Choosing High-Quality Dark Chocolate
Chocolate is the voice of passion and love! Buying some delicious dark chocolate treat can help you to splurge on this weekend with your loved one.
The way its texture feels in the mouth as it melts is very satisfying and the richness takes this pleasure to a whole new level.
Chocolate box is the perfect gift for Valentine’s Day or Saturday for those who we care about or just want to impress. Purchase a box of chocolates for someone you care about or even make some romantic chocolate-covered strawberries.
Yeah, it’s right that chocolate is very delicious, some chocolates are more enjoyable than others. A Snickers bar is full of chocolate but it also is jam packed with peanuts and caramel so you have to eat your way around the candy bar to get your dose of pure chocolate. Thankfully, there are gourmet chocolates available to fulfill any chocolate lovers hole.
To tell you, it’s really funny, the gourmet chocolate I eat doesn’t make me fat. This is because I am careful with it. My philosophy about things that you really enjoy is that you should save them for special occasions. otherwise, if you enjoy gourmet food enough you may get spoiled for normal food.
Organic Dark Chocolate is beyond delicious when it is made from organic ingredients, especially dark chocolate. I’m not talking about Dove and Hershey! These have added chemicals and are what I refer to as junk bars. They are trash-science experiments.
Buy Newman’s Own Organics Organic Premium Chocolate Bar, Super Dark 70% Cocoa, 3.25-Ounce Bars (Pack of 12)
Benefits of Organic Dark Chocolate
Here are the many benefits of consuming pure organic cocoa and dark chocolate:
— Reduces risk of heart attack, blood clots, and stroke
— Increases the functioning of your pancreas
— Contains dopamine, serotonin and MAO inhibitors that assist brain function
— Helps concentration
— Detoxifies the liver
— Builds the strength of your hair and nails and beautifies your skin
— Protects against diabetes
— Helps postpone dementia
— Suppresses appetite to aid in weight loss
— Raises GOOD cholesterol
— Helps prevent hardening of arteries (Great for smokers)
What Does “Quality Chocolate” Mean?
The question of what constitutes “quality chocolate” is a bit trickier to determine, and much more subjective.
Sure, there are some cheap chocolates that have a bad flavor, be it burnt, or sickly-sweet, or slightly rancid, but by and large, choosing the best chocolate for your project will be a matter of your personal taste. As long as you are staying true to what cocoa percentage or type of chocolate the recipe specifies, you have a lot of latitude in choosing chocolate.
Okay, so you’re probably wondering where to find organic quality chocolate and you’re probably assuming it’s a big secret and can only be purchased at a high price online but this is not the case. Organic chocolate can be found right in your grocery store and for a reasonable price.
You can also find many different varieties at your local health food store. Other great chocolate products can be found at your nutrition store as well, like organic cocoa and liquid cocoa. Why do nutrition stores carry chocolate and cocoa? You guessed it because they are good for you!
How To Know Which Chocolate Tastes the Best
That may seem like a funny question, but many people feel intimidated to make a judgment call about what constitutes good chocolate. Chocolate, like wine, has developed a bit of a snobby reputation, and I regularly get emails from people expressing frustration with not knowing how to taste chocolate and trust their own tastebuds!
Buy Newman’s Own Organics Organic Premium Chocolate Bar, Super Dark 70% Cocoa, 3.25-Ounce Bars (Pack of 12)
Choosing Chocolate Like the Pros
Choosing a quality chocolate can be intimidating. Many labels might specify a cocoa percentage–say, 65% cocoa solids–but when you get to the store, your only options appear to be milk, semi-sweet, or dark. Or, even more confusingly, they may say “good quality” or “best quality” chocolate, and what does that even mean?
Selecting chocolate should primarily be a sensory experience. Before you taste the chocolate, look at it closely. You want a dark chocolate that has a glossy surface and is free from blemishes. If the surface is scarred, cloudy, or gray, this may be a sign that the chocolate is old or has been subject to extremes in temperature or handling.
Break the chocolate into pieces. You want a chocolate with a clean, hard “snap” to it. If it bends or crumbles, either the quality is low or the chocolate is old.
— Good chocolate will smell strongly of chocolate!
Rub your fingers over the surface to warm the chocolate, and then smell the bar. The best is to taste the chocolate.
Pay attention to the way it melts in your mouth: does it feel waxy? Unpleasantly chewy or dense? Does it leave a slightly slippery feeling? Does it feel sandy, or smooth?
In general, a smooth, velvety mouthfeel is preferred. Also, notice what flavors you can find in the chocolate.
Organic Dark Chocolate Ingredients
How are organic cocoa and dark chocolate different from the usual ones that you buy at the grocery store? Just read the ingredients and compare these two and you will see a clear choice.
Here is a list of Organic Dark Chocolate Ingredients:
Organic chocolate liquor, organic raw cane sugar, organic cocoa butter, organic unrefined whole cane sugar, organic ground vanilla beans. There could also be traces of milk and nuts.
Cocoa beans lose the very essence of what makes them beneficial in the first place when they are processed with alkali. This includes antioxidants and flavonoids that do wonders for the body. Organic unrefined whole cane sugar is much healthier than regular sugar.
Chocolate easily picks up odors from its environment, so be aware if your chocolate smells like coffee, tea, or other aromatic foodstuffs. If it doesn’t smell like chocolate, or if it smells primarily of vanilla or other added ingredients, it probably won’t taste very much like chocolate either.
Common descriptions of chocolate notes include floral, citrus, berry, coffee, and wine undertones. Notice if the flavor bursts out all at once, or if it gradually builds in intensity and lingers after the chocolate has left.
Above all, trust your own taste buds. Chocolate preference is very personal, and you know what tastes good to you, so select chocolate that you will enjoy eating. After all, it reminds us that we can enjoy our favorite treat knowing it’s good for the body and perhaps also the mind.
Some Recommended Healthy Dark Chocolate Brands
— Pascha – Organic, fair trade, non-GMO dark chocolate
— Sweetriot – Organic, fair trade, all natural dark chocolate
— Alter Eco – USDA Organic and Fair Trade
— Newman’s Own Organics – Made with Organic Rainforest Alliance Certified Cocoa sourced from the Dominican Republic and Ecuador
— Ghirardelli Intense Dark – 72% Cacao and 86% Cacao Chocolate Bars
— Godiva – 72% Cacao Chocolate Bars
— Lindt
— Green & Blacks
— Valrhona
Buy Newman’s Own Organics Organic Premium Chocolate Bar, Super Dark 70% Cocoa, 3.25-Ounce Bars (Pack of 12)
Tips for Choosing Organic Quality Chocolate
People often ask “What is the BEST chocolate I can buy?”
The truth is, there’s not a “best” chocolate. There are some brands that are widely perceived to be high quality, and those are listed at the bottom of this article. But I’ve found that I like some of them much more than others, and you may find that you have some clear favorites as well. Cost is the main concern when choosing a “quality chocolate“. The truth is, quality chocolate can be very expensive.
Depending on the brand, you can be paying tens of dollars for the box of chocolate. But, sometimes, the “best” chocolate may not be the one that tastes the best, but instead will be the one that fits the budget and still tastes good.
Box of quality organic dark chocolate is that little luscious treasure that makes a perfect gift for anyone. If you know a chocolate lover, then they will greatly appreciate the sophisticated taste of these gourmet delights. They will know that you spent your time and money buying them the only gift they really need.
Stores that sell these delicious treats also have gift certificates available so if you can’t pick out the perfect gourmet chocolates you can certainly let them do it with your gift for them.
Buy Newman’s Own Organics Organic Premium Chocolate Bar, Super Dark 70% Cocoa, 3.25-Ounce Bars (Pack of 12)
