Dark Chocolate Lessons: Part 2

Wow! After posting the first dark chocolate lesson, the past year turned out to be incredibly busy. I am now getting back to posting the remaining three videos. I believe they are well worth watching even if you have no interest in becoming a dark chocolate “connoisseur”.

In this second video, the Scharffen Berger dark chocolate expert talks about the importance of paying attention to the flavor of the dark chocolate as it melts in your mouth. Depending on where a dark chocolate originates there will be subtle taste differences that may not be obvious unless you take time to fully experience the flavor. He recommends breathing through the mouth to have a greater appreciation. That was interesting. I find it hard to breath through the mouth and eat at the same time!

He also recommends taking time to notice the development of the taste over a few minutes rather than rushing on to eat the next thing.

Something else I learned is that the terms semisweet and bittersweet are actually loosely defined and often interchanged. In general semisweet refers to chocolate containing 40-62% cocoa content. Bittersweet will have anywhere from 35 or 40 percent to as much as 85%. Hmm…that’s a significant spread, which leaves it wide open to interpretation when preparing a recipe that calls for one or the other.

Hope you enjoy the lesson.