Food: Salty appetizers make a good accompaniment before the actual chocolate tasting when your guests are arriving. Cheese and crackers are a great pairing for chocolate. Have a cheese selection that includes some strong blues like Stilton or Gorgonzola. Salty food picks are also great to balance the sweetness of the chocolate – prosciutto-wrapped melon, spiced nuts or stuffed dates are all good choices.
Marzipan Stuffed Dates with Almonds
Prosciutto and Melon
Spiced Nuts
Drinks: A glass of port pairs well with the cheese and the chocolate. Tasting the chocolate with a port or dessert wine is a fun way to experience the chocolate and will enhance and add to the complexity of flavours. Have a pitcher of room-temperature water ready for the tasters - cold water will keep the chocolate from melting in your mouth.
Set up: Choose up to six types of chocolate to taste, any more will be overwhelming. Set up small plates with a small piece per guest of each variety. Make sure the pieces are large enough for your guests to break so they can experience the “snap” of the chocolate. Display the labels under the plates of each variety. Have bread cut into slices and a bowl of tangerine sections or cut up pineapple available, the acidity of the fruit is a good palate cleanser between bites of chocolate.
The tasting: Look for a number of characteristics in the chocolate you taste - just as you would with wine. Start the tasting by breaking the chocolate piece and smelling the chocolate. Then, let the chocolate melt on your tongue to experience the full flavour of the chocolate.
Before you begin, have pens or pencils for each taster plus tasting sheets prepared listing the following:
- The names of the chocolates to be tasted
- The profiles of the chocolate to be experienced by each taster. Here are some of the profiles you might want to pay attention to when you and your guests taste:
Aroma: Rubbing a small sample between your fingers will bring out the aroma of the chocolate; consider how it smells before you eat it. You may smell florals, fruit, coffee or tobacco, caramel or spice. Hopefully you won’t smell burnt rubber, stale or rotten fruit smells – but be on guard for them as well!
Flavour: Look for balanced flavour, subtle acidity and sweetness. Look for the specific characters of the chocolate; you may detect caramel, spice, bananas, tobacco, cinnamon, or fruit.
Texture: Consider the texture in your mouth, or mouth-feel. Positive attributes of chocolate are firmness and that it melts effortlessly. It may be smooth, creamy, hard chalky, light or thick. Quality chocolate should not be waxy, sandy or grainy.
Finish: A long finish is considered desirable in chocolate – that is if the flavour of the chocolate lingers in your mouth after you have swallowed it. Look for a bitter, sweet, strong, or mild aftertaste.
Canadian Living's chocolate tasting party
The Canadian Living Test Kitchen conducted our own tasting of a flight of chocolate.
Read part one and part two of the experience in my blog.
Here were some of the highlights:
Michel Cluizel, Santa Domingo Single Plantation: Of the chocolate we tasted, we found this was our top pick. It tasted of bananas and rum and had a fine smooth texture and lingering berry flavoured finish.
Lindt 70% Dark: This selection had a nice shiny snap. It tasted slightly acidic with tobacco notes and a long finish.
Green & Black's Milk Chocolate: This organic, 34% cocoa selection smelled of vanilla with a sweet buttery taste. It had a creamy texture and melted smoothly with a lingering aftertaste.
Domari Latte Sel: This Italian selection has a very creamy, caramelly flavour that is lightly salted. Truly unique, delicious and liked by all!
Read more: Chocolate shortage in 2008!
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