Hank’s Chocolate Blog
/By Hank Cohen, hancohen@aol.com
Over the past three decades, dark chocolate has steadily evolved from a confection to a gourmet food. One can tell by browsing through the gourmet food sections of stores like Whole Foods, Trader Joe’s, and “La Maison du Chocolat” at Charles de Gaulle Airport in Paris, among many others.
When we talk about “dark chocolate” as a gourmet food, we mean chocolate with a cacao content of a minimum of 70%. Basically, the range of gourmet chocolate is between a cacao content of 70% and 90%. Above 90%, chocolate becomes essentially inedible.
Because of the many varieties of gourmet chocolate currently on the market, it is necessary to begin rating them by tasting them. The chocolate situation is becoming like that of fine wine. Tastes vary greatly depending on percentage of cacao, origins of the cacao beans, and how the cacao is processed. Within the past few years, we have begun to see “single origin” chocolate varieties. These vary in taste, for better or for worse. Ecuador, Madagascar, and Colombia are currently in high favor as “single origin” countries.
My intention in this blog is to spend a couple of days tasting a single brand, rating it on a scale of 0 to 10, and reporting on my findings. Needless to say, I will be delighted to receive comments and counter arguments. The bottom line, of course, is to suggest to my neighbors in Burleith some fine tasting experiences in the realm of chocolate.
And now for the first tasting.
Trader Joe’s Organic 72% cacao Belgian dark chocolate bar
Price paid: $1.99 for 3.5 oz.
Store: Any Trader Joe’s in the Washington area
Origin: Made in Belgium with a mixture of beans, mainly from West Africa. No single-country origin.
Crunch factor: Toward the soft side. Starts melting rapidly.
Intensity of chocolate flavor: Moderate. Almost subtle, but it has personality.
Duration of taste: Moderate. Does not linger very long. Slight bittersweet kick on the palate during the last five seconds.
Overall appreciation: 7
This bar belongs in the general category of “gourmet chocolate,” but I would not serve it after an elegant dinner party along with a high-class dessert wine. If you are like me and want to grab a couple of squares with your coffee after lunch every day, this bar would be a very good choice. If you are a “chocoholic,” and have a tendency to polish off a 100-gram bar every two days or so, this bar is also quite a good choice. For its category, the Trader Joe’s price is on the low side. I have seen bars of this quality go for as high as $2.90.
On the other hand, if you want an intense dark chocolate “rush” when you bite into it, and have it linger delightfully on the palette for those extra 20 seconds, there are more suitable brands on the market.
Second Tasting (joint tasting with my wife, Suzanne)
Green and Black’s Organic Dark 85% cacoa bar
Price paid: $3.99 for 3.5 oz.
Store: Safeway, 1855 Wisconsin Avenue NW
Origin: Manufactured in Poland: Kraft Foods Global Inc. “Fair Trade”; made with Trinitario beans (Trinidad).
Crunch factor: Strong. Very noticeable and noisy crunch.
Intensity of chocolate flavor: Smooth, velvety, but no “explosion” of chocolate flavor. Strong, but no “intense” chocolate taste. Not powerful. Gives a feeling of rich smoothness, but not robust. “Bitterness” is moderate.
Duration of chocolate taste: Average
Overall appreciation: 6
This bar qualifies for “gourmet” status, but we found it dull. Considering its high comparative price, we do not recommend it for regular consumption at home. The “fair trade” designation may be of interest. Cocoa beans are purchased directly from grower cooperatives. The prices paid are designed to give the growers a living wage, thereby assuring their economic independence.
On the other hand, if you want an intense dark chocolate “rush” when you bite into it, and have it linger delightfully on the palette for those extra 20 seconds, there are more suitable brands on the market.