Does chocolate percentage matter?
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Ever been faced with two near identical chocolate bars but with varying percentages of cocoa inclusion? Confused about what bar to go for and how to make the right choice? You’re not alone. When it comes to cocoa percentages there are a lot of things to consider and it’s a bit of a minefield. Essentially the percentage you’re seeing tells you by weight how much of the chocolate bar is made from derivatise of cocoa beans. This however can be any part of the bean, both cocoa butter (the bit that makes your chocolate creamy) and cocoa solids (the non-fat part of a bean). While as a general rule a higher percentage means that the chocolate will be less sweet with a more intense flavour profile, this isn’t always the case. This is because the percentage of cocoa butter, vs cocoa solids, alongside sugar and extra ingredients such as vanilla can play a huge role in the overall make-up and final taste of the chocolate.
If a chocolate has a high percentage of cocoa but the majority is made up of cocoa butter as opposed to cocoa solids, the result will still be creamier than a bar that has the same percentage but with higher levels of cocoa solids.
law milk chocolate must contain at least 25% cocoa solids to be considered milk chocolate. In the US this is much lower, with just 10% cocoa being required, which is tiny. That is why American chocolate tastes very different to UK chocolate and is often much sweeter. Milk chocolate is sweeter and creamier than dark chocolate, both because of the milk or cream content and because it generally has lower percentages of cocoa in it. If you want a milk chocolate that is more chocolatey and less sweet, go for varieties that are 30% and up in terms of their cocoa content.
70%
The percentages however do give you a good indication on how much sugar a chocolate bar has. High percentages of cocoa generally mean lower percentages of sugar. This is because a high level of cocoa leaves far less room for other ingredients.
Milk Chocolate
Milk chocolate by its very name contains milk or cream alongside its percentage of cocoa beans and sugar. According to UK
