Recently we published a "brief guide," which was a rather in-depth post here on the Patric Chocolate blog about chocolate appreciation in relation to how our sensory organs function. Though we feel strongly that it is important to learn as much about this topic as possible in order to get the most out of each square of chocolate, some people have noted that when first exposing others to the idea of fine chocolate and chocolate tasting as an activity that is on par with wine tasting, it is useful to have a much slimmer collection of "how to" instructions. This being the case, we have created a greatly abridged list of only 10 steps. If you have the time, please take a look at the longer post to which we link above, but if not, or if you are interested in exposing others to chocolate tasting for the first time, then the list below might suit your needs!
1) Chocolate is best tasted with a clean palate, so refrain from consuming other foods or beverages for at least a few hours prior to the tasting.
2) Be sure to cleanse the palate in between types of chocolate with room temperature water and a mild food such as salt-free �saltines.�
3) Open the bar and look at the finish. It should be glossy, and without streaks, blotches, or grainy areas.
4) Smell the chocolate. It should smell fresh and full of a variety of aromas; Some that you might notice are: cocoa, roasted nuts, fruits, coffee, vegetal-like aromas, or even earth, leather, or tobacco.
5) Break off a square and pay attention to the sound. It should �snap� cleanly rather than being mushy, or shattering into many different pieces. This means that the chocolate is fresh, properly crystallized (tempered), and doesn�t contain non-cocoa butter fats, which are undesirable.
6) Place the square in your mouth, break it apart a bit, and then let it dissolve. Be sure to move the chocolate around to all parts of your tongue, and continue to breathe in, especially bringing air in through your mouth in order to continue to sense aromas that are being released from the melting chocolate.
7) As you continue to taste and smell the chocolate, pay attention to the previously-noticed aromas, any new aromas, and to the balance of taste in relation to the sweetness, bitterness, and acidity of the chocolate. Additionally, pay attention to astringency, which is a dry/puckery feeling due to tannins reacting with protein on the tongue and in the saliva. Chocolate will always have a bit of astringency, but it should never be unpleasant.
8) Regarding texture, the chocolate should be smooth and should readily melt in a pleasurable way. It should not be grainy, gummy, waxy, or otherwise unpleasant.
9) Finally, pay attention to the fact that each chocolate has different flavors at the beginning, middle, and end, and that some chocolates leave a very nice aftertaste, while others leave virtually no aftertaste, or perhaps a bitter or otherwise unpleasant one.
10) Bring all of the previous steps together and use them to figure out what you think about a given chocolate. It might even be love at first bite.
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