The Sophisticated Buyer's Guide to Chocolate

Not just because it's chocolate, it's good; maybe when you're five years old, it does not matter that much-chocolate is chocolate. But when you're a little older, your taste matures, and you're expected to have a little "sophistication" especially when it comes to something as luxurious as this. Not knowing your Hershey from your Valrhona might make you miss some of the most pleasurable experiences in life. Below are simple guidelines to make you become more discriminating when it comes to picking your chocolate.

Looking at chocolate from the outside
The easiest way to fake your upscale taste is to simply buy the most expensive or the pricier ones, or to buy something that sounds French, Belgian, anything European, foreign or exotic. But this is entirely missing the point of experiencing dark chocolate at its finest. Learning about what makes a it a chocolate is key to truly appreciate the good-quality ones from the crass mass-produced ones.

Using your senses
The best way to know if it is of excellent quality is to use and engage all of your senses: Your sight, your touch, your smell, and of course, your taste. It should have a slight sheen on the surface and should be able to reflect light. When you break it into two, the edges should be compact and smooth, not crumbled and dry. Dry edges indicate that it was not stored properly. Immediately after breaking, smell it. If it smells slightly metallic, this means that artificial, not pure vanilla was used. Artificial vanilla will also make it taste metallic. Bite the chocolate and let it melt in your tongue. If it leaves your mouth dry, it is too astringent. Oily or greasy residue on your fingers is an indication that it was made with milk fat and not cocoa butter.

Know what's inside
Low quality milk types have more sugar, milk and lecithin than it has chocolate! Good quality ones have high cacao concentration levels, are made of natural ingredients and flavors, and are ideally made by hand. Like good wine, premium chocolate can also be expensive and can reach up to $100 a pound, but there are also fairly affordable high-quality ones available for less than $10.

Know where it comes from
Chocolate producing countries such as Switzerland, Belgium, and France make their choco distinct and unique to their country. For these countries, they take manufacturing very seriously, even setting up strict standards for its production to assure only the finest chocolates made with top-quality ingredients and techniques. In France, for instance, the use of vegetable or animal oil is prohibited. The minimum allowable percentage for cocoa liquor contained in the chocolate should be 43%, while some French ones even reach 80% cocoa liquor content. Manufacturers are also required to make use a minimum of 26% pure cocoa butter. For Belgians, they still make use of traditional techniques, made by hand and with only natural ingredients.