Chocolate Jargon

Aroma compounds (volatiles) are small molecules which interact with olfactory nerves within our nasopharynx. Whether sniffing (orthonasal olfaction) or exhaling out from the nose (retronasal olfaction), aromas play an important role not only in smell but in the perception of flavour.

Chocolate contain many types of volatile compounds (aromas) at various concentrations. The aroma profile of cocoa beans are determined by many factors including genetics of the tree, harvesting practices, fermentation, and roasting to name a few.

Bean To Bar is a term that initially was used to differentiate a chocolatier/chocolate melter from a chocolate maker who makes chocolate from the cocoa bean.

Most chocolate shops today and in the past few generations are dominated predominately by chocolatiers. Chocolatiers do not make the chocolate from the cocoa bean. They make products out of chocolate.

As the craft chocolate world began to grow, chocolate makers needed a way to differentiate the chocolate they sell with the chocolate products sold by a chocolatier. A “bean-to-bar” maker is someone who makes chocolate from the raw cocoa bean.

To learn more about this term and it’s meanings, visit my blog post here.

Bloom is a white haze which can appear on chocolate. There are two main types: fat bloom and sugar bloom.

Sugar bloom occurs when water or condensation reaches a solid chocolate bar. The water dissolves the sugars on the surface of the chocolate. When the water dries out, it leaves behind a white residue which is essentially sugar.

Fat bloom is more complicated. It can occur in two main ways. Both ways resulting a in a white haze of chocolate forming on the outside of the bar.

The words cacao and cocoa are used to refer to products of the tree, Theobroma cacao. This can be the tree itself, the fruit, the seeds, and products of the seeds (chocolate, cocoa powder, cocoa butter, etc.)

Contrary to popular belief, both "cacao" and "cocoa" posses the same meaning, and are used interchangeably on packaging and even in publish literature. "Cacao" was most likely derived from the Nahuatle word "Kakawa". It is the English who are believed to have altered the spelling to "Cocoa". The spelling the word has no connection to health benefits, how processed the product is, or what the product is.

Read more about this topic on this blog post.

This is the fruit of the cacao tree, Theobroma cacao. The fleshy, wet, fibrous fruit AKA pulp is contained within the pod of the cacao tree. Within the fruit are the seeds of the cacao tree (AKA cocoa beans).

Various varietals of cacao contain fruit with somewhat different overall flavours. Generally, the fruit is naturally sweet, tart, and fragrant. Some compare it to passion fruit, or other sweet tart tropical fruits.

The fruit is used as a substrate to ferment the cocoa beans, which is an important step in the process of chocolate making.

Some research on fermentation strongly suggests the flavour of the fruit can impact the overall flavour of the cocoa bean, post fermentation.

The fruit of the cacao is also enjoyed by many frugivore animals native to where cacao grows.

The cocoa bean is simply the seed of the fruit of the cacao tree. The cacao tree (Theobroma cacao) produces pods of fruit, and within the fruits are the seeds. It is the seeds we use to make chocolate. The cocoa bean is technically a seed, not a legume.

Cocoa beans are roughly 50% fat (cocoa butter), and the rest is a mixture of cocoa solids (carbohydrates, proteins, minerals). Cocoa beans are high in flavanols (antioxidants), and contain even higher levels than high antioxidant fruits and vegetables .

Cocoa butter is simply the fat contained within the cocoa bean. Cocoa butter is translucent yellow fat when liquid, and a cream/off-white when solid. Most cocoa butter is made up of three fatty acids (Palmitic, Oleic, Stearic).

When pressed from the cocoa beans, cocoa butter carries many aroma compounds. This is called undeodorized cocoa butter. Cocoa butter can also be deodorized via steam distillation.

Cocoa butter is what gives chocolate it’s unique texture and properties. Cocoa butter can also be used in cooking/baking and in skincare products.

Click here to learn more about cocoa butter via my blog.

This is chocolate made not from the whole cocoa nib, but only from the fat of the cocoa bean which was extracted at some point.

The reason I came up with this term is that in the craft chocolate world, “white chocolate” or chocolate made only from cocoa butter is not always white.

Many makers have produced a cocoa butter based chocolate which contains freeze-dried fruits, nuts, spices, matcha which makes the chocolate red, pink, brown, green, and so forth.

White chocolate is simply a type of cocoa butter based chocolate where the ingredients are essentially cocoa butter, milk, and sugar - giving it an off-white colour.

The bottom line is that this chocolate’s main cocoa ingredient is cocoa butter, not the whole nib (which is used to make dark and milk chocolate).

A cocoa nib is the kernel of the cocoa bean. A cocoa bean is what we refer to the seed of the cacao tree, Theobroma cacao.

The nib is the kernel of the cocoa bean with the testa (AKA husk) removed. The nib is what is ground up to make chocolate.

The cocoa pod is the large fruit of the cacao tree (Theobroma cacao). The pod has a thick mesocarp, and contains a wet fibrous fruit within. Within the fruit are the seeds we refer to as “cocoa beans”.

The pods themselves are discarded in the chocolate making process. They can also be a good breeding substrate for midges, cacao’s pollinators. The pods can also be burned into ash and turned into soap such as with African Black Soap.

Cocoa powder is essentially defatted cocoa nibs (the kernel of the cocoa bean). Cocoa powder was invented by the Dutch, when Van Houten created a press which removed much of the fat out of the cocoa nib. What you have are two byproducts: cocoa butter (the fat) and cocoa press cake (which is the cocoa solids and a small amount of fat). This cocoa press cake is pulverized into a powder.

Cocoa powder can be Dutched (alkalized) or “raw” or non-alkalized. Most cocoa powder on the market is alkalized. Alkalizing greatly reduced the levels of flavanols (antioxidants).

Cocoa powder can also be made with different amounts of cocoa butter (10% fat, 20% fat, etc.).

Dark chocolate is essentially ground up cocoa nibs and often some sugar. The flavour of the chocolate comes from the cocoa bean itself - similar to how the flavour of coffee is based on the flavour of the coffee bean. For this reason, one can think of dark chocolate as the equivalent of an espresso or black coffee.

A fine single-origin dark chocolate should only contain cocoa beans (or its constituents), sugar (unless it is a 100% bar), and sometimes a little extra cocoa butter.

Contrary to popular belief, dark chocolate is not by definition bitter. The reason most dark chocolate is bitter is because most chocolate in the world is made with bulk cocoa beans which taste very bitter.

Flavour is mainly a combination of taste and aroma. Flavour is a perception created in the brain, and highly associated with regions in the brain that correspond to long term memory and emotion.

Flavour is a combination of all our senses. The appearance of our foods, the sounds we hear when eating, as well as texture, play a part in the overall flavour image of each food we eat.

This is chocolate made from the whole nib, as well as another major ingredient (such as milk, nuts) which are ground up with the nib into a chocolate. Milk chocolate is a type of Flavoured Whole Nib Chocolate. Gianduja is another type of Flavoured Whole Nib Chocolte.

The husk is what we refer to the very thin paper-like wrapping around the cocoa beans. Think of that thin paper-like membrane that coats your peanut (however, the cocoa bean husk is thicker). Cocoa beans do not have a hard thick shell like many other seeds. Botanically speaking, the husk is called the “testa”.

This part of the cocoa bean is discarded during the chocolate making process. The husk/testa absorbs heavy metals after fermentation, tiny amount of cocoa butter is contained after roasting.

The husk/testa can have other uses. If tested for safe levels of heavy metals, they can be steeped and used as a tisane (tea). They can also be used as mulch/compost material, and even blended into paper products!

Fine milk chocolate is chocolate made with both cocoa beans and milk powder. Most often they also contain sugar and extra cocoa butter. Think of milk chocolate as a cappuccino or latte, where the dominate ingredients/flavours are the coffee bean and milk. In milk chocolate’s case, they are cocoa bean and milk.

Milk chocolate is not by definition very sweet. This is a product of the industrial chocolate in the world (which makes up most of the chocolate). Percentage on the bar or level of sweetness does not determine whether it is a milk chocolate or not. What makes it a milk chocolate is the addition of the milk powder.

Tastes are stimuli picked up in our buccal cavity or “mouth”. Tastants include bitter, salty, sour, sweet, and umami (savoury). Taste (along with aroma and our other senses) is a contributor to the sensation of flavour.

The testa is what we refer to the very thin paper-like wrapping around the cocoa beans. Think of that thin paper-like membrane that coats your peanut (however, the cocoa bean husk is thicker). Cocoa beans do not have a hard thick shell like many other seeds. People also refer to the testa as the “husk”.

This part of the cocoa bean is discarded during the chocolate making process. The husk/testa absorbs heavy metals after fermentation, tiny amount of cocoa butter is contained after roasting.

The husk/testa can have other uses. If tested for safe levels of heavy metals, they can be steeped and used as a tisane (tea). They can also be used as mulch/compost material, and even blended into paper products!

Real white chocolate is made with cocoa butter, sugar, and milk powder. Most white chocolate is also flavoured with vanilla.

Contrary to popular belief, white chocolate is still chocolate if it is made with real cocoa butter (not palm kernel oil or another type of fat).

White chocolate is something I also refer to as “cocoa butter based chocolate”. Scroll up to see this definition.

Whole Nib Chocolate AKA Whole Bean Chocolate is a term I came up with to categorize chocolate based on their foundational ingredients.

Dark chocolate is Whole Nib Chocolate as it is made with the whole nib, and often some sugar. Milk chocolate (and other types) I categorize as Flavoured Whole Nib Chocolate. See the term listed on the jargon page.

Whole nib chocolate is chocolate which is made from the whole cocoa nib. This is in contrast from chocolate made only from the fat contained within the cocoa nib, which I refer to as Cocoa Butter Based Chocolate.