What to Expect When You Buy Craft Chocolate
A customer asked me the other day, whether it would be possible for me to write an article about what to expect when buying craft chocolate. It’s a fabulous question, with a super complicated answer.
Part of that complication comes from the fact that, at present, there are very little guidelines or regulations around what can be defined as fine quality chocolate—so, I’m going to do my best to answer this question from my personal perspective. It’s an opinion piece rather than a commentary on any particular standards.
As I’ve mentioned in the past, I have eaten my way through a lot of small batch craft chocolate—some that has really not been to my taste, some that I have enjoyed, and some that I have really loved. It would be so easy to just say “well, that maker clearly doesn't know/knows what they’re doing”, which would be true to a point—but realistically, it comes down to so many things…from the weather that led up to that years harvest of cocoa bean, or the way the cocoa was fermented and dried, the way it was transported and stored, down to the way it was roasted and conched (or not) by the maker.
When you buy craft chocolate, you’re not buying a “generically washed” product. You’re buying an expression of a product through that particular makers eyes. That is why the gamut of flavour and texture can vary so greatly even with exactly the same origins. Some people will roast light, some people will roast more intensely—some will use raw sugar, some will use alternative sugars. Some will grind for 24 hours, others for more than 72…all of this has an impact on the final product.
Specific to ‘Just’, I do multiple test roasts to find the flavour notes that I enjoy the most from the beans I use. Sometimes I will pick the most balanced profile, other times I’ll pick the ones which have ended up being more radical and unique because to me I feel there is something worth sharing there. I’m super careful not to release anything out into the world if I feel it has too many bitter notes or tannic qualities which I would find off putting. Texturally, I refine to be smooth and depending on origin, I add a percentage of cocoa butter for a ‘meltier’ mouthfeel. These are all my preferences as a maker.
You shouldn't be able to taste certain notes (burnt notes, rancidity, acetic acid) within chocolate, which are often disguised in commercial chocolate with lots of sugar and milk powder. That's not to say that sugar and milk powder are bad things within chocolate as they can be used positively to enhance or enrich certain flavour notes—think dark milk chocolate. However they should never be used to overpower or cover up defects.
The one thing that should (in my opinion) remain constant within craft chocolate, is that the source of beans should be transparent, that the quality of beans should be rigorously tested and that no one along the supply chain is being exploited. This is why I personally support craft makers instead of heading to the sale section of the supermarket confectionary aisle.
Is it frustrating paying money for a bar that you didn’t like? You bet. At the same time, it makes finding the ones you love all the more mind-blowing and special. So as I’ve said before, keep trying new bars, keep trying new origins and you will without a doubt find the bar that is worth the price tag for you.
P.S. If you ever do end up with bars that you don’t like eating as they are, add them to your baking chocolate in the pantry. They will always make delicious brownies, cookies or chocolate cakes!
Image © Kokoa Kamili 2022