Quick & Easy Guide
HOW TO TASTE DARK CHOCOL ATE by To’ak
There is no law that requires anyone to taste dark chocolate like a connoisseur. But if you eat chocolate without paying much attention to it, your pleasure will be short-lived. Also, you’ll miss out on most of the fun and intrigue. This is a guide to maximizing the pleasure you experience when tasting dark chocolate. © by To’ak Ecuador Cía. Ltda.
STORAGE Store dark chocolate at room temperature and keep it away from other strong odors.
PREPARATION Try to avoid eating garlic or other heavily-spiced foods beforehand. Get other people involved—tasting dark chocolate is always more fun in a group setting. If you’re tasting multiple different bars of dark chocolate, it’s nice to have a glass of water on hand to cleanse the palate in between bars. Bread or salted crackers also help. © by To’ak Ecuador Cía. Ltda.
SETTING Setting is important. Choose a place that is free from other strong odors. Also, both the room and the chocolate should be at room temperature. When it’s time to begin, bring your attention to the chocolate and to your own sensory awareness. All five senses will be called into action.
© by To’ak Ecuador Cía. Ltda.
VISUAL Inspect the color and sheen of the chocolate bar. White splotches (called bloom) indicate that the chocolate has suffered temperature damage. When this happens, the chocolate is still edible, but the nuances will be compromised.
AUDITORY Break off a piece of the chocolate and listen to the “snap” that it makes. A fairly loud snap usually indicates that the bar was properly tempered. It’s also an indicator that the bar is not too warm for tasting; a warm chocolate bar won’t snap. © by To’ak Ecuador Cía. Ltda.
ON THE NOSE Bring a piece of the chocolate near to your nose and explore the aroma—as you would with a glass of wine. Start out by assessing the intensity of the aroma. Then, look for primary characteristics such as fruity, floral, vegetal, nutty, spicy, or classic “chocolatey” aromas. If you already have a well-trained nose, you may also perceive secondary aromas such as cherry, jasmine, fresh grass, butterscotch, smoke, cloves, malt… the list goes on.
© by To’ak Ecuador Cía. Ltda.
LET IT MELT Now move the piece of chocolate into your mouth. Don’t chew! Rather, use your teeth to break the chocolate into a few smaller pieces, and then let it melt. As it melts, move it around inside your mouth (as you would with a mouthful of wine) to maximize exposure to your taste buds.
TEXTURE Take note of the texture. Maybe it’s smooth and silky, or maybe it’s a bit granular. Observe how it melts (quickly or slowly) and its consistency (thin, thick, pasty, or buttery). © by To’ak Ecuador Cía. Ltda.
ON THE PALATE The first thing you’ll notice is the relative level of bitterness, acidity, astringency, or sweetness. Next, try to identify the primary flavor characteristics (fruity, floral, vegetal, nutty, spicy, chocolatey). From there, you can also try picking out more specific notes, such as raisin, fig, orange blossom, hazelnut, forest floor, honey, anise, tobacco, caramel… the list is nearly endless.
COMPLEXITY Pay attention to how the flavor evolves over time. A complex chocolate will unfold like a miniature movie inside your mouth, with a cast of different characters and a developing plot line. © by To’ak Ecuador Cía. Ltda.
FINISH Last but not least, observe the finish. Does the flavor sensation disappear shortly after the chocolate melts, or does it linger? What are the final sensations? How do you feel in the afterglow?
Now that you have properly tasted dark chocolate on its own, you have the option to take it one step further. If you enjoy wine and spirits or cheese, the next level is to explore pairings with dark chocolate. To learn how to pair dark chocolate with wine, spirits, and cheese, and for a comprehensive list of chocolate pairing recommendations, please visit our website at: toakchocolate.com/collections © by To’ak Ecuador Cía. Ltda.