So last Thursday in my "Business" class, we had our first chocolate tasting. I thought it pertinent to share the proper notes on how to taste chocolate on my blog, because it's really awesome. I've reprinted material courtesy of Professor Rob Rollins, and the author of our "textbook" (so it's all chill and legal) (Just kidding, I'm just writing this because I took notes on chocolate tasting - so sue me) (but not really, don't sue me).
Most Important Attributes to bring to Chocolate Tasting
1. Focus and Attention - it takes a lot of concentration to figure out the distinct flavors. You really do have to get in the zone.
2. A Clean, Rested Palate - brush your teeth, don't eat, smoke or drink heavily before you begin.
3. A Sense of Humor - it's just chocolate, so don't get frustrated or angry if you can't figure the exact taste out.
How to Clean your Palate
Drinks: you can cleanse your palate by drinking cool (not cold) drinks such as plain water with slivers of lemons or limes, or with sparkling water. You can also use warm (not hot) tea to cleanse your palate.
Food: blue corn tortilla chips can clean your palate out due to their grainy-ness. Also, you can use unsalted saltines (what are those?), plain white bread without crusts, and very thin slices of tart apple.
The 8-step Process for Tasting Chocolate
1. Smell
Take deep breaths, try to analyze the intensity of the chocolate. Is the aroma clear? Do you smell vanilla? (Vanilla is an ingredient often used to mask lower quality chocolate - not a smell you want to sense). Do you smell the sweetness? It helps to lightly rub your finger against the chocolate to warm it up, which releases the aromas. Try to sense smells such as vanilla, fruit, toast, smoke, bitterness, spice, milk, earth.
2. Look
Dark chocolate should be shiny. Powdery-looking chocolate is caused by "cocoa butter bloom" which implies that the chocolate was not stored properly. Irregular white coating of sugar crystals are caused by "sugar bloom" the result of the chocolate having come in contact with too much moisture. "Pinholes" are holes in the chocolate and are a sign of a rushed (not necessarily bad) processing; it's important not to eat truffles with pinholes or cracks as they can allow for the growth of bacteria inside the chocolate.
3. Touch / Listen to the Snap
Break the chocolate. This is really only important for dark chocolate, and less so for milk chocolate. The snap should be crisp, not brittle. Dull snaps are an indication of fatty or waxy chocolate. Brittle snaps are a sign of old or poorly stored chocolate.
4. Initial Taste
Place the chocolate on your tongue. DO NOT CHEW (it's really difficult not to). Breathe in air through your mouth and exhale through your nose; this process is called "guppying." Suck at the chocolate gently to get the flavors to other parts of your tongue. Write down your initial impressions.
5. Middle Taste
Chew 3-5 times. Pay attention to the changing tastes and textures. Move the chocolate between the tip of your tongue and upper teeth, and be sure to push it to the roof of your mouth as well. If there is any dry astringency, which is caused by tannins in the chocolate (just like in wine), you'll feel it on the sides of your tongue and at the back of your mouth. Common flavors that you might taste are spicy, nutty, roasted, dairy, fruity, flowery, or earthy.
6. Short Aftertaste
Swallow the last bit of the chocolate. What does it taste like right then? Astringency is a sign of fats, and is not viewed as acceptable for quality chocolates, which should "clean and clear" your mouth. If you taste anything like butter or oil, signs of pasty chocolate, or diet coke, then you've just eaten a low quality product.
7. Long Aftertaste
Wait 30 seconds after swallowing the last little bit. What does it taste like then? This is the sign of a quality chocolate. Are you left with any flowery feeling? The long aftertaste is considered as the litmus test for determining the true quality of fine chocolate.
8. Overall Rating
Evaluate the quality of your experience. We were told to use a four tiered rating system - Great = I would not share, Good = I would share, but only with friends, Ordinary = I would re-gift it to a friend, and Bad = I would only re-gift it to enemies.
So far, it's harder than it seems. But you should probably try it at home (just another excuse to eat chocolate!). Hope you have as much fun as I've been having with this. Oh, and be jealous, because I get to do that for homework every week. I love chocolate class.
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