How Chocolate is Made:

ScienceDaily (Feb. 10, 2012) Cocoa trees produce pods, which is the fruit
chocolate comes from. Large harvests occur by hand twice annually throughout
the year. Chocolate liquor is the thick paste generated when chocolate nibs, the
roasted and de-shelled chocolate beans, are heated to a high temperature; it's
then separated into cocoa butter and cocoa powder.
Cocoa trees produce pods, which is the fruit chocolate comes from. Large
harvests occur by hand twice annually throughout the year.
Chocolate liquor is the thick paste
generated when chocolate nibs, the
roasted and de-shelled chocolate
beans, are heated to a high
temperature; it's then separated into
cocoa butter and cocoa powder.
White chocolate contains no chocolate
liquor, but instead consists of cocoa
butter, sugar, dairy products, and
flavorings; it must contain at least 20%
cocoa butter and no more than 55%
sugar.
Milk chocolate contains cream or other
dairy products and sugar, but it must
contain at least 10% chocolate liquor;
Sweet Chocolate is a combination of chocolate liquor, cocoa butter and sugar,
but contains at least 15% chocolate liquor;
Semisweet or Bittersweet Chocolate is a combination of chocolate liquor, cocoa
butter and sugar, but contains at least 35% chocolate liquor. Bittersweet
chocolate and semisweet chocolate are often called dark chocolate.
Unsweetened Chocolate or Baking Chocolate is straight chocolate liquor formed
into a bar with no added sugar is known as unsweetened chocolate or baking
chocolate.
The percentage refers to the total content of ingredients derived from the cacao
(or cocoa) bean. % Cacao = chocolate liquor + cocoa butter + cocoa powder.
Generally, there is an inverse relationship between the % Cacao and the amount
of sugar in a bar.
For example, a 60% Cacao dark chocolate bar has more sugar (and is sweeter)
than a 72% Cacao dark chocolate bar. Unsweetened baking chocolate is a 100%
cacao product which has no added sugar, and will have a very bitter flavor.
A machine known as an "electronic nose" evaluates the chocolate's aroma.

Several tests are conducted on chocolate liquor to make sure it's fit for human
consumption and check for qualities such as moisture content, fat content, free
fatty acid content, particle size, viscosity, color, and flavor.
Many chocolate bars are a blend of cacao beans from around the world. But in
Single Origin bars, the cacao used comes from one region within one country,
and sometimes from one single plantation. Because each area has its own
variety of cacao beans, as well as unique growing conditions and methods of
drying and roasting the beans, there will be singular flavor notes connected to
that region. These flavor notes will also vary year by year, crop by crop, just like
with wine. Some single origin regions to look for include: Santo Domingo,
Ecuador, Venezuela, Guatemala, Sao Tome, Java, Madagascar, Papua New
Guinea, Cte d'Ivoire, and Ghana.
Where cacao comes from has a great influence on the final flavor. These are the
flavors to look for by region:
Brazil: Bright acidity. Well-balanced cocoa flavors. Often times with subtle fruity
note.
Colombia: Moderately fruity, lightly bitter with deep cocoa flavor.
Costa Rica: Fruity with a balanced cocoa flavor.
Dominican Republic (Santa Domingo): Deep earthy flavor with fragrant tobacco
notes.
Ecuador (Arriba): Fruit and well-balanced floral (jasmine flower) notes.
Ghana: Deep, classic cocoa flavor. Lends balance to more complex beans.
Indonesia (Java): Appealing acidity balanced with clean cocoa flavors.
Cte d'Ivoire: Deep, classic cocoa flavor. Lends balance to more complex beans.
Jamaica: Bright and fruity. Appealing aromas. Often reminiscent of pineapples.
Mexico: Bright acidity.
Madagascar: Light citrus flavors somewhat like tangerines, with bright acidity.
Panama: Classic cocoa flavor highlighted by subtle fruit and roasted nut flavors.
So Tom and Principe: Classic cocoa flavor that's very well-balanced.
Trinidad and Tobago: Complex fruitiness plus appealing spiciness such as
cinnamon.
Venezuela: Complex fruit flavors that evoke ripe red plums and dark cherries.

Regular Chocolate Eaters Are Thinner, Evidence

Suggests
ScienceDaily (Mar. 26, 2012) Katherine Hepburn famously said of her slim
physique: "What you see before you is the result of a lifetime of chocolate." New
evidence suggests she may have been right.
Beatrice Golomb, MD, PhD, associate professor in the Department of Medicine at
the University of California, San Diego, and colleagues present new findings that
may overturn the major objection to regular chocolate consumption: that it
makes people fat. The study, showing that adults who eat chocolate on a regular
basis are actually thinner that those who don't, will be published online in the
Archives of Internal Medicine on March 26.
The authors dared to hypothesize that modest, regular chocolate consumption
might be calorie-neutral -in other words, that the metabolic benefits of eating
modest amounts of chocolate might lead to reduced fat deposition per calorie
and approximately offset the added calories (thus rendering frequent, though
modest, chocolate consumption neutral with regard to weight). To assess this
hypothesis, the researchers examined dietary and other information provided by
approximately 1000 adult men and women from San Diego, for whom weight and
height had been measured.
The UC San Diego findings were even more favorable than the researchers
conjectured. They found that adults who ate chocolate on more days a week
were actually thinner -- i.e. had a lower body mass index -- than those who ate
chocolate less often. The size of the effect was modest but the effect was
"significant" -larger than could be explained by chance. This was despite the fact
that those who ate chocolate more often did not eat fewer calories (they ate
more), nor did they exercise more. Indeed, no differences in behaviors were
identified that might explain the finding as a difference in calories taken in
versus calories expended.
"Our findings appear to add to a body of information suggesting that the
composition of calories, not just the number of them, matters for determining
their ultimate impact on weight," said Golomb. "In the case of chocolate, this is
good news -both for those who have a regular chocolate habit, and those who
may wish to start one."

There are no rules to

describe your feelings
when tasting chocolate.
Here are some thoughts on
how to consider the flavors
to help you describe them
for your tasting records.
What does the chocolate
feel like on the tongue? Is
it smooth, thin or creamy?
How complex are the
flavors? Do they seem
multi-dimensional, and
multi-layered? Or are they
simple?
If it's intense, would you
describe it as brave,
strong, full-bodied?
Are the tastes fleeting and quick? Slow and lasting?
1
Name

Type
%
Cocoa

Single
Origin
?
Wher
e?
Tastin
g
Notes
Like
it?
Misc.