It’s very common to hear people going wine, coffee or beer tasting, but it’s unusual for people to say they have gone chocolate tasting. Today I’ll give you 4 key questions you have got to ask yourself whenever you’re eating chocolate.
First, you have to know that eating chocolate is all about sensations (touch, sight, hearing, smell and taste) and yes, you’ll have to go through all of those sensations to get to the answer, but we’ll get to that. Needless to say that this process of tasting chocolate has no right or wrong answer since everything is based on each person’s individual likings. However, experts have created a starting point to be able to discuss chocolate in a clear and uniform way using sensorial language.
Now, something important to focus on when we are eating chocolate: which sensations you feel with the first bite, while you are eating it, when the chocolate melts and after swallowing.
I’m going to show you five steps to taste chocolate properly:
First, we have to stare at it, hopefully you can put it on a very white surface. Here you have to check on the color, the intensity of its color and the hue.
Then, we move on to touch. Here we have to focus on the way it feels between your fingers. You have to analyze if it feels soft or hard to your touch. If it melts quickly while between your fingers and finally if it bends or cracks when you break it.
Now, it’s the hearing turn. This part is very simple, we have to listen to the sound it makes when we bend it. Whether it’s a dull or clear snap.
We are almost getting to the best part, just hang on in there. The next sensation is smell. Here we have to be very concentrated and focused on finding that aromatic bouquet, its complexity and intensity. For that, you have to rub the chocolate and then pull it close to your nose and cup it with your other hand. Sniff it three times and if you’re tasting other chocolates, make sure to smell your personal aroma to neutralize smells.
We’re finally here, the best part! The taste. For this, we have to be so concentrated that we should close our eyes. Here, we should search for basic notes, the aromas and the mouthfeel. In this step we have to pinch our nose, bite the chocolate and wait for it to melt. Then, release your nose and breath deeply to focus on finding those aromas.
So the 4 questions that you have to ask yourself are:
How’s the texture in your first bite? Soft or hard?
How does it feel when you are chewing and moving it around your mouth?
How long does it take to melt?
Does it feel coarse, fine or creamy when it’s melting?
You have to know, as I mentioned before, a sensory wheel has been created to describe chocolate in the most accurate way. This consists of 5 taste descriptors: sweet, salty, bitter, sour and umami. It talks about 10 mouthfeel sensations like: soft, hard, coarse, fine, creamy, pungent, cold, warm, astringent and melting. Finally, it refers to 12 basic aromas like fruity, vegetal, nutty, roasted, cocoa, floral, spices, etc.
Now you’ll be able to use this post as an excuse to go around tasting chocolates everywhere!