the label or checking the website of a “fine” chocolate maker:

No information on where the cacao was grown or what cacao they used
No to little information or evidence (on the wrapper or their website) that they actually do make it themselves from bean to bar (i.e. not a private label)
Questionable ingredients such as vanilla (yes, even real vanilla), other flavourings in single origin dark or milk bars, lecithin (in dark especially), and other fats
Unusually low cost compared to other manufactures within the same country
Unusually high cost (starts to hint that it’s more of a gimmick than a reflection on quality)

Information on Cacao

So let’s unpack this. Information on where the cacao is grown is very important not because some countries or regions are better at growing fine cacao than others (most are capable if fine cacao varieties and strains are grown there), but because it begins to tell us that the maker is at least somewhat informed about the main ingredient: the cacao bean. The more information they offer the better. For instance, if they know what region within a country, what co-op the beans come from, or even what estate they grow on all adds to the confidence I have that they take care in sourcing their cacao. It can also somewhat (perhaps very mildly) help to know if those who grow the cacao are well compensated for it in both finance and respect. As with any food these days, tracing where it is coming from will help us make more informed choices of where it is coming from and whether we want to support that or not. Variety of the cacao is not as important as many used to think, but if the variety or strain or type(s) of cacao is known, this also helps a consumer be more confident that the maker takes care to find a high quality cacao. Although this isn’t a guarantee, it’s something you’ll see more so with fine chocolate, and rarely if ever with more average commercial chocolate (but it does happen). The truth is, buying a bar labelled as “criollo” may not necessarily blow your mind in regards to flavour, the maker may not be skilled enough to know what to do with it, or it can perhaps not really be criollo at all (from a genetics point of view). As well, there are cacao strains being discovered with in “Forastero” or “Amelonado” type that can be quite superb. The truth is, genetics of cacao is not understood very well, and so what matters more is the traits of the cacao being grown as opposed to what we call that cacao. However, as I said, the more we know, the better. If we know nothing about where they came from, I’d likely put it back on the shelf.

Information being a chocolate maker

Why many reputable fine chocolate makers refused to make it clear on the bar (or even their website) that they make chocolate from the whole raw cocoa bean is beyond me. One of the biggest challenges is convincing consumers to buy your “made from scratch” bar versus the couverture or private label bar that was essentially made by melting already made chocolate, forming it into a bar, and sticking a new label on it. You’re not a chocolatier, you’re a chocolate maker. That needs to be clear. Why on earth would most consumers pay double the price for your bar, when it’s not clear it is even made from bean to bar? Sometimes you can clearly see this information on their website. Remember that when shopping, its very quick and easy now to look up a brand’s website to find the information you were looking for that may not be on the product itself. I encourage you do that. However, even there it may not be evident. For me, that’s a red flag. Even makers who do not make their own chocolate from scratch and do a sort of nib-to-bar or cocoa mass-to-bar (which is not the same thing when comparing to bean-to-bar fine chocolate) will brag about making the chocolate themselves. So if I don’t see that on what is supposed to be a fine “bean-to-bar” brand, then I’ll also likely leave it on the shelf.

Ingredients

As far as ingredients, why would pure real vanilla be such a bad thing in fine chocolate? Well, it’s not, but it does strongly suggest (especially in single origin dark and milk chocolate) that the cocoa bean is not good enough to shine on its own. Chocolate does not need vanilla to be tasty. In fact, the reason most commercial chocolate contains vanilla (real or artificial) is to enhance the overall flavour since they are using more mediocre cacao beans in regards to flavour. The term “natural flavour” is also something that should strongly be avoided. Although this definition may vary from country to country, it is not “natural” in the sense that they are adding actual pieces or extracts of whatever it is (orange, vanilla, etc.). It’s a synthesized flavour enhancer that is made from what once was a living organic substance (from a plant or animal). It’s not a whole, natural ingredient such as adding actual vanilla bean, or real orange peel/oil. As well, the only fat that should be in any fine chocolate (dark, milk, white) should be cocoa butter. No other vegetable or seed oil should be added such as palm kernel oil or synthesized cocoa butter replaces (CBRs). Of course, oils such as lemon oil for instance may be added to a flavoured bar, for the sake of adding flavour. However, no fat should be added with the intention to replace the cocoa butter. This is almost always done for cost effective reasons, not for maintaining or enhancing quality. Lecithin is a contentious issue. It’s a surfactant, something that IS found naturally in some of our foods (eggs, sunflowers, soy), but does need to be extracted in ways you wouldn’t be able to in your home kitchen. It is added to decrease viscosity, that is make the chocolate more fluid, which is important for molding and shaping the chocolate. I would say this. I wouldn’t consider any dark chocolate that has it as fine dark chocolate as it is not needed. I understand the need for it in perhaps milk or vegan milk chocolates (the milk powder and other ingredients will greatly thicken the chocolate), and sometimes adding more cocoa butter (especially if used non-deodorized) may not work as well as one would like. Lecithin in and of itself is not some harmful man-made ingredient, but it’s not really a whole natural one either. As well, it may help, but is not actually necessary in fine chocolate. Therefore, I’ll leave this one up to you. I will say that I have had incredible single origin milk chocolate that did contain lecithin, but I have never had incredible single origin dark chocolate that contained it. I would say adding it to dark chocolate is a sign that the quality of the bean is not so great. Just like you wouldn’t throw a bumper sticker on a Ferrari, you likely shouldn’t add lecithin to your fine dark chocolate.

Costs

Now obviously a business is not going to make public their bank accounts and exactly how much they buy their supplies for, so you may have to read between the lines when looking at the cost of a bar and trying to decide how transparent or honest the manufacture is being with you.

Some people assume the more expensive the better the chocolate will taste or the greater the quality. No. There is a limit where the price tag can go beyond what is necessary for quality. And sometimes this has to do with other reasons all together not related to the product itself. On one hand, I would be suspicious of fine chocolate sold around $6 in Canada knowing how much fine cacao goes for and the amount of work to make it, especially for a small-scale operation. It could be a bean-to-bar maker selling it, but probably not using very high quality cacao. It may taste nice, and better than a Cadbury bar, locally made, and maybe even using organic and fair-trade cacao, but it’s still bulk cacao and still a pretty average chocolate bar. For your average consumer, it’s wonderful and that’s great. For me, I would rather put that $6 towards a $15 fine bar.

On the other hand, I would also be suspicious of fine chocolate bar going for $20 or more, although they do exist. Sometimes the reasons are valid. First of all, the weight might be double the average fine chocolate bar. Most fine chocolate bars today range between 50-70g a bar, but sometimes you will get bars that are 100g, so about double some other bars. This is sometimes why the price is more, so pay attention to the weights. Another reason is if it is being sold through a third party - the import costs and shipping which can add quite a few dollars sometimes per par. Another reason could be the cacao sourced required a great deal of costs and paper work to get it. One origin of cacao of equal quality so to speak from another origin costs a great deal more to bring in. For some reason, the maker believes it is worth it. Therefore, there are valid reasons for very expensive fine bars.

However, there is also chocolate that masquerades as fine chocolate, at the same price, but is not. Keep in mind that terms like organic and fair-trade are good, but not synonymous with fine chocolate. You can have bulk commercial cacao that has these certifications, but can’t be used to make fine chocolate. There are also very nice-made fine chocolates that are marketed specifically to be a luxury product. The quality can be no more better, and the flavour no more interesting, than a great $12-$15 fine bar, but instead is being sold for $50 or $300. Are you paying for quality and flavour, or are you paying the $300 so you can say you spent $300. It would make a pretty impressive gift for some (and then quietly of just throw in that cost more than the bottle of champagne you brought). Again, nothing wrong with creating a wonderful high quality chocolate, dressing it up beautifully with top-notch packaging, and selling it to those who are willing to pay that price. However, as an average consumer, don’t assume you need to. One of my students once purchased such chocolate, and was disappointed when they heard my honest opinion of it. Sometimes the truth is not very… sexy. It just is what it is. The bottom line is, there is a limit to quality and flavour of chocolate itself. The way to know is to learn and develop a discerning palate.

Loyalty

This one is a bit more difficult to articulate, and it may seem to be diverging from the purpose of this article. However, I would say that it is a very important aspect of any fine food sector, but especially chocolate. And I would also say that loyalty is probably becoming the most neglected aspect today out of the four factors I’ve mentioned here.

What do I mean when I say loyalty? Loyalty to whom? The main reason I bring this up is because of what I see from many fine chocolate connoisseurs and enthusiasts. They are always on the hunt for the newest bar, or a better bar than one they have before. Perhaps something is trending, and they have to have it, and they have to like it or those in the community may think they have no taste. They loved the ones they had, but they got bored of it and need to find something new. Much of this is part of modern culture in general, especially if you are active on social media (which is mainly a marketing portal). I’m not here to debate this idea of chasing trends and judge you either way. What you value is your business. I bring this up only to to at least make you aware of the impact it has on the craft of fine chocolate, which I do very much care about.

Loyalty to Makers

Chocolate makers, as any business or food business specifically, need to adapt to a degree to the desires of the consumers. For commercial chocolate, there is no fear of adapting to the point of being unrecognizable from when the businesses started, for at the end of the day, if you can just make chocolate and make people happy and have them coming back for more, that’s all that matters. However, when you’re in the fine chocolate or any fine food sector, you can’t necessarily think that way. As I discussed above, there are standards. Remove the standards, and there is no fine chocolate. It just becomes chocolate. The reason many craft bean-to-bar makers get into the business in the first place is because of these standards and the passion they have for creating extraordinary chocolate. However, with the consumer mindset shifting to “okay that was great, but what’s new”, it can be a challenge to stay true to your craft while also trying to appease your consumers.

Of course, there will always be the few who really do admire and appreciate the craftsmanship of fine chocolate, and have no problem buying the same bars over and over. Just like someone would buy the same fine wines, coffee beans, or cheeses that they discovered once and will love forever. Of course, once in a while they try something new, and maybe find a new favourite to add. On the other hand, there are those who never seem to be satisfied, and always need to try a new bar and a new brand. Their goals is try every bar in the world at least once, but probably never twice. Again, not here to judge on that mentality, but I want to make you ware of what may result if many fine chocolate consumers think this way, since this is an obvious trend I see.

One result of this is that many fine chocolate makers who scramble to come up with new bars every season. There is a big problem with this. Whether working with food or even non-food products, it takes years to develop and perfect it. I will use an example of being a chocolatier for many years at two different shops. One shop had a range of chocolates that hardly ever changed. Sure, there were a few (very few) seasonal ones that pop up, but those are usually the same ones used every season. Some may find that boring. I find that admirable. As the years go on, the recipes are either maintained to be consistent, or improved in small ways be more impressive. This can be the ganache, the design of the bonbon, or even the couverture used. On the other hand, there was another shop I worked at where there were only a few standard flavours, and we had to constantly come up with new recipes. Most were only used once. Not because they were no good or didn’t sell well, but because we had to make room for the next flavour. The problem is, there were some recipes I was itching to tinker with a few more times because I knew how much better I could make them. Again, not saying they were not delicious and a big hit, but anyone who is a creative person knows that when they look at their finished work they usually see a million ways of improvement. For some that may sound depressing, but for those of us in it, it’s exciting. This is what I see in the craft chocolate world today. I see many brands pumping out new bars, with flavour profiles that really do not work well, or were not executed well. It may not matter, since after this season you will never see it again. However, this is not what fine chocolate should be. As well, imagine a new consumer who never tried fine chocolate, and their first impression was this seasonal bar that was pumped out too quick because the maker had to have a new flavour. They could taste it and walk away thinking, if this is fine chocolate, it’s not for me. For me I see that as a lose. It’s not that the consumer just doesn’t appreciate fine chocolate (which happens, and that’s perfectly fine), but it’s that they turned off a consumer because they made that bar more for marketing and the pressure to keep up with the trends instead of staying true to the craft.

This mentality begins to cheapen not only the idea of fine chocolate, but also the way in which the craft is upheld. To be an admirer of fine chocolate is not, as most believe, to be a snob. Quite the contrary. Those who truly admire fine chocolate and are well informed are some of the most humble people you will meet, and usually are very patient for others to learn and discover what true chocolate should be like. The snobs are usually those who “think” they know it all, and need to feel superior by putting down others. A true chocolate admirer would never admit they know it all, because they know they do not. They want to be honest of what chocolate is an achievement, and be honest about which is not. The purpose here is not to judge chocolate or makers who don’t quite hit the mark, it’s to point out that the reason why they are creating a product matters. It matters to the craft, to the consumers, and in the end to them as well. There is a fine balance between honest and constructive marketing that grows this fine niche market, and staying true to what this fine niche market stands for.

Loyalty To Growers

This does not only apply to the final product, or the relationship between maker and consumer. It also applies to the relationship between the makers and fine cacao farmers/distributors. Of course, the consumer is an indirect partner in this. For simplicity sake, you basically have the consumer who has been convinced (hopefully for the right reasons) of why they should purchase fine chocolate and how to appreciate it. When they find the makers they most appreciate, they continue to buy from them indefinitely or for a while at least. Those makers who have a loyal base of consumers have no reason to jump around finding new cacao suppliers (unless they are very new and learning). Therefore, these makers then stay loyal to the cacao distributor and/or farmers who grow and cure this fine cacao that make all this fine chocolate possible. It’s more complex than that, but you get the idea. This ties into what I was saying at the very beginning, that to sustain the fine chocolate, one needs to focus on the fine cacao. It’s a very simple relationship but with a great deal of complexity which for many took a great deal of time, money, and energy to form and sustain. The idea of loyalty keeps this cycle sustainable.

Sometimes you hear from more seasoned chocolate makers how they are sometimes a bit resentful that they were the ones to build or sustain the relationships between growers/distributors/ and makers in their region. The new makers come on board, and have a much easier time accessing the cacao built on the work of these earlier makers. I can understand that. I can understand wanting to protect what you built, or at least to get credit for it where credit is due. However, think of it this way. These new makers are also sustaining the same growers you use. Sure, it means many makers are using the same cacao source now, but what you do with it as far as roasting and refining can sometimes make the resulting chocolate very different.

One of the weaker links in our sector is sourcing fine cacao, finding farmers who will grow it and cure it (with consistent quality) and hoping that the logistics of getting is still running smooth. Many of the chocolate enthusiasts, and even some makers, use the idea of the “poor” cacao farmers as a way to gloat and sell a product that helps these pour souls. Myself, I find that quite repulsive. I’m not saying one shouldn’t showcase and give a voice to the farmers, but you can often tell who is doing it for the wrong reasons, and it’s quite tactless. I say this because those who also do that, also are the ones to jump from brand to brand, bar to bar, never staying loyal to any maker or anything. These two behaviours conflict, and don’t help encourage the craft of fine chocolate.

Hopefully as time goes on, the growers will have a more direct voice of their own, without being filtered through the makers, media, and enthusiasts. Many of them grow their cacao with pride and joy, and love to know how much it is being appreciated wherever it ends up. However, they won’t do it for free. Building these relationships require investments and incentives. Growing fine cacao is expensive, is more work, and requires more trust for the farmers to want to grow it. You can see here why loyalty is quite an important aspect of the fine chocolate world.

Don’t hesitate to explore

Let me be clear. This does not mean that as a maker one cannot find new suppliers of cacao. Perhaps you are new and it may take a while to find what cacao sources work for you. Sometimes the quality of cacao can consistently take a turn for the worse. Sometimes logistically it doesn’t work as trade between countries can shift at any day. At the end of the day it’s still a business, and numbers do matter. However, the point here is to just be aware of as a maker, why you are creating what you are creating. Are you doing it for the right reasons? Are you truly happy with what you’re putting out, or you just doing it because you think it’s marketable and an easy sell? What will that do down the line to the fine craft if many makers keep that up.

What I said here also does not mean a consumer should not seek out new bars or brands, or cannot adopt a new favourite or shed one brand as their palate has changed or become more discerning. This is natural, this is normal. This is not something to be ashamed of at all. Explore, enjoy, but try and consider what was said here and think about the people and chocolate you value most. As a consumer, how is a skilled maker who you believe is doing a great job supposed to sustain their own business and those who depend on it (such as the farmers and distributors) if you never stay loyal to the brands you know and love. If you are always looking for what’s new, then how are you encouraging fine craftsmanship when you won’t give time to the creator to perfect it?

I admit this can be a touchy subject, and my point here is not to say exactly what one should do, but just to be aware in case you are not of what one is doing, and what the repercussions are. This article is all about how to sustain and stay true to the essence of what fine chocolate is all about. And loyalty is certainly a component of that.

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Chocolate Making, Chocolate TastingGeosephSeptember 5, 2022FAQs, FACTS