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Pairing Fine Teas and Chocolates
© 2017 The World Is a Tea Party. All rights reserved.
Tea and Chocolate Make a Sweet Team!
With a bit of trial and error
and some tips from your
friends and folks like us, you
can pair teas very well with
chocolates.
Get ready to go exploring the
wonderful world of tea and
chocolate pairings!
How you pair tea and chocolate can be a true art. That’s why we
wanted to present some pairing recommendations – both our
own and ones that tea connoisseurs (also known as sommeliers
and aficionados) have presented. Who knows, you may be inspired to invite over friends and family for a tea and chocolate
tasting party!
Today, people around the world consume more than 3 million
tons of cocoa beans annually. Each country still has its own
preferences and distinctive blends for candy and desserts.
The cocoa, chocolate, and confectionery industry employs hundreds of thousands of people and is a key user of agricultural
commodities such as sugar, dairy products, nuts, and fruits.
See also our Guide to Tea and Cheeses.
Pairing Fine Teas and Chocolates
© 2017 The World Is a Tea Party. All rights reserved.
Contents+++
Holding a Tea and Chocolate Pairing Session
Chart of Tea and Chocolate Pairings
The ABCs for Enjoying Fine Chocolates
Basics of Pairing Teas with Chocolates
Making Chocolate (Commercial)
Making Chocolate at Home
Types of Chocolate
Health Benefits of Cacao
Major Chocolate Makers
Chocolate Terms
Teas and Chocolate
Short Chart
Pairing Fine Teas and Chocolates
© 2017 The World Is a Tea Party. All rights reserved.
Holding a Tea and Chocolate Pairing Session
Hot tea helps melt chocolate a little faster in your mouth and creates a silky smooth texture, another reason to
pair them but in a way that is pleasurable to you. A pairing session will help you do just that, and by setting the
stage, you can having a session that is fun and rewarding. Tasting straight chocolates versus ones with flavors
added, such as fruit centers or truffles, is best when starting out. Later you can get more adventurous.
Lots of information is out there in cyberspace about
what tea goes with what chocolate. You could spend
hours going through it all, or you can read our handy
compilation of the pairings (does not include teainfused chocolates).
Setting Up Your Tea & Chocolate Pairing
Select a location that has a minimum of bright lights,
loud noises, and foreign (non-chocolate) odors. Have
paper and pens/pencils available to note your impressions.
Professional tasters taste one chocolate type at a time
(but often made by different companies). You could approach your tea and chocolate pairings this way (one
chocolate with several types of tea), or flip it around
(one tea with several types of chocolate).
Line up teas, labeled with names, along one side of the
table.
Line up chocolates along the other side, with little labels
proudly declaring “milk chocolate,” “semisweet chocolate,” “dark chocolate,” and “white chocolate” or the
name of the maker, if you prefer that style of pairing.
The teas should be served at the temperature that is
suitable for them. For example, Assams are great served
fairly hot while Oolongs and greens can be more flavorful when they have cooled slightly.
Pairing Fine Teas and Chocolates
© 2017 The World Is a Tea Party. All rights reserved.
Chart of Tea and Chocolate Pairings
Some quick points about chocolates:
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Milk chocolates: Most people prefer milk chocolates with a full flavor, creamy texture, and not too sweet. The
best are said to be from European makers, but I find the great American brand Hershey’s on a par with them.
Dark chocolate: considered the most versatile of the chocolates, range from semisweet to bittersweet, and contrast well with sweet or tangy foods, the richer flavors bringing out richness of the chocolate.
White chocolate: pairing with tea is challenging due to its delicate flavors.
Green teas: difficult to pair with chocolate since their astringency, acidity, and tannins work against the flavors
of the chocolate. But it can be done, and the variety is wide here, including some of the ones shown in the chart.
Flavored tea and flavored/filled chocolate: Keep it simple. Too many added flavors (either in the tea or the chocolate) makes pairings too busy or complicated. Pick your focus, and build around that.
Teas
Milk
more info
Pair with These Chocolates
Dark
White
semi info
more info
bitter info
Flavored/
Filled
BLACK TEAS
Assam
(rich, strong, deep amber in cup; highlights the
decadent flavors in 100% pure Belgian chocolates or hazelnut truffles; Ghirardelli® recommends a warm cup of black tea with their Intense Dark 72% Cacao Twilight Delight)
Ceylon Lovers Leap
(large, black twisted leaves, light amber liquid,
forest aroma, smooth taste)
Complement
Complement
Complement
Complement
Complement
Complement
Complement
Complement
Ceylon Black Tea
(try with Orange Leaf Dark chocolate)
English Breakfast Blend
(classic black tea blend, smooth, full-bodied,
malty, bold, clean finish – try with chocolate
hazelnut truffles to bring out their roasted and
caramelized notes)
Irish Breakfast Tea
(strong, full-bodied – try with chocolate truffles
for delightful accents)
Keemun
(fully oxidized – pair with full-strength dark
chocolate or hazelnut truffles)
Lapsang Souchong
(strong, black tea smoked over pine needles –
try with Pralus Papouasie Bar made from beans
from Papua New Guinea, dark, strong, fruity;
also pair with really dark, bitter chocolate)
Yunnan Gold Black Tea
(brassy red in cup, vivid sweetness less intense
than Yunnan pure gold)
Pairing Fine Teas and Chocolates
Complement
Complement
Complement
© 2017 The World Is a Tea Party. All rights reserved.
Teas
Milk
more info
Pair with These Chocolates
Dark
White
semi info
more info
bitter info
Flavored/
Filled
OOLONGS
Bai Hao
(rich honey notes – pair with citrusy dark chocolate or chocolate infused with citrus)
Complement
Dancong Oolongs with fruity aromas
Dung Ti Oolong
(pair with a fruity dark chocolate for an aromatic combination, each enhancing the other)
Enhance
Jade Oolong
(rich honey notes – pair with citrusy dark chocolate or chocolate infused with citrus)
Complement
Pouchong
(very lightly oxidized oolong, some say is green)
Shui Xian (Water Sprite)
Tie Guan Yin (Iron Goddess), other floral oolongs
(pair with dark chocolate that has floral notes)
Wu Yi Oolong
(roasty/toasty quality adds to the experience)
Enhance
Complement
Oolongs in general
(pair with chocolates having flavor characteristics that complement flavors in chocolates)
Complement
GREEN TEAS
Gen Mai Cha
(pair with sea salt milk chocolate)
Gyokuro
(high quality green tea, shade grown)
Houjicha
(green tea with roasty/toasty quality)
Complement
Longjing (Dragonwell)
(superior tea, mild nuttiness – try with almond
bark or dark chocolate with nutty qualities)
Enhance
Matcha
(both Chinese and Japanese versions – a fine
powdered tea made of shade grown leaves)
Contrast
Contrast
Sencha
(crisp acidity makes the chocolate’s milkiness
less cloying)
Contrast
Contrast
Pairing Fine Teas and Chocolates
Enhance
© 2017 The World Is a Tea Party. All rights reserved.
Teas
Milk
more info
Pair with These Chocolates
Dark
White
semi info
more info
bitter info
Flavored/
Filled
DARJEELINGS
These teas are often sold as blends and without the flush and garden indicated.
First flush
(a lighter flavor – try with white Belgian chocolate to bring out the delicately creamy taste)
Second flush
(more Muscatel)
Autumn Flush
(steeped a bit extra strong and with milk and
sugar)
Adventurous
Adventurous
Adventurous
WHITE TEAS
White Peony
(Pai Mu Tan, Bai Mu Dan – a mid-grade tea,
buds and leaves, light cup, some nuttiness, try
with hazelnut truffles)
Complement
Silver Needle
(all unopened leaf buds)
PU-ERH TEAS
There is a wide variety of teas in this category. Go for ones that are more earthy.
Nicely aged pu-erh
(shu or sheng – pairs well with something like
Chuao Firecracker Bar with spicy, smoky, chipotle chilies and popping candy)
Earthy pu-erh teas
(pair with bright, floral dark chocolates)
Contrast
Orange Leaf Dark chocolate with Puer
FLAVORED TEAS
Black tea with raspberry, cornflowers, rosehips
(full leaf, citrus notes, full body, sweet under
tone, coppery liquid)
Black tea with vanilla
Black tea with toasted coconut, chocolate, vanilla
(pair with Michel Cluizel’s Mangaro 65%, a
fruity bar, nice, creamy texture, stands up to the
black tea)
Chai with more of a citrus flavor
(good with almond bark made with dark semisweet chocolate)
Citrus flavored tea
(pair with citrus flavored chocolate)
Pairing Fine Teas and Chocolates
© 2017 The World Is a Tea Party. All rights reserved.
Teas
Milk
more info
Earl Grey
(fine black tea, citrusy bergamot, accents sweet
notes in the chocolates – ideal pairing is dark
chocolate with pronounced citrusy notes, but
some find a fruity chocolate to be great, too)
Complement
Pair with These Chocolates
Dark
White
semi info
more info
bitter info
Enhance
Flavored/
Filled
Complement
Flavored teas such as almond cookies green tea,
and strawberry black tea
Floral scented tea
(pair with floral flavored chocolate)
Fruit flavored tea
(pair with fruit flavored chocolate; Guylian recommends black teas with fruit or spice combinations, especially raspberry, pomegranate,
or vanilla, with their Extra Dark Chocolate Truffles to get a taste sensation like juicy fruits dipped in decadently rich chocolate)
Jasmine Green Tea
(go for higher quality versions where the jasmine is more subtle – pair with dark chocolate
having floral notes or fruity chocolates)
Jasmine Pearls
(go for higher quality versions where the jasmine is more subtle – pair with a premium chocolate bar that is exceptionally creamy white
chocolate to enhance the sweet, floral notes of
the tea)
Jasmine-scented Pouchong
(go for higher quality versions where the jasmine is more subtle)
Masala Chai (Spiced Tea)
(strong black tea with spices, traditionally simmered directly in milk, many versions, emphasizing cinnamon, anise, or another spice – pairing with milk chocolates considered ideal by
connoisseurs, chocolate truffles amplify the cinnamon and spice notes, extra dark chocolate
truffles highlight the cloves; Ghirardelli® recommends a cup of masala chai (spiced tea)
with their Intense Dark Toffee Interlude)
Other spiced teas
(the variety is endless and even includes some
with a green tea base)
Pairing Fine Teas and Chocolates
Enhance
Contrast
Adventurous
Contrast
© 2017 The World Is a Tea Party. All rights reserved.
The ABCs for Enjoying Fine Chocolates
There are lots of guides for proper enjoyment of chocolates and how get the most from the experience.
We have put together our own guide by gathering the basic principles from those others and enhancing them based on our own personal explorations into this wonderful gastronomic treat.
Nothing hard and fast here, though, since no two people’s tastebuds are alike.
Just like knowing more about tea helps you identify and enjoy the better
ones, so it goes with chocolate. Knowing what makes good chocolate
different from great chocolate is one thing. Factors such as appearance, smell, mouthfeel, aftertaste, and texture are all important in tea, but also when it comes to chocolates. These steps
will help you more fully appreciate chocolate by itself or
when pairing with teas (and you will note the similarities between these and how enjoying fine teas is done).
A ppreciate the Appearance
As with fine teas where the appearance of the leaves, before and
after steeping, are part of the pleasure, so it is with chocolate. Welltempered chocolate should be smooth and have a high-sheen. If it’s
dull or waxy, it will probably not taste the best. Worse yet, if the chocolate surface has any grayish or white areas, then the chocolate has been subjected to big changes in air
temperature and humidity, causing fats or sugars to migrate to the surface and produce that odd coloring.
The edges should be smooth, not crumbly or layered, and the texture should be even. There should be a tight, fine
grain and even-colored showing at cut or broken edges, indicating that the chocolate was well-tempered, and properly cooled and stored. Scuffed or scraped samples may taste fine but are not pleasing to the eye.
Chocolate colors vary from ivory, golden, copper brown shades, deep reddish, or charcoal brown depending on
the type of chocolate, the percentage of cacao in the chocolate, the presence and quantity of milk or cream, and
the source of the beans from which the chocolate was made.
B reak that Bar
A well-tempered piece of chocolate will
snap when you break it. Give your chocolate (chilled slightly in the refrigerator) a
quick break to see how it goes. Naturally,
a thicker bar will be a bit harder to snap.
You might want it to be a little warm first
rather than “just out of the frig” cool.
Snap depends on the amount and quality
of cocoa butter in the chocolate, how
finely ground the chocolate particles are,
and how well-tempered the chocolate is.
White and milk chocolate bars have a
gentler snap than dark or semisweet chocolate; their milk and butter fat content
make them naturally softer.
Pairing Fine Teas and Chocolates
© 2017 The World Is a Tea Party. All rights reserved.
C aress the Aroma
Our sense of smell is closely linked with our sense of taste, which actually depends on aromas a lot. Anyone who’s had a head cold knows that.
So, take a big whiff of that chocolate and let the aroma caress your
nose and your palate. (It helps to rub the piece of tasting chocolate
a little with your thumb to warm it and release those aromas.)
Some will be nutty or fruity, others are earthy. Some are intense and others are weak. Milk chocolates are vanilly,
creamy, malty, or caramelly, while dark chocolate is
more chocolaty with hints of toasted nuts, roasted coffee, dried fruit, or wine. Some chocolates have floral or
fruity qualities; others smell more roasted or nutty. As with,
flavor each chocolate brand has a signature aroma. This comes
from the blend or selection of beans and their quality, as well as
the manufacturer's roasting and conching methods. There is no end
to the specific notes that you can pick up with practice and no limit to
the words that you may use to describe them.
If you get a musty, burnt, or sour aroma, beware! Unfermented beans smell like
burnt rubber. Beans stored in humid areas can smell like grass or burlap. Beans dried over
wood fires smell smoky. The more you smell the chocolate and compare different types, the more you will notice
general differences in richness, intensity, sweetness and earthiness. You’ll pick up on lower and higher notes. The
aroma of some chocolates is faint, while for others it’s intense. You may then detect even more specific differences. Just as with tea, seriously accomplished tasters are adept at drawing from their own experience and memory, choosing words accordingly to describe what they smell and taste. Practice!
D etermine the Texture
Texture (also called mouthfeel) is as important for chocolate as for tea. Creamy, velvety, or chalky are some aspects. How quickly it melts in your mouth is another. The snap also tells you a lot (as you discovered when breaking the bar).
To get a true sense of that texture, place some chocolate on
your tongue, then gently slide your tongue across the top
of your mouth. Let the warmed chocolate circulate and impact your tastebuds all around. Does it readily melt, feeling
smooth and creamy, or greasy and slimy? Maybe it resists
melting and seems hard or waxy? Does it feel grainy/gritty,
powdery, harsh, or drying? Observe, also, if the chocolate
feels dry or heavy, how it feels as you chew, and the aftertaste as you swallow. Does it linger, go through subtle
changes? Is it gummy, sticky, cake-like, fudgy, fast-dissolving, etc.? Look for delicacy and balance, plus any distinct
flavors. You may need to taste several pieces of the same
chocolate to be able to observe everything, especially if the
chocolate melts
Temperature Notes:
fast.
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Pairing Fine Teas and Chocolates
Chocolate melts at body temperature, that
is, as soon as you put it in your mouth.
Compound coatings do not melt at body
temperature and lack a high cocoa butter
content.
A quick melt is desirable.
© 2017 The World Is a Tea Party. All rights reserved.
E valuate the Taste
Time for the big event: the taste. This will be divided into stages
(start, middle, end). They are generally categorized as sweet,
sour, salty, and bitter (umami, which is when the taste
stimulates your saliva glands especially sharply,
does not generally apply to chocolate).
Some terms are used fairly commonly to
describe the flavors in a piece of chocolate:
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Fruity/citrus/berry
Buttery/sweet (cashews)
Moldy/musty/earthy
Floral/spicy
Brown fruit (raisins/prunes/red fruit)
Nutty/buttery (macadamia nuts)
Lactic sour (sour cream/cream cheese)
Caramel/caramelized or burnt sugar
Astringent (unripe fruit)
Note that the above terms denote flavors in the chocolate
itself, not flavors added to the chocolate. Just as in tea,
various substances added to chocolate mask its flavors.
As you taste the chocolate, here are some things to
notice:
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If the flavor comes on quickly or slowly.
If the flavor builds and peaks, or remains constant.
If the flavor changes from the start to the middle
and the end.
If the flavor lasts long in your mouth (a sign
professional chocolate tasters use to determine
top quality chocolate).
Pairing Fine Teas and Chocolates
© 2017 The World Is a Tea Party. All rights reserved.
Basics of Pairing Teas with Chocolates
Chocolate has a fairly low melting point – your body temperature! And melted chocolate gives a bigger
flavor sensation. So, you can pop a piece of chocolate in your mouth, wait for the meltdown, and
savor that flavor. Or you can speed things up a little by taking a sip of hot tea
for more instant gratification. It’s no wonder, then, that pairing teas and
chocolates is becoming such a featured event at tearooms and chocolate
shops. And the right combo will give you a heavenly flavor experience.
Certain techniques for enjoying that combo will assure you an
enjoyable and worthwhile outcome.
Exciting pairings are usually with black teas, black tea
blends, oolongs, and herbals like Rooibos (redbush),
especially with stronger flavors. Lighter teas, more
delicate green teas, and the more dainty herbals
should be paired with more delicate chocolates (milk
chocolate or white chocolate are best – milder ones made
in the U.S. and UK).
Preparing the Tea
No matter how good the tea or the chocolate, the most common thing
that spoils the experience is improperly steeped tea. So, here are a few tips
to help you start things right:
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Start with freshly drawn cold water in the kettle (or other heating vessel).
Be sure to heat the water to the proper temperature for the tea you are having.
Pre-warm your steeping vessel with a little of the hot water.
Take a moment to appreciate the dry tea leaves’ appearance and aroma.
Add the proper amount of tea leaves to the steeping vessel (depends on your
personal taste, size of steeping vessel, and specific tea you are steeping).
Let steep the proper amount of time (also varies by amount, personal taste,
and specific tea).
Strain the tea into a drinking vessel.
Tip: Have your chocolate ready so you can do the
taste pairing right away. Some teas, especially Assams
and Ceylons, tend to get a bit cloudy or scummy as
they cool. The tea flavors are also not as true.
Tasting Technique
No, it’s not rocket science, but using a proper tasting
technique will assure the best experience.
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Sip in some hot tea, slurping as you sip to pull in a
little air, too, and let the tea wash around the inside of your mouth, then swallow.
Take a bite of the chocolate – your mouth is a bit warmer from the hot tea, so the chocolate will melt
a little faster, helping you savor tea and chocolate flavors together.
Take another sip of tea when the chocolate is mostly melted.
Tip: If you are tasting a chocolate with high cocoa content, eat some chocolate first, then sip some tea to help melt
the chocolate.
Pairing Fine Teas and Chocolates
© 2017 The World Is a Tea Party. All rights reserved.
Categorizing & Pairing Chocolates and Teas
Time to back up a minute and cover some chocolate basics. First, there is a variety of
chocolate types out there, just as there is a variety of teas. Simplify things by grouping
these chocolates and teas by their broader characteristics. Start by seeing our list of
Types of Chocolates.
As for teas, they are usually broken down into black, green, white, oolong, and
pu-erh. This is based on things like oxidation of the leaves during processing, tea plant cultivar, and processing techniques that can include
fermentation (non-alcoholic). There are also a host of herbal “teas”
(actually, tisanes). Plus, teas and herbals combine flavors, such as
fruits, flowers, spices, and other herbs. These will all have their own
set of tastes and aromas. Grassy, floral, malty, and more. Pairings
move on to the next phase from here.
Strong black teas and dark chocolates can overpower your palate, and the
subtleties of white, green, and oolong teas as well as lighter milk and white
chocolates can be like whispers or shadows – lost among reality. So, some
general rules of pairing have been developed over the years:
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Black and Darjeeling teas with dark chocolate or dark milk chocolate.
Green, oolong, white, and herbals with light milk chocolate or white chocolate.
White chocolate with tea is similar to adding cream and sugar to it, but this
style of chocolate also boosts the floral and fruity qualities of herbals.
When in doubt, read chocolate label for dominant flavors.
Pairing by Complementary Flavors in the Teas and Chocolates
Pair flavors that complement each other rather than match each other. The characteristics of each aren’t necessarily the same, but are compatible or complimentary in some fashion – similar aromas and flavors that go
together without cancelling each other out. This pairing style could be as simple as black tea with milk and some
plain milk chocolate or even chocolates with a caramel center. Another choice would be a smoky tea like Lapsang
Souchong and a bittersweet dark chocolate with a 75-80% cocoa content. Chocolates with
citrus flavoring added go amazingly well with Jasmine scented teas.
Pairing by Enhancing Flavors in the Teas and Chocolates
You can look for tea/chocolate pairings that share similar flavor
characteristics, thereby enhancing one another with each more
pronounced and noticeable. Beware of pairing those that are
too strong, though. A mint tea with a mint chocolate could be
one big mouthful of mint with little chocolate and almost no
tea flavors. And some flavors, when in both the tea and the
chocolate, will cancel each other out. Green teas go well with
chocolates that have a floral scent added (rose and jasmine
are especially good). Earl Grey, with its citrusy touch, is great
with a dark chocolate flavored with citrus.
Pairing by Contrasting Flavors in the Teas and Chocolates
You can also find very satisfying combinations where the flavors of the tea
and chocolate contrast – these are sometimes the biggest hits. Examples include earthy pu-erhs with a more
floral dark chocolate or even a chocolate with a touch of citrus. A tea flavored with spices like cinnamon and
ginger could go well with a creamier chocolate, usually milk or white chocolate. And a green tea that is fairly
fragrant will also be tempered by such creaminess in the chocolate.
Pairing Fine Teas and Chocolates
© 2017 The World Is a Tea Party. All rights reserved.
Lindt recommendations:
Dark Orange Intense with
Ceylon Black Tea
Dark with Sea Salt with Assam Black Tea
Dark Chilli with Masala Chai
Mint Intense with Moroccan Mint Tea
Caramel with Sea Salt with
English Breakfast Blend
Dark 70% bar with Green Teas
Cherry flavored dark chocolate
with Darjeeling Teas
Pairing Fine Teas and Chocolates
© 2017 The World Is a Tea Party. All rights reserved.
Making Chocolate (Commercial)*
* This information is from several sources online, but mainly from the World Cocoa Foundation and the
Askinosie Chocolate Factory in Springfield, Missouri.
Cacao trees produce cacao pods. Cacao beans grow inside these cacao pods. Each seed pod can bear as many as
40 cacao beans. These beans are usually one inch long in length. It is the cacao beans that are converted into
cacao butter, powder, and oil through various manufacturing processes. Cacao and cocoa are essentially same.
Cacao turns into cocoa when the bitterness is removed and a sweetening agent is added.
Where It All Starts
There are more than five million family farms
around the world that produce about three
million tons of cacao beans annually.
Farmers grow cacao trees on small farms in
tropical environments, within 15-20 degrees
north and south of the equator (see map below). Cacao is a delicate crop. Farmers protect trees from the wind and sun, fertilize the
soil, watch for signs of distress, and stave off
attacks from pests and disease. Most cocoa
trees begin to yield pods at peak production
levels by the fifth year and continue for many
years.
Top Cocoa Beans Producers*
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Ivory Coast
Indonesia
Ghana
Nigeria
Cameroon
Brazil
Ecuador
Mexico
Dominican Republic
Peru
* as of EOY 2012
Pairing Fine Teas and Chocolates
© 2017 The World Is a Tea Party. All rights reserved.
Cacao Cultivation Harvesting
Cacao trees (Theobroma cacao) grow best in humid and tropical
climates with regular rains and a short dry season. These trees
need: even temperature (21-23°C), regular rainfall (1,000-2,500
mm per year), and extremely controlled sunlight, preferably under taller trees and vegetation. These trees bear usable pods
when they are at least 4-5 years old, grow to about 20 feet average, and can produce seed pods for many years if well tended.
Lower pods are cut with a machete-like knife.
Workers learn this skill at a young age and by
the time they reach adulthood are quite expert.
The growing season in the tropics is continuous, so ripe pods
may be found on cacao trees at any time. However, most countries have two peak production periods per year: a main harvest
and a smaller secondary harvest. The main harvest lasts several
months. The smaller harvest lasts several additional months.
Natural changes in weather dramatically affect harvest times,
causing fluctuations from year to year, even on the same farm.
By practicing careful pruning, farmers keep the trees shorter for
easier harvesting. But eventually the trees get too tall for this, so
cacao farmers use long-handled, mitten-shaped steel tools to
reach the pods and snip them without wounding the soft bark of
the tree. They use machete-like knives to remove pods growing
closer to the ground. All pods are dropped to the ground and a
farmer, family members, and neighboring farmers work together
to collect pods in baskets.
Cacao is a very important cash crop for them all.
The outer husk of the pod is split with a sturdy stick and discarded along with the inner
white pulp of the pod. A farmer can expect
20-50 beans per pod, depending on the variety of cocoa.
Major Varieties of Cacao Trees
Variety
Criollo
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Forastero
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Trinitario
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Nacional
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Where Grown
Mexico
Central America
West Africa
Central America
South East Asia
Central America
west of Andes
South America
Pairing Fine Teas and Chocolates

Notes
famous for high quality cacao beans
has sub-varieties like Chuao, Porcelana, Puerto Cabello, and Carupano
80% of total cacao production
known to grow faster and give a higher yield
a crossbreed between the Forastero and Criollo

known for its pleasant aroma
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© 2017 The World Is a Tea Party. All rights reserved.
Fermenting & Drying
The farmer removes the cacao beans from the pods, then
either packs them into boxes (in Africa) or heaps them
into piles covered with mats or banana leaves (in Asia
and Latin America).
In some months, the cacao beans can be dried by laying
them on trays or matting to bask in the sun. Sometimes
farmers use solar dryers to help dry the crop.
The layer of pulp naturally surrounding the beans heats
up and ferments them. This is an important step, lasting
3-7 days and responsible for the chocolate flavor we
know when the beans are roasted. The beans are then
dried in the sun, usually over several days.
The dried beans are packed
into sacks, which the farmer
sells to a buying station or
local agent who transports
them to an exporting company. That company inspects
the cocoa and places it into
burlap, sisal, or plastic bags
which are taken by truck to
the exporter’s warehouse near
a port. Sometimes additional
drying is necessary at this
point.
Pairing Fine Teas and Chocolates
© 2017 The World Is a Tea Party. All rights reserved.
Buying from the Right Cocoa Farmer
Some chocolate vendors actually travel to various cacao
growing locations, establishing
a more personal relationship
with the grower, and determining the quality of the beans
first hand.
At right: A chocolate maker
flying in to the cocoa farm in
Davao, The Philippines.
Packing & Transporting
The exporting company finalizes the time and
place for shipment and the beans are loaded
onto ships.
When the ship arrives at its destination, the
cacao is taken to a pier warehouse and stored
in bags or bulk.
The buyer conducts a quality check to accept
delivery and the cacao is stored until requested
by the processor or manufacturer.
Trucks or trains carry the cacao in large tote
bags or loose in the trailer to the manufacturer’s facility on a “just-in-time” basis.
Roasting & Grinding
When the chocolate maker is ready to roast, beans are moved
with care from storage – just the amount needed – to assure that
they remain pretty intact. They are then thoroughly inspected and
cleaned. Some places also use a magnet to attract and remove any
metal particles there might be.
Depending on preferences, the beans are roasted with the shell, or
the nib (inside the cacao bean) is roasted alone. Once this has
been decided, the roaster is heated to the right temperature, depending on the bean origin, and the beans are loaded in the hopper. A good chocolate maker will look at and taste the beans during roasting. (This is a terribly important step that some larger
companies have sub-contracted out.)
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A roasted cocoa bean, the papery
skin rubbed loose.
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Beans awaiting
the roaster
After roasting, the beans are dumped into a cooling tray. Once cool
they are put in buckets for the winnower.
The winnower removes the shell (also called the hull or skin) from
the roasted bean, leaving the nib inside. The machine uses proper
airflow to vacuum the shell (lighter than the nib) into a cyclone. The
beans can be put through the winnower several times until all the
shells are removed.
Nibs are visually inspected, removing any stray shell bits, and tasted
to be sure they are top quality. (Some chocolate makers will mix bad
beans with good ones or add vanilla, etc.)
The shells make a great mulch, and some chocolate makers donate
them to local gardeners for this purpose.
The nib is ground into a paste, a process that generates heat and
causes the cacao butter in the nib to melt into “chocolate liquor”
(does not contain alcohol – see more information on the next page).
At this stage, the chocolate liquor can be further refined, sold as unsweetened baking chocolate, or used in chocolate manufacturing.
Dutching
A processor treats the cacao liquor with
an alkali solution to reduce the acidity.
The result is “Dutch processed cocoa,” a
darker, milder, more chocolaty tasting
version that also stays in suspension
longer in liquids such as milk.
Chocolate liquor is solid at room temperature. More details on this
process are on next page.
Handfuls of
lovely nibs!
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© 2017 The World Is a Tea Party. All rights reserved.
Making Chocolate Liquor
Chocolate liquor (as it is called in the industry)
is nibs ground into paste.
The nibs are carefully weighed out and put in
containers. This assures the batches will be
about same size, making quality control easier.
The chocolate maker will use a mixer (melangeur) or a refiner to grind the nibs. This creates a rough paste that is then put in a dissolver tank to be melted, making it more viscous,
and then pumped into a holding tank.
The liquor can be stored to make chocolate
later. It will usually solidify. When it is time to
make chocolate, the blocks are melted in the
dissolver tank and pumped into a holding tank.
Refiner at Askinosie Chocolate
Factory in Springfield, Missouri.
(Photo by Lisabeth)
Pressing to Make Cacao Butter
Most chocolate makers do not make their own cocoa
butter. Cacao butter is often bought from industrial
makers like Cargill or ADM. Those who make their own
say that it enhances the chocolate’s texture better.
Cacao butter is made by separating it from the chocolate liquor. The chocolate liquor goes into an agitation
tank and is pumped into a hydraulic press where it is
squeezed. This divides the chocolate liquor into cacao
butter and cocoa cakes.
Pairing Fine Teas and Chocolates
The cocoa cake is often sold into the generic cocoa cake
market or ground into a fine powder.
The cacao butter can be used right away for making
chocolate or stored for later use in making various
recipes of chocolate. (The label usually says how much
is in each. For example, if the label says 70% dark chocolate, it is usually made of 68% cacao liquor and 2%
cacao butter, with the remaining 30% being pure cane
sugar.)
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Chocolate Making
You have reached the point where the actual stuff you
know as “chocolate” is made.
The mixture is then placed into conches (large agitators that stir and smooth the mixture under heat).
The chocolate maker places melted liquor in the refiner
and adds pure cane sugar and cocoa butter (for a creamier taste). When making milk chocolate, a quantity of
milk is also added, usually about equal to the amount of
chocolate liquor.
Conching may last for a few hours to three full days, or
even longer. As a rule, the longer chocolate is conched,
the smoother it will be. Carefully monitoring is essential to assure a good flavor for the finished chocolate.
The particle size is monitored by tasting and possibly
using some kind of measuring tool. When ready, the
chocolate is removed from the refiner.
After conching, the liquid chocolate may be shipped in
tanks or tempered and poured into molds for sale in
blocks to confectioners, dairies, or bakers.
Molding
The final stage of the chocolate process,
done in a molding room; temperature
and humidity are constantly monitored.
Liquid chocolate is put in a holding tank
that slowly turns the chocolate, keeping
it mixed and in liquid form. Before molding begins, the temperature is raised to
about 120°F. Then, it is poured into a
pre-tempering tank. The viscosity is vigilantly monitored and the temperature
cooled to 92-94°F for the final temper.
The chocolate is piped to the final temper tank.
The temperature is carefully watched. The right
temperature will give the chocolate that all important snap and shine. From this tank, the chocolate goes into the filling unit, measuring out
the perfect amount of chocolate for each mold.
The molds have to be the right temperature, too,
keeping them from getting too cold in a cold
room. The chocolate is pumped into the molds,
which are moved quickly from the filling table to
the vibrating table where air bubbles are removed. The molds are weighed to assure the proper
amount is in them. This process goes on until all
the chocolate has been molded. The molds go
through a cooling tunnel, then the chocolates are
removed from the molds and wrapped.
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© 2017 The World Is a Tea Party. All rights reserved.
Making Chocolate at Home
Tip: Start with nibs instead of cocoa beans.
Ingredients
Cocoa nibs – start with 1 lb
Cocoa butter
Sugar (pure cane works best)
Nonfat dry milk powder (any brand you prefer)
Lecithin (a natural emulsifier or lubricant)
1 vanilla pod (optional)
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© 2017 The World Is a Tea Party. All rights reserved.
The Process
Grind the nibs
Use equipment strong enough to liquefy the nibs and separate remaining husks.
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Gently feed nibs into grinder (a food processor is shown at
left) a handful at a time.
Chocolate liquor will come through the screen and husks
and extra liquor will go through the spout.
Feed the husk/liquor mixture through the grinder again
until only the husks come through the spout.
Measure out the other ingredients
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Weigh the chocolate liquor in grams on a kitchen scale; use this weight to
know how much of other ingredients to add. (A scale with a bowl like the
one shown at right makes weighing easier and neater. Be sure to weigh
the bowl empty first and subtract that weight from the total to get the
amount of cocoa liquor.)
Cacao butter: up to 20% of amount of cocoa liquor.
Sugar: from 15-20% (bittersweet) to 75-80% (very sweet milk chocolate) of amount of cacao liquor.
Nonfat milk powder: the same volume (not weight) as the cocoa
liquor, or slightly less.
Vanilla (optional): Split the pod and soak in cocoa butter for 1 hour.
Conch and refine the chocolate
Conching affects the characteristic taste, smell and texture of
chocolate. Refining reduces the size of cocoa solids and sugar
crystals. Both processes are done at the same time with a
powerful wet grinder. Which grinder you use will determine
how you conch and refine the chocolate.
Sample guidelines (adjust for your grinder):
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Melt chocolate and cocoa butter in oven at
120°F.
Combine with nonfat dry milk powder, sugar,
and lecithin.
Pour chocolate mixture in the grinder, periodically blowing on it with a hair dryer on
high for 2-3 minutes to keep the chocolate
melted during the first hour (until the friction
created by grinding keeps the chocolate liquid
without additional heat needed).
Continue refining 10 to 36 hours until taste is
smooth and balanced; over-refining will make
it gummy.
If you need to take a break from refining, turn
off the grinder, put covered bowl into oven
heated to 150°F but turned off, and leave it
there overnight. If it solidifies, take cover off
and turn oven on to 150-175°F until chocolate
melts. (Watch carefully so the bowl doesn’t
melt.)
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Temper the chocolate.
This ensures the chocolate is shiny and has a
“snap” rather than matte and soft enough to
melt in your hands. You can re-temper many
times until you are satisfied and the chocolate
won't be ruined. However, moisture in the chocolate will ruin it.
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Melt the chocolate carefully. (Tip: Always melt
1.5 lbs or more of chocolate at a time to have
enough to work with.)
o For larger amounts, in the oven.
o For smaller amounts, in a double boiler on
stove (keep stirring so the chocolate does
not burn).
When the chocolate is melted to a temperature of around 110-120°F (use a candy thermometer), transfer it to a dry, cool bowl and
stir until the chocolate temperature drops to
about 100°F.
Pour about one third of the chocolate from the
bowl onto a hard, non-porous counter top or
other surface (granite or marble works best).
Spread the chocolate out with the spatula, and
then bring it all back together.
Continue doing this until the chocolate is
about 85°F, which should take about 10-15
minutes. By the time the chocolate cools down
to that point, the chocolate should be a thick,
gooey mass.
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Add some chocolate from the bowl (should still be about
100°F) to the chocolate you are working to get it pliable
again.
Gently work the chocolate around.
Return the chocolate back into the bowl with the 100°F
chocolate. Stir it gently, and try not to create bubbles.
Check the chocolate's temperature. You want it around 90°F,
but never over 92°F. Anything higher than this and you may
need to temper the chocolate again.
Alternatively, you can purchase a tempering machine on the
Internet for $300-400 USD.
Mold chocolate while still at about 90ºF.
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Pour chocolate into molds, being careful not to spill.
Use a large syringe or just pour with a steady hand.
Freeze, refrigerate, or let the chocolates harden at room
temperature.
Remove hardened chocolate from molds.
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The molded chocolate should have a glossy
appearance and should snap cleanly in two.
If you are unsatisfied with your chocolate, you
may re-temper the chocolate as long as the
chocolate remains dry and you haven't burned
it.
Pairing Fine Teas and Chocolates
© 2017 The World Is a Tea Party. All rights reserved.
Types of Chocolate
Raw Chocolate
Almost raw cacao (it undergoes some processing,
so “raw” is not acceptable to some chocolatiers).
Raw chocolates are prepared at low temperature,
blending cocoa powder and cocoa butter with
sweeteners. The chocolate is tasty but not transformed from cocoa powder into chocolate bars.
Raw chocolate retains all the natural beneficial
properties present in cacao and at the same time
removes many negatives that come with regular
chocolates.
Raw chocolate is used to make things like truffles
and puddings.
Famous Raw Chocolate Brands:
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Giddy Yoyo – a Canadian company, makes flavored 75%
dark raw chocolate bars, including gluten free, soy free,
dairy free, and free of refined sugar. Sell raw cacao nibs.
Elements for Life – a British chocolate manufacturer.
They sell a kit for making raw chocolate yourself (no nibs or
beans, just raw cacao powder & cacao butter), the Yummy
Scrummy Brownie, and raw ingredients like nibs and nuts.
Sacred Chocolate – an American company making raw
organic chocolate, hand poured/wrapped in a small factory.
Milk Chocolate
Contains more sugar than chocolate liquor. It is 10-40% cacao,
plus milk fat, milk solids, and sweeteners. The flavor is usually
mild and sweet; the higher the cacao liquor percent, the stronger
the chocolate flavor is.
Milk chocolate was invented in 1875
by Daniel Peter, a Swiss chocolate
maker, and Henri Nestlé. The oldest
Swiss chocolate brand is Cailler,
founded by Alexandre-Louis Cailler.
He built a factory in Gruyere. The
combination of milk and cocoa made
the brand very special.
Milk chocolate has been the more
popular kind ever since.
Pairing Fine Teas and Chocolates
© 2017 The World Is a Tea Party. All rights reserved.
Semisweet chocolate
Semisweet chocolate contains 15-65%
cacao and has a strong chocolate flavor
with a balanced sweetness. The term
“semisweet” is used mainly in the U.S.
market and indicates a higher quantity of
sugar.
This kind of dark
chocolate is generally used for
baking and eating.
Scharffen
Berger
Leonidas Nibs
Contains 62%
cocoa. A taste
A semisweet chocolate with 54% cocoa.
that is a little
Taste is similar to the Scharffen Berger, softer than the
leaning towards lemon. However, this bittersweet verchocolate is much sweeter but not as
sion, yet not too
sweet as milk chocolate. Dark choco- sweet, and has a
late enthusiasts taste the difference. taste of honey
and lemon.
Dark (bittersweet) chocolate
Dark (also called bittersweet) chocolate contains more chocolate liquor than sugar. It has an intense chocolate flavor with
a minimum of 35% cacao liquor (at least 43% in the UK).
Dark chocolates contain little to no milk content and can be
quite bitter, yet have a complex taste. The sugar content is
minimal, and there are no traces of milk. This chocolate style
is used mainly for cooking and eating. However, since it contains flavonoids, it is also consumed by people who are trying
to lose weight.
Most major chocolate makers,
including Lindt and Ghirardelli,
make this type of chocolate.
Pairing Fine Teas and Chocolates
© 2017 The World Is a Tea Party. All rights reserved.
White Chocolate
White chocolate contains no chocolate liquor and cacao solids.
Ingredients are typically cacao butter, sugar, milk solids and soy lecithin (an
emulsifier commonly used in many foods these days).
Although white chocolate does not contain cacao liquor, it contains a minimum of 20% cocoa butter, milk, milk fats and sugar. This gives white chocolate its whitish-ivory color, its sweet taste and creamy texture.
The cocoa butter is what gives white chocolate that hint of chocolate-ness in
its flavor. There should be at least 20% by weight in the white chocolate, not
animal fat, which some makers have started using. The cocoa butter is a very
stable fat and has a long lifespan without spoiling.
It contains several natural antioxidants and it has a
shelf life of several years.
White chocolate is used in home baking, candy
making and food manufacturing. It has a creamy
taste, is very sweet and has a hint of chocolate
flavor. It is also used in products other than chocolate and white chocolate, such as soaps, moisturizers and other skin care products.
In order to be labeled chocolate (as defined in the
United States by the Food and Drug Administration)
a product must also contain cocoa solids from chocolate liquor.
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© 2017 The World Is a Tea Party. All rights reserved.
Health Benefits of Cacao
In addition to its heavenly taste, cacao has also been known for centuries for its healing benefits. Early colonial
records state that cacao was luxury food and a medicine for variety of diseases and discomforts like fatigue, fever,
anemia, low sex drive, cardiac arrest, respiratory disease and low appetite. Cacao butter was also used for treatment of skin problems like psoriasis, burns, and eczema.
Cacao contains over 300 beneficial compounds. Scientists have studied the effects of several of these and found
interesting properties.
Important Cacao Compounds:
Flavonols
Theobromine
Anandamide
Phenylethylamine
Serotonin
Tryptophan
Vitamins and
minerals
Anti-oxidants in cacao beans. They lower nitric oxide levels in the blood, improve responsiveness of blood vessels to changes in blood flow, improve memory level, and prevent cancer. However due to bitter taste, makers remove most flavonols from cacao products.
Similar to caffeine, reduces sleepiness, relaxes mentally and physically, washes out toxins.
Produces a blissful feeling and has a calming effect. Part of the cannabinoid family.
Part of the cacao nib. Increases during fermentation of cacao and decreases during roasting. An antidepressant, produces a peaceful yet not necessarily sedated experience.
A neurotransmitter in the human body. Its anti-depressant properties help build a “stress
defense shield.” Cacao raises the serotonin level in the brain, stimulating and balancing
brain activity and inducing better sleep.
An amino acid converted into stress protective neurotransmitters like serotonin and melatonin. Heat sensitive, can vanish if heat in the manufacturing process is not controlled.
Included:
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Essential vitamins A, B1, B3, C, E and Pantothenic acid.
Essential minerals like Magnesium, Sulfur, Iron, Zinc and chromium.
Magnesium and iron help the heart pump blood efficiently, builds strong bones, and
lowers blood pressure. Good for healthy skin, nails and hairs.
Zinc plays a critical role in the immune system in our body by its involvement in thousand
s of enzymatic reaction in human body. Chromium has role in balancing sugar level in
blood. It detoxifies blood from alcohols when we make bad choice of foods.
Popular Misconceptions
Despite the medicinal benefits of cacao, some misconceptions persist. One is that eating chocolate makes you
gain weight. Eating chocolate won’t make you fat, but
eating too much food will. A few bites of chocolate as
you down a cup of tea certainly won’t hurt you. In fact,
it probably does more for your well-being and state of
mind than reading the morning newspaper. It’s all part
of having a generally active and healthy lifestyle.
Actually, it is not cacao but other substances added
during the manufacturing process that increase weight.
Scientific studies demonstrate that eating raw cacao
can help you lose weight naturally.
Pairing Fine Teas and Chocolates
Another popular misconception is that cacao contains
caffeine. While cacao has some elements of stimulant
drugs, it does not contain caffeine. The caffeine in processed chocolates are usually added during the manufacturing process to make it a stimulant.
Cacao is perhaps nature’s best super food. The super
taste it has and the health benefits it provides are simply incomparable. Like every other substance, cacao
has a few negatives. It is bitter if consumed rough. It
has some elements that induce fake pleasure and hallucination in humans. Nevertheless, its positives far outweigh the negatives.
© 2017 The World Is a Tea Party. All rights reserved.
Major Chocolate Makers
Arcor
Arcor was founded in1951 by a
group of pioneers whose vision was
to offer quality food, at a reasonable price to consumers. Their history traces back to 1924, when a
young Italian immigrant named
Amos Pagani, settled in Arroyito, a
small town in the province of Cordoba, Argentina. He opened a bakery shop like the one he had had in
Italy. A few years later, he joined
with fellow entrepreneurs to set up
a confectionery factory.
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Argentina
Ranked #8 in the world as of January 2015.
Their website.
From that humble beginning, Arcor
grew to a global food company.
August Storck KG
An international food company that makes such
brands as Werther’s Originals and Riesen chocolates.
In 1903, August Storck founded the Werther’s
Sugar Confectionery Factory “to manufacture all
kinds of confectionery products by hand.” He
began with three employees, a cooking kettle
and a panning kettle. Soon he was supplying
sugar confectionery products to all of East Westphalia. By 1909 the company employed a dozen
people and supplied a large part of Westphalia.
They incurred severe damage during World War
I but by 1921 were producing 200 varieties of
candies.
In 1954, they began producing chocolate in a
totally modern plant. They produced their own
milk for making their milk chocolate. In 1981,
they acquired the Dickmann company, producing these unique chocolates to rave reviews. In
1989 the Berlin wall fell, and the company expanded operations to the eastern portion of the
city (they already had a factory, built in 1967, in
the western portion).
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Ranked #10 in the world as of January 2015.
Headquarters in Berlin, Germany, with offices and factories
in several European countries as well as Canada and the U.S.
Their website.
Over the years, they expanded their production
and sales, and today they are a top producer of
chocolates and other candies.
Pairing Fine Teas and Chocolates
© 2017 The World Is a Tea Party. All rights reserved.
Barry Callebaut AG
1 in 5 chocolate and cocoa products consumed worldwide has their cocoa and chocolate inside.
In October, 2015, Barry Callebaut announced they will partner with Mondelēz International to
scale up their Cocoa Life program.
The Barry Callebaut Group is the world's leading manufacturer of high-quality chocolate
and cocoa. A business-to-business company,
they source and process cocoa beans, produce
the finest chocolates, including chocolate fillings, decorations, compounds.
In the industrial chocolate market, Callebaut
has a 40% share in the open market.
As a business-to-business company, they serve
the entire food industry, from industrial food
manufacturers to artisanal and professional
users of chocolate, (chocolatiers, pastry chefs,
bakers, hotels, restaurants or caterers, etc.).
Two global brands: Callebaut®, Cacao Barry®.
Most popular gourmet chocolates brand includes Sarotti in Germany, Jacques in Belgium and Alprose in Switzerland.
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Ranked #6 in the world as of October 2009.
As of October, 2015 - annual sales about CHF 5.9 billion (EUR
4.8 billion / USD 6.5 billion)
Headquarters in Zurich, Switzerland.
Cadbury (now part of Mondelēz International)
Introduced in 1923, a perennial
favorite at Easter, great with tea!
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As of October 2009 - 4th in world
for chocolate and confectionery revenue total is US$3, 868.2 million.
Considered largest confectionery
manufacturer in the world.
Most popular chocolate products are
Cadbury, Fry's, and Green & Black's.
Pairing Fine Teas and Chocolates
Cadbury began in 1824 by a young Quaker named John Cadbury who
opened a shop in Birmingham, England. He sold coffee, tea, drinking
chocolate, and cocoa. By 1842 John was selling 11 kinds of cocoa and 16
kinds of drinking chocolate. John’s brother Benjamin joined the company to form Cadbury Brothers of Birmingham. They opened an office in
London and received a Royal Warrant (one of many) as manufacturers
of chocolate and cocoa to Queen Victoria in 1854. John’s sons George
and Richard took over the business in 1860 and continued to expand the
product line, and by 1864, they were pulling a profit. Cadbury’s Cocoa
Essence, which was advertised as "absolutely pure and therefore best,"
was an all-natural product made with pure cocoa butter and no starchy
ingredients. Cocoa Essence was the beginning of chocolate as we know it
today. The brothers soon moved their manufacturing operations to a
larger facility four miles south of Birmingham. The factory and area
became known as Bournville.
The company survived two world wars and continued to prosper and
grow, providing employment for thousands of people. Cadbury merged
with Schweppes, a well-know British company manufacturing carbonated mineral water and soft drinks, in 1969. Later they acquired additional
beverage companies, including Typhoo Tea. They then licensed out the
manufacture of Cadbury confectionery brands to Hershey in the U.S.,
even though they continue to make some chocolates in England.
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Chocoladefabriken Lindt & Sprüngli AG
Confectioner David Sprüngli-Schwarz and his son, Rudolf SprüngliAmmann, had a small confectionery shop in Zurich. In 1845, they
used a recipe from Italy for manufacturing chocolate in solid form.
In 1879 Rodolphe Lindt, one of the most famous chocolate-makers
of his day, developed a technique to manufacture chocolate with
superior aroma and melting characteristics. He used the “conche” he
had invented, producing chocolate with the wonderfully delicate
flavor and melting quality we know and love today. His "melting
chocolate" achieved fame and led to a merger with Sprüngli in 1899.
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(Switzerland)
Ranked #7 in the world as of January
2015.
Ranked #8 in the world as of October
2009 - revenue total is US$2, 062.5
million.
Chocolate manufacturer, commonly
known as Lindt.
A Swiss premium & confectionery company founded in 1845. Lindt & Sprngli's
popular chocolates include the Lindor
which is a hard chocolate shell with a
smooth chocolate filling and comes with
colored wrappers; Mint Intense, Toffee
crunch, and Madagascar among many
others. As of October 2009.
Their website.
Like many companies in Europe and the U.S., they saw expansion in
the first two decades of the 20th century but struggled through the
two World Wars. What saw them through was their superior quality
that people were willing to pay for even in hard times. From 1947
onward, though, the company has grown tremendously, acquiring
Russell Stover Candies and others. In 1986 their U.S. operation,
established in 1925, moved from New York City to Stratham, New
Hampshire. Various
brands were introduced, including Lindor and Excellence.
Lindt & Sprüngli is
now an international
conglomerate sold in
more than 80 countries with eight production sites in Europe
and the U.S. They continue to roast their own
cacao beans (a key to
controlling quality) to
produce chocolate
from bean to bar.
Ezaki Glico Co Ltd
A Japanese confectionery company headquartered in Nishiyodogawa-ku, Osaka. The company manufactures the traditional Glico
caramel candy, as well as Pocky (known as Mikado in Europe)
and many others. The company name, Glico, is derived from a
shortening of the word “glycogen.” The first candy produced by
the company (in 1921) was known as Glico-Caramel.
In the years that followed, the company grew and added a range
of products. One of their best known is Pocky (a thin pretzel stick
about 3/4ths covered in chocolate.
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Osaka, Japan
Ranked #9 in the world as of January 2015.
Their website (in Japanese).
Their company profile (in English).
Pairing Fine Teas and Chocolates
© 2017 The World Is a Tea Party. All rights reserved.
Ferrero Group
Ferrero was founded in 1946 and sold out of
vans. Michele Ferrero joined them in 1950.
They opened a factory in Germany in 1956.
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A well-known brand (and very popular in
Germany) is Nutella, launched in 1964. It’s a
combination of chocolate and hazelnuts.
Just about
every gasthaus (inn or
motel) in
Germany
includes little
packets along
with jams on
the breakfast
table for
guests.
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(Luxembourg / Italy)
Ranked #3 in the world as of
January 2015.
Ranked #3 in the world as of
October 2009 - revenue total is
US $5,269.6 million.
Ferrero SpA is owned by the
Italian family Ferrero that manufactures chocolate and other
confectionery products
Founded by Pietro Ferrero in
1946.
Their website.
Another well-known brand, especially popular during the holidays, is Ferrero Rocher. Totally decadent chocolates with nuts, individually wrapped. Michele’s sons
Pietro and Giovanni took over control of the company in 1997.
Pietro died in 2011 in South Africa.
Hershey’s
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Ranked #6 in the world as of January
2015.
Ranked #5 in the world as of October
2009 - revenue total is US$3, 708.2
million.
The largest manufacturer of chocolates in North America.
Based in Hershey, Pennsylvania.
Founded in 1894.
Their website.
More company info.
Milton S. Hershey was 37 years old when he founded his company, originally making caramels. In 1893 he went to the World’s Columbian
Exposition in Chicago and bought chocolate making equipment. He
used it to make chocolate coatings for his caramels, but soon chocolate
production outpaced caramel production, so he started selling the excess. In 1898, he met his wife Catherine Sweeney, or “Kitty” as she was
called by her family. The marriage was a good one. Their happiness was
probably a contributor to the company’s success. It certainly contributed to their extensive philanthropic efforts, including a trade school, a
town, and a trust fund.
Hershey was the first American to develop a formula for manufacturing
milk chocolate, introducing in 1900 the molded milk chocolate bar we
know today. Hershey limited his production to only a few items in order
to keep the cost of producing each as low as possible. What had been a
luxury for the rich was now an enjoyment for anyone.
Pairing Fine Teas and Chocolates
© 2017 The World Is a Tea Party. All rights reserved.
Mars Inc.
Frank C. Mars was born in 1882 and had polio. He
spent a lot of time at home with his mother who
taught him how to hand dip chocolates.
He launched the Milky Way® bar in 1923 after
years of making and selling other candy products
such as butter creams. Their first plant, built in 1929
in Chicago, is still there today. Mars died in 1934,
but the company continued to grow and diversify,
including products like Uncle Ben’s Rice and pet
foods.
Their most popular chocolate products include
Snickers, Mars Bar, Milky Way, M&Ms, and Twix
among many others.
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Headquarters in McLean, Virginia, just outside
Washington, DC, since 1959.
Ranked #1 in the world as of January 2015.
Ranked #1 in the world as of October 2009 - with
revenues totaling to US $10,418.3 million, Mars,
Inc. has topped the list.
Their website.
Today, they are global, promoting not just chocolate, but a
host of other healthful products at affordable prices.
Meiji Co Ltd (Meiji Seika Kaisha, Ltd.)
Meiji Sugar Co., Ltd., the
forerunner of the Meiji
Group, was established in
1906. Tokyo Confectionery
Co., Ltd., the predecessor of
Meiji Seika, was established
in 1916. In 1917, Tokyo Confectionery merged with Taisho Seika, a subsidiary of
Meiji Sugar, and started
manufacturing caramels and
biscuits at its Okubo Plant.
That same year, Kyokuto
Condensed Milk Co., Ltd.,
the predecessor of Meiji
Dairies, was established and
started manufacturing condensed milk and other products. That was the beginning of a long history of product development and further mergers. Milk chocolate
and cocoa powder drink mix
started their chocolate adventures in 1926.
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A Japanese company with a U.S. headquarters in Itasca, Illinois.
Ranked #5 in the world as of January 2015.
Ranked #9 in the world as of October 2009 - revenue total is US $702.2 million.
A confectionery and pharmaceutical company that produces the popular chocolate products Hello Panda and Yan Yan as of October 2009.
Their website (in English).
Pairing Fine Teas and Chocolates
© 2017 The World Is a Tea Party. All rights reserved.
Mondelēz International
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Ranked #2 in the world as of January 2015.
Corporate office is in East Hanover, New Jersey.
Brands include Alpen Gold, Barni, belVita, Bubbaloo, Cadbury products (Bournvita, Dairy Milk, Creme Egg, Eclairs,
Roses), Chips Ahoy!, Clight, Club Social, Côte d'Or, Dentyne,
Dirol, Enjoy Life Foods, Freia, Halls, Hollywood, Honey
Maid, Kinh Do, Lacta, Lu Petit Beurre, LU, Marabou, Mikado,
Milka, Nabisco, Newtons, Nilla, Nutter Butter, Oreo, Philadelphia, Premium, Prince, Royal, Ritz, Sottilette, Sour Patch
Kids, Stimorol, Stride, Tang, Tiger, Trakinas, Toblerone, Trident, Triscuit, TUC, Wheat Thins.
Their website.
Mondelēz International is an American multinational confectionery, food, and beverage
conglomerate, with 107,000+ employees
worldwide. The Mondelēz name, adopted in
2012, came from the input of Kraft Foods employees at the time, a combination of the words
for "world" and "delicious" in Romance languages. The company consists of the global
snacking and food brands of the former Kraft
Foods, Inc., following the spin-off of its North
American grocery operations in October 2012.
Mondelēz Canada controls the rights to Christie Brown and Company, which consists of
brands such as Mr. Christie and Dad's Cookies.
Some of their brands have been on the market
for over 100 years. In the U.S., these include:
Chiclets, Dentyne, Barnum’s Animal Crackers,
the Kraft brand, the Nabisco brand, the Newton’s brand, Oreos, Triscuits, and more.
The history of Kraft Foods begins with National Dairy Products Corporation, where Thomas
H. McInnerney sought to form a monopoly in
1923 for the dairy industry and went to Washington, DC, to get funding. By 1930, his company had bought up many small dairies and
was larger than Borden. Many brands still on
the market today are part of them, including
Breyers, Breakstone, Hiland, and Kraft.
Meanwhile James L. Kraft was setting up his
company in Chicago starting in 1874. In 1928
they merged with Phenix Cheese Company and
became Kraft-Phenix Cheese Company. National Dairy acquired them in 1930. In 1969
they changed the company name from National Dairy to Kraftco. In 1961, the firm acquired
Dominion Dairies of Canada, becoming international.
In 1980, Kraft merged with Dart Industries to
form Dart & Kraft. Various mergers and other
changes happened over the years. In 2010, they
succeeded in buying Cadbury, a well-known
British chocolate maker and confectionery.
More corporate changes occurred (typical in
big business), but the big one to note is in 2012
when the company split off its snack foods and
renamed that business Mondelēz International.
Pairing Fine Teas and Chocolates
© 2017 The World Is a Tea Party. All rights reserved.
Nestlé
Nestlé began as a baby formula maker in Switzerland
in the mid 1860s. Henri Nestlé created a healthy and
economical product as an alternative for mothers who
could not breastfeed. The product was a carefully formulated mix of cow’s milk, flour, and sugar.
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Ranked #4 in the world as of January 2015.
Ranked #2 in the world as of October 2009 - revenue
total was US $7,261.3 million.
Most popular chocolate products: Baby Ruth, Butterfinger, Kit Kat, Milky Bar, Matchmakers, Nestle
Crunch, Oh Henry, Wonka Bars (introduced as a
promotion for the original movie about Willy Wonka
and the Chocolate Factory in 1971).
Their website.
In 1874 Jules Monerat purchased the Nestlé Company
and developed their brand of condensed milk. In 1904,
Nestlé started making chocolate. A year later they merged with their competitor, the Anglo-Swiss Condensed
Milk Company. They struggled through World War I,
but a banker helped reduce their debt. By the 1920s
Nestlé was creating new chocolate and powdered beverage products and
were international.
During World War II,
many of Nestlé’s executive officers were transferred to offices in the
U.S. More products
were added to their
lineup. Today, products
include beverages, ice
cream, baby foods, formulas, soups, snacks,
candy.
Russell Stover Candies Inc. (now part of Lindt & Sprüngli)
In 1923, Russell and Clara Stover began a candy business in their home in Denver, Colorado, and was originally called “Mrs. Stover's Bungalow Candies.”
The Stover family and their partners operated the
company for the next 37 years, becoming well known
for quality candy sold on a regional level.
By 1960, the company had 35 retail stores and more
than 2,000 agencies selling its candies. The partnership dissolved and the company was purchased by
Mr. Louis Ward.
The company was bought in 2014 by Lindt & Sprungli, a worldwide manufacturer of premium quality chocolates since the early 1800s, from the Ward Family. (Lindt also owns Ghirardelli Chocolates.)
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Ranked #10 in the world as of October 2009 - revenue total is US$ 509 million.
Corporate office is in Kansas City, Missouri.
Most famous products include mint chocolates and
dark chocolates.
Their website.
Pairing Fine Teas and Chocolates
The company is now international and is the largest
producer of fine boxed chocolates in the United States
(and they are still made here, according to the company’s website). They sell in about 35 company-owned
retail shops in the U.S. and at over 70,000 drug
stores, card and gift shops, grocery stores, department
stores and retail stores in all 50 states and Canada.
© 2017 The World Is a Tea Party. All rights reserved.
Chocolate Terms
Chocolate has a long history, and that means a lot of specialized terms. This list is not complete, but it is more
comprehensive than we have seen on most chocolate sites.
Term
Description
1er Cru
Abbreviation for premier cru. “1er” is French for 1st, or premier, growth.
Adopted by growers of cacao beans to designate their finest.
Abaisse
(ah-BAYZ) French for rolling out gianduja or marzipan with a rolling pin.
Aftertaste
Flavors lingering on the palate after the chocolate is swallowed. Called the
finish in the tea industry. A good aftertaste should leave positive chocolate
flavors in the mouth for two minutes or more.
Alkalinisation
See “Dutching.”
Alkalization
See “Dutching.”
Alkalized Cocoa Powder
See “Dutching.”
Amande de Cacao
See “Nib.”
Amandes Décortiquées
See “Nib.”
Amelonado Bean
One of the finer subgroups of Forastero bean, delicate and mild-flavored
(most Forasteros are harsh and bitter). A hybrid of the Arriba or Nacional
subspecies of Forastero bean.
Amenolado Cacao
The only variety of Forastero cacao that is delicate and mild-flavored, derived
from the Arriba bean.
Antioxidant
A substance that blocks oxygen damage to body cells. High levels have been
found in dark chocolate, specifically from its flavanol content. Anti-oxidants
are also in tea. See also “Flavanol.”
Arriba
A variety of Forastero cacao beans cultivated in Ecuador which produce a
delicate, mild-flavored cocoa, considered to be one of the world’s best.
Arriba Nacional Cacao
See “Nacional cacao.”
Artisanal
Chocolate produced by a small maker, usually from a unique blend of beans
or a rare single type.
Bahia Beans
A hybrid of the forastero cacao bean. Strong flavor, usually blended with
other beans. From a province in eastern Brazil.
Bain Marie
The French term for water bath. The equivalent of a double boiler that melts
chocolate gently over warm water so it will not burn.
Baker’s Chocolate
Chocolate liquid cooled and molded into blocks. Pure, unsweetened, sometimes bitter chocolate liquor (non-alcoholic), pressed from the cacao bean.
Baking chocolate usually has lecithin added, which acts as an emulsifier, and
vanilla, for flavoring. Available as milk, bittersweet, semisweet, and white
chocolate, and sold in one-pound blocks for baking.
Baking Bitter
See “Baker’s Chocolate.”
Baking Chocolate
See “Baker’s Chocolate.”
Balao Malacha
(bah-LAH-oh) Another hybrid of the forastero cacaco bean cultivated in
Ecuador. Always blended with other beans to make the flavor palatable.
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Term
Description
Ballotin
A small, elegant box of chocolates designed to prevent the chocolates from
damaging each other.
Bâton
(BAH-tohn) A slim bar of chocolate.
Bean
See “Cacao Bean.”
Bean Strains
Botanical bean families. See “Criollo Bean Family,” “Forastero Bean Family,”
and “Trinitarios Bean Family.”
Bean to Bar
Making chocolate from scratch. Raw cacao beans are roasted and turned into
couverture, which is melted and used to make chocolate products.
Belgian Chocolate
Belgian-Style Chocolate
A slightly larger size, a thicker chocolate shell and a heavier and sweeter ganache than Swiss and French. Made in molds, a technique created by Belgian
chocolatier Jean Neuhaus in 1912.
Bitter Chocolate
See “Baker’s Chocolate.”
Bitter/unsweetened
chocolate
See “Baker’s Chocolate.”
Bittersweet Chocolate
Dark chocolate that contains a minimum of 35% (usually a minimum of 50%)
chocolate liquor and less than 12% milk solids. Deep, strong, tangy, slightly
sweet flavor. Primarily used for baking, also eaten and used as couverture.
Has more cocoa butter than regular chocolate.
Blended Bar
A chocolate bar made of beans representing a combination of bean varieties,
growing regions, and harvest years. Sometimes called “house bars,” blended
to a consistent recipe year after year to represent the style of the producer.
Blending
Mixing cacao beans of different types or from different regions. Done after
the beans are roasted but before grinding. Based on a formula or “recipe” determined by the master blender, to determine the flavor of the finished chocolate. Since beans vary from harvest to harvest (acidic, bitter, fruity, earthy,
sweet, spicy, woody, etc.) blending helps produce a consistent “house style.”
Bloom
A whitish-gray discoloration due to a temperature or humidity change. There
are two kinds, both conveying an unappetizing appearance. They are generally the result of improper storage and poorly done tempering.
Fat Bloom – The cocoa butter has separated out from the chocolate due to
poor tempering or incorrect temperature. It creates a hazy surface appearance, but is fine to eat.
Sugar Bloom – White streaks and dots of sugar crystals drawn to the surface
by moisture and then drying. Causes a grainy texture.
Bonbon (Bon Bon)
(BOHN-bohn) French for “good, good.” A hard shell of chocolate filled with a
variety of centers. Referred to as praline in Belgian.
Bouchon
(BOO-shohn) French for “cork.” A molded, cork-shaped chocolate, can be
solid or filled.
Brut (Bitter) Chocolate
See “Baker’s Chocolate.”
Butter Oil
Clarified butter, used instead of more expensive cocoa butter in some chocolate formulations to create a smoother texture and mouthfeel.
Cabosse de Cacao
See “Pod.”
Cabruca
Cutting down some tall trees and planting mid-height cacao trees under the
remaining ones. Lower yields than in open land. See “Cacao Mothers.”
Cacahuatl
(cah-cah-WA-tay) Aztec for cacao bean and father of the word “chocolate.”
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Term
Description
Cacao
Refers generally to the raw materials of chocolate: the trees (Criollo, Forastero, and Trinitario), pods, beans, and liquor (pure cacao bean paste).
Cacao Bean
The seed of the cacao pod of the Theobroma cacao tree. Also called the grain.
Contains the nibs used to produce chocolate liquor. Cacao was misspelled on
a ship’s manifest in the 18th century as “cocoa,” continues to be used today.
Cacao Butter
The natural, cream-colored vegetable fat extracted from the chocolate liquor
in cacao beans. Done today by hydraulic presses. Adds smoothness and flavor. The main ingredient in white chocolate.
Cacao en Grains
See “Nib.”
Cacao Content
Total percentage of cacao fat and solids in chocolate. Generally, the higher
the cocoa content, the more intense the chocolate flavor and less sugar.
Cacao Fevier
French term indicating a bean-to-bar chocolate producer.
Cacao Mothers
Tall trees grown on plantations next to cacao trees to shade them from sun.
Banana, rubber, or coconut palms depending on the plantation location.
Cacao Nib
See “Nib.”
Cacao Pod
See “Pod.”
Cacao Seed
See “Cacao Bean.”
Cacao Tree
See “Theobroma Cacao.”
Cacao Walks
Large groves or orchards of cacao trees.
Caffeine Content
The amount of caffeine in chocolate, 5-10 mg, lower than coffee, cola, tea.
Caraque
(kah-RAHK) Spanish for Criollo cacao beans when first brought to Europe.
Carraque
Solid milk or dark chocolate pieces, sometimes topped with raisins, almonds,
walnuts, and hazelnuts.
Carré
(kahr-RAY) French for “square.” A small square of chocolate, generally five to
10 grams, for tasting. See also “Napolitain.”
Chocolat de Luxe
French for fine chocolate.
Chocolat en Tablette
French for a chocolate bar for eating. Also called “Tablette.”
Chocolat Supérieur
French for fine chocolate.
Chocolate
A food product made from the nib in the roasted beans of the cacao tree.
Chocolate Bar
A solid form of chocolate for eating. First made in 1847 by Arthur Fry, the
great-grandson of the founder of Joseph Fry & Company. He discovered a
way to mix some cocoa butter back into “Dutched” chocolate (cocoa powder),
added sugar, creating a paste, and molded into the world’s first chocolate bar.
It was rough and gritty. Bars today are smooth and velvety, due to conching.
Chocolate Bloom
See “Bloom.”
Chocolate Chips
Miniature drops of chocolate used in baking that keep their shape in the finished product. Also used in ice cream, for decorative purposes on various
sweets, and snacking. Milk, semisweet, and white chocolate; in “kiss” shapes
and oblong chunks. Made by mass producers and the finest chocolate houses.
Can be melted for recipes requiring melted chocolate but contain less cocoa
butter than regular chocolate so may not produce the same results.
Chocolate Morsels
See “Chocolate Chips.”
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Term
Description
Chocolate Extract
A concentrated natural chocolate flavoring often used in recipes to replace
chocolate in an attempt to cut back on calories or fat.
Chocolate Liqueur
Alcoholic cordial with chocolate flavoring like crème de cacao; can be drunk
as a liqueur or used in a cocktail. Not to be confused with chocolate liquor.
Chocolate Liquid
See “Chocolate Liquor.”
Chocolate Liquor
Also known as cacao mass, the liquid or paste produced when cocoa beans
are roasted and ground. Non-alcoholic. It only turns liquid when it is heated.
Chocolate Mexicano
See “Mexican Chocolate.”
Chocolate Milk
Milk with sugar and chocolate added for flavoring. Available in whole, low fat
and nonfat (skim) milk.
Chocolate Milk Crumb
See “Crumb.”
Chocolate Modeling Paste
Dark, white, or milk chocolate mixed with corn syrup. Pliable, malleable
texture, similar to marzipan. Used for decorating pastries, cakes, etc. Rolled
out thin and ribbons, ruffles, flowers, leaves, and stems cut out and shaped.
Chocolate Nibs
See “Nibs.”
Chocolate Sauce
See “Chocolate Syrup.”
Chocolate Syrup
A liquid form of chocolate. Used as a beverage mixer, a sweet topping and a
cooking and baking ingredient. Made in dark, milk and white chocolate from
chocolate based foods with sweeteners added.
Chocolate Thermometer
A specially designed thermometer in 1-degree graduations (40-130°F). Critical when you are tempering chocolate since extreme accuracy is necessary.
Chocolate Torrone
Italian confection made with honey, egg whites, toasted almonds, pistachios,
and other nuts, such as hazelnuts, with chocolate added.
Chocolates
Confections made from chocolate (bonbons, pralines, truffles, etc.) as
opposed to chocolate, the general food product made from cacao beans.
Chocolatier
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A candy maker who specializes in the creation of fine chocolate confections
using artisanal techniques, usually making them by hand in small batches.
The shop of that person.
Individuals in chocolate production facilities, e.g., who evaluate beans or
supervise roasting, conching, and blending, adjusting times and other
factors to ensure a final formula that conforms with the house style.
Chocolats Fourrés
See “BonBon.”
Chocovic
A chocolate maker in Barcelona, Spain, that makes a line of three dark couverture varieties, each made from single origin fine grade cacao beans.
Chuao
An isolated plantation in Venezuela which dates back to the 17th century;
grows one of the world’s most highly prized, flavorful varieties of the Criollo
cacao bean, usually blended with other beans before being shipped to market.
Assertive, powerful, intense flavor, notes of blueberries, plums, molasses, and
traces of vanilla. Slightly tart, and the finish is clean, long, and strong.
Cocoa
The remaining solid materials, after some or most of the fat has been removed with a hydraulic press, which include the flavoring and coloring components of chocolate liquor.
Cocoa Bean
See “Cacao Bean.”
Cocoa Belt
The band 20° north and south of the equator where the cacao tree grows.
Cocoa Beverage
A hot beverage made from cocoa powder, generally served sweetened.
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Term
Description
Cocoa Butter
A yellowish-white, complex, hard vegetable fat made up mostly of triglycerides, remains firm at room temperature, contracts as it cools and solidifies.
Removed from chocolate liquid under high pressure. Not a dairy product.
Cocoa Butter Transfer
A technique used to transfer designs to the surface of chocolate bonbons.
Sheets of paper with the design are set atop the enrobed chocolate. The design is transferred through rubbing, resulting in the finished chocolate.
Cocoa Cake
A fairly dry, solid cake, left over after hydraulic presses extract the cacao butter from chocolate liquor. They are crushed, ground, and sifted to produce
cocoa powder. Also called “press cake.”
Cocoa Content
See “Cacao Content.”
Cocoa Dance
Where women shuffle through the cacao beans that are spread out to dry.
This turns the beans and assures they dry evenly. Performed twice a year after harvest in Trinidad and some regions of South America.
Cocoa Liqueur
See “Chocolate Liquor.”
Cocoa Liquor
See “Chocolate Liquor.”
Cocoa Mass
See “Chocolate Liquor.”
Cocoa Percentage
See “Cacao Content.”
Cocoa Pod
See “Pod.”
Cocoa Press
A press used to separate out the elements in roasted cacao beans. Invented by
Coenrad Johannes Van Houten, a Dutch chemist who took out a patent for it
in Amsterdam on April 4, 1828. Van Houten also invented “Dutching.”
Cocoa Solid
See “Chocolate Liquor.”
Cocoa Powder
Solids resulting from pressing cocoa butter out of chocolate liquor. Categorized by the amount of cocoa butter (10-24%) that remains after pressing, depending on whether beverage, breakfast, or cooking cocoa. The powder is
made by pulverizing and sifting the cocoa cake. Two main types: natural/
non-alkalinized; and Dutch/alkalinized.
Black Cocoa
Dutch-process cocoa, super-dark, super-rich.
Cocoa Rouge (Red Cocoa)
Dutch-process cocoa, fudgy flavor, intensely bittersweet, deep-red color.
Cocoa Solids
Same as “Chocolate Liquor.”
Cocoa Solids Content
The weight of the non-fat cocoa portion of the chocolate.
Compound Coating
See “Confectionary Coating.”
Conch (Conche)
Machine used for conching.
Conching
Passing the cocoa mass through the conching machine where it is kneaded.
Controlled temperatures. Reduces moistness and removes the volatile acids.
Allows for specific aromas and smoothness to be associated with chocolate.
Rodolphe Lindt invented the conching machine to improve the texture of
chocolate 32 years after the first chocolate bar was made in 1847.
Confectionary
From the Latin noun “confect,” meaning that which is produced with skill.
Also the name for the shop of a confectioner. Confections, or sweet preparations, include cake, pastry, candy, jams, preserves, and other sweets.
Confectionary Coating
A chocolate-type product that substitutes vegetable oil for all or part of the
cocoa butter. Less expensive, does not require tempering, melts easily, and
hardens quickly. Used to coat fruit and other decorating purposes. Products
made with confectionary coating will be designated “chocolate-flavored.”
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Term
Description
Confiserie
French for shop that sells candy and chocolate
Confiseur
French for confectioner. Can refer to either a company or a person.
Cotyledon
A leaf of the embryo of the cacao bean (or any seed plant).
Couverture
(koo-vehr-TYOOR) French for “blanket.” Glossy chocolate for enrobing.
Couverture Chocolate
See “Couverture.”
Coating Chocolate
See “Couverture.”
Criollo Bean Family
One of the three cocoa bean families. Thought to originate around Southern
Mexico or Nicaragua. Most are from Venezuela. Rare, best quality, lower
yield per tree, most vulnerable to disease, sensitive to its climate, most expensive of the three. Complex, lots of secondary flavors.
Croquant
See “Nougatine.”
Cru
See “Terroir.”
Crumb
A mixture of milk, sugar, and chocolate liquor created in the manufacture of
milk chocolate. It is a liquid, not dry as the name might indicate.
Crushing
The step in the chocolate making process after roasting the beans. Separates
the nibs and hulls. Also, at this stage blending can be done.
Crystallization
Excess sugar added to liquid chocolate, ends up sticking together and forming crystals. Can give chocolate a grainy texture (stirring while the mixture is
warm) or a smooth one (stirring while the mixture is cool). See “Bloom.”
Cupuacu
(COO-pwa-coo) See “Theobroma Grandiflorum.”
Cuvée
(COO-vay) A blend of different types of cacao beans.
Dark Chocolate
Chocolate that contains more than 50% chocolate liquor. It often contains
added cocoa butter, sugar, vanilla, and lecithin, but no milk.
Dark Milk Chocolate
A new category. Milk chocolate with a higher than normal percentage of cacao. Deep flavor of semisweet bar, extra milkiness of milk chocolate bar.
Decoration
Patterns, nuts, piped gianduja, etc., added to the top of bonbons and pralines.
Decorator’s Chocolate
See “Confectionary Coating.”
Deodorization
A manufacturing process where the cocoa butter’s characteristic chocolate
flavors are removed. Quality makers deodorize their cocoa butter to manufacture characteristic white chocolate. Used by lesser companies on poor quality
and alkali-treated beans to avoid an unpleasant cocoa butter aroma.
Designated Origin
Chocolate
Made from beans from a specific locale. Also called origin chocolate and
single origin chocolate.
Devil's Food
A chocolate product flavored more by cocoa butter rather than chocolate.
Diamant
French for “diamond.” Refers to diamond-shaped chocolates.
Dipping
Original method of coating hard centers with chocolates. Still done by artisan
producers. Other methods: enrobing, panning, molding, shell molding.
Drinking Chocolate
A product used to make hot chocolate. Not a finely-ground product but bits
of actual hard chocolate. It can be shaved chocolate, discs, pistoles, or tablets.
Dutch Chocolate
See “Dutched Cocoa.”
Dutch Process
See “Dutching.”
Dutch Process Cocoa
See “Dutched Cocoa.”
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Term
Description
Dutch Processed
See “Dutching.”
Dutch Processing
See “Dutching.”
Dutched Chocolate
See “Dutched Cocoa.”
Dutched Cocoa
Cocoa powder which has been alkalized to reduce its natural acidity, make it
darker in color, more chocolaty in flavor, and easier to mix with liquids.
Dutching
A process of neutralizing the acidity of cocoa with potassium carbonate.
Brings out more chocolate color, resulting in a darker cocoa. Since the end of
the 19th century, all commercial chocolate manufacturers have used this
technique. Cocoas and chocolates that are 100% natural will not be alkalized.
In the early 19th century the Dutchman Coenraad Johannes van Houten discovered that the acid taste of cocoa was neutralized if he added alkali-potash
to the nibs before they were roasted.
Eating Chocolate
Chocolate in bar or other form for eating (as opposed to drinking chocolate,
or cocoa, or cooking chocolate). Originally, chocolate was a beverage, made
by grinding cacao beans and mixing them with liquid and spices. Over time,
cocoa powder was invented and used in cooking as well as beverages. It was
not until 1847 that “eating chocolate,” or the chocolate bar, was created.
Emulsifier
Usually soya lecithin; stabilizes the chocolate to prevent bloom and improve
shelf life, as well as imparting a smoother mouthfeel to the chocolate.
Enrobe
Coating candies and confections with chocolate in an enrober.
Enrober
A machine that coats assorted centers (nuts, nougats, fruit, etc.) with a
waterfall of liquid chocolate.
Enrobing
Covering by hand or with an enrober a chocolate or the intended center of a
chocolate like a ganache interior with a thin layer of tempered chocolate.
Estate-Grown
Beans from a single plantation or hacienda.
Fat Bloom
See “Bloom.”
Fermentation
A natural, post-harvest process that converts the sugars in raw cacao beans to
alcohol, kills the germ, and develops the necessary elements that modify the
composition of the beans so they yield the characteristic flavor and aroma of
chocolate during roasting. Done in baskets, wood boxes, or cylinders stored
away from light. Beans turned to ensure even fermentation. Lasts 3-7 days.
Fève de Cacao
French for “cocoa bean.”
Filled Chocolates
See “Bonbon.”
Finesse
The measurement of the average particle size of the cocoa solids in the chocolate. Expressed in ten-thousandths of an inch, or in microns.
Flat
Less lively taste. Some makers omit vanilla, thinking will let cacao nuances be
more prominent. However, the vanilla enhances flavors, not mask them.
Flavanol
The antioxidants in cacao. Levels of flavanol content may fluctuate widely depending upon the species and subspecies of bean, recipe, processing practices, and storage and handling conditions. There is no scientific determination of how much chocolate should be consumed to achieve health benefits.
Flavor Cacao
Cacao beans added to a blend to provide delicate flavor and finesse. Often,
these are from the Criollo or Trinitario families.
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Term
Description
Flavored Chocolate/
Chocolate Bars
Chocolate where flavor essences have been added to it or where the actual
items are inclusions in the bar or candy. Essences include anise, chili, cinnamon, coffee, lemon, liqueur, mint, orange, and raspberry. Inclusions include
dried fruit, nuts and cacao nibs.
Fondant
(fohn-DAHN) French for dark or pure chocolate. The standard for modern,
high-quality chocolate, extremely smooth and palatable.
Fondant Chocolate
See “Fondant.”
Forastero Bean Family
Hearty, produces high yields, approximately 75-90% of world’s crop, often
called “bulk beans.” Most widely spread cocoa strain worldwide. Originated
in the upper Amazon. Higher quality strains from Ghana and Ecuador. Quality ranges from very low to complex. Sometimes bitter and astringent, most
often blended with other beans, used to make most generic chocolate bars..
Varieties known for aromatic properties (Amelonado, Nacional, São Tomé).
Forastero Cocoa Beans
See “Forastero Bean Family.”
Forest-Grown
Beans that are cultivated among diverse plants, rather than clearing the land.
Framboise
(frahm-BWAZ) French for “raspberry.” Also a bonbon with a raspberry filling
(crème, ganache, or raspberry liqueur).
French-Style Chocolate
Bonbons with a thinner shell of chocolate (than Belgian and Swiss). Some are
molded into shapes, but the original style was hand-dipping (enrobing) producing the thinner style. Ganache centers—chocolate and cream, either plain,
infused with another flavor (coffee, orange, raspberry, Cognac) or praliné,
with a nut (generally hazelnut, pistachio or walnut).
Fudge
A confection that is usually extremely rich and often flavored with chocolate.
It starts with boiling sugar in milk to the soft-ball stage. Then the mixture is
beat while it cools to get a smooth, creamy consistency.
Ganache
(gahn-AHSH) A rich, silky chocolate mixture made by combining chopped
semisweet chocolate and boiling cream and stirring until smooth. (Butter can
also be added.) Made with varying proportions of chocolate and cream. More
chocolate is firmer. More cream is softer. Can be flavored with fruits spices
and different liquors. Used as centers for truffles, fillings for cakes and tarts,
poured over cakes and pastries for a glaze, flavored with liqueurs and extracts, and combined with soft, beaten butter to create ganache beurre.
Ganache Beurre
Ganache with butter added. Mixture is beaten until light and fluffy. Also called ganache soufflé. A filling and frosting for cakes; a filling for tarts, etc.
Garnissage
French for filling a chocolate shell using a piping bag.
German Chocolate
A baking chocolate with sugar already in it. Developed in 1852 by Sam German, an Englishman, for Walter Baker & Company of Dorchester, Massachusetts, as a convenience for bakers.
German’s Chocolate
See “German Chocolate.”
Ghana
A prime growing region for cacao. Bold, assertive, dark-toned. Most is Forastero with low bitterness. Common flavors are pure cacao, coffee, and tobacco.
Gianduia
See “Praline Paste.”
Gianduja
See “Praline Paste.”
Glaze
A thin, glossy melted chocolate mixture, smooth and shiny when cooled.
Gourmandises
(goor-mun-DEEZ) French for “sweets.”
Pairing Fine Teas and Chocolates
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Term
Description
Gourmet Chocolate
The second most expensive category of chocolate ($25-40 per pound), according to the confectionary industry standard of price per pound.
Grain
See “Cacao Bean.”
Can also refer to the pattern of crystallization of a chocolate bar’s components (cocoa butter, cocoa liquor, sugar), which can be observed on a crosssectional basis, when a bar is broken in two.
Grain de Cacao
See “Nib.”
Grand Cru Chocolate
See “Single Estate Chocolate.”
Grinding
The mechanical process of pulverizing the roasted cacao nibs into the chocolate liquor. Nibs (about 53% cocoa butter) pass through a millstone, separating the fat (cocoa butter) and cocoa mass (chocolate liquor).
Griotte
(Gree-UT) French for “Morello cherry.”
Guayaquil
Beans with a sweet flavor that blends well with other beans. A variety of the
Trinitario cacao beans grown in western Ecuador.
Hacienda
A plantation or estate where cacao is grown.
Harvest
Cacao is harvested throughout the year; the main growing seasons are May to
July and November to January.
Hazelnut Praliné
See “Gianduja.”
Hot Chocolate
Hot chocolate, first served by the Swiss, is made with defatted cocoa powder.
Infusion
A method of flavor extraction that incorporates flavors such as fruits and nuts
into chocolate by steeping and removing.
Java
A prime growing area for quality beans, often used in milk chocolate because
they usually offer bold flavors that can withstand dilution by milk solids and
relatively low cocoa content. Usually characterized by a dark tone of leather
and smoke, sometimes lighter flavors such as lemon and sweet spice.
Kakawa
Olmec for “cacao.” Still used by the people native to what is now Honduras.
Kastanjes
(kas-TAN-ya) A molded, chestnut-shaped chocolate filled with ganache or a
chestnut-flavored filling.
Lecithin
A natural product extracted from eggs and soybeans. See “Soya Lecithin.”
Limited Edition Chocolate
Bar
Bars made from a limited supply of a certain type of beans. May have an unusual flavor that can’t be guaranteed from next season’s crop.
Liquid Chocolate
Cheaper chocolate made with vegetable oil, not cacao butter. Doesn't deliver
the same texture or flavor as regular unsweetened chocolate. Developed for
baking, unsweetened, in individual 1 ounce packages, requires no melting.
Lissage
See “Conching.”
Low Fat Cocoa
Cocoa powder containing less than 10% cocoa butter.
Madagascar
A cacao growing region; the cacao from here has a vibrant and crisp citrus
tartness, grape and pineapple-like tones, and sometimes vodka and white
wine notes. Less common are spice, cedar, and other woody tones. Slightly
lighter style, sharp on the palate, no bitterness.
Magra
A hand tool used by inspectors on plantations in Africa to open cacao pods
lengthwise so the beans can be classified into various grades by appearance.
Has a blade suspended in a frame, which drops swiftly to open the pods.
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Term
Description
Maltitol
A natural sugar substitute based on a malt extract. Allows chocolate to keep a
sweet taste without sugar. Popular sugar substitute in many chocolate couvertures, especially Belgian chocolate sugar-free products.
Manon
A classic bonbon filled with buttercream and topped with a halved walnut
(sometimes inside). The couverture can be white, milk, or dark chocolate.
Maracaibo
A Criollo cacao grown near the banks of the Maracaibo River in the Sur del
Lago region of Venezuela. Soft, gentle, very smooth consistency, fairly noncomplex, flavors of sweet spice, soft woods, and slight red fruit tones.
Maragnan
A variety of the Forastero cacao bean, having a strong flavor good for blending with other beans. Grown in Brazil.
Mass Market Chocolate
The least expensive category of chocolate (less than $15 per pound),
according to the confectionary industry standard of price per pound.
Mass Market Premium
Chocolate
The third most expensive category of chocolate ($15-25 per pound),
according to the confectionary industry standard of price per pound.
Maya
People who planted and cultivated the first cacao plantations in the Yucatan
region of Mexico about 600 A.D. These plantations made them wealthy and
established them as significant traders.
Meat
See “Nib.”
Medium Fat Cocoa
Cocoa powder containing 10-20% cocoa butter.
Mendiant
(MAHN-dee-AHNT) French for “mendicant” (beggar). Disks or bars of chocolate usually made with nuts and fruits studded in the top for visual appeal
plus flavor. Often made in large slabs and broken into pieces, like bark.
Metate
(meh-TAH-tay) Concave curved stone slab used by Aztecs to grind shelled
cacao beans to paste. Method was also used in Europe until late 19th century.
Mexican Chocolate
A chocolate beverage similar to cocoa, or a semi-soft cinnamon-scented sweet
chocolate, also called Oaxaca Chocolate.
Milk Chocolate
A mix of chocolate liquor, cocoa butter, milk, sugar, vanilla, and often lecithin. Good for garnishes and candy coatings. All milk chocolate made in the
U.S. must contain at least 10% chocolate liquor and 12% whole milk. Quality
milk chocolate contains a minimum of 30% chocolate liquor.
Mocha
(MOH-kah) Chocolate and coffee combination used in desserts, pastries, and
confections.
Molded Chocolate
Tempered chocolate poured in a mold, cooled, unmolded. Solid or hollow.
Molding
Forming the chocolates by pouring tempered chocolate into molds, passing
them through a refrigerated tunnel and then unmolding them.
Mole
(MOH-lay) A spicy, unsweetened chocolate sauce.
Mole Poblano
(MOH-lay poh-BLAH-noh) A classic Mexican dish composed of turkey in a
spicy, savory chocolate sauce. It is reputed to have been invented by the nuns
of Puebla near Mexico City.
Molinet
(moh-lih-NAY)See “Molinillo.”
Molinillo
(moh-lih-NEE-yo) A wooden tool developed by the Spanish in the16th century. Fat and round at one end with several deep carved grooves. Put this end
in the chocolate upright. Twist it in your hands to make the chocolate drink
frothy. The French created chocolate pots in the 17th century with lids with a
center hole to hold a molinillo to stir the chocolate.
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Term
Description
Mouthfeel
The texture and other sensations of the chocolate in the mouth.
Mucilage
The white pulp surrounding the cacao beans in the pod.
Nacional
See “Arriba Nacional Cacao.”
Arriba Nacional Cacao
A variety of Forastero cacao bean cultivated in Ecuador. It produces a light,
delicate, and flavorful cocoa, considered to be as good as the world’s best.
Predominantly grown in Arriba Mocache, Los Rios, Ecuador, with some stock
grown in Colombia. Shares the hearty flavor of Forastero and nuances of
Criollo, and could be viewed as the best of both worlds.
Napolitain
A small, sample-sized square of chocolate, typically 5-10 grams.
Natural Cocoa Powder
See “Natural Process Cocoa.”
Natural Process
See “Natural Process Cocoa.”
Natural Process Cocoa
Chocolate liquor or cocoa processed without an alkaline treatment, usually
yellowish-brown color; fruity, acidy flavor.
Nibs
The inner part of caca0 beans. Bitter until further processed. Roasted, then
ground to produce chocolate liquor, from which all chocolate products are
made. Sometimes, nibs are added to chocolate bars/desserts for texture.
Non-Alkalized Cocoa
See “Natural Process Cocoa.”
Non-Alkalized Cocoa
Powder
See “Natural Process Cocoa.”
Nougat
(NOO-gaht) French for a stiff, chewy confection (torrone in Italian). Made of
whipped egg whites, honey and sugar. Nuts (almonds, hazelnuts, or pistachios), and sometimes candied citrus zest, are added. Chocolate nougat has
chocolate added. Can be dipped in chocolate.
Nougatine
Sugar heated until it caramelizes, mixed with crushed roasted hazelnuts or
almonds, and crushed in a caramel roller. A filling in chocolates and bars.
Nut
See “Pod.”
Oaxaca Chocolate
A chocolate made in Oaxaca, Mexico. See “Mexican Chocolate.”
Ocumare 61
Criollo and Trinitario hybridized blend originally from the Ocumare de la
Costa valley of Venezuela. Has a sharp punch. Flavors vary, but earthy
spiciness, peaches, red fruits, and fresh dairy are common.
Ocumare 67
Criollo and Trinitario hybridized blend originally from the Ocumare de la
Costa valley of Venezuela. Has a darker in tone, more robust and assertive,
and lacks Ocumare 61’s sharpness. Flavor notes include cashews, peanuts,
spice, pepper, and sometimes dairy.
Origin Cacao
See “Single Estate Chocolate.”
Origin Chocolate
See “Single Estate Chocolate.”
Palet
See “Napolitain.”
Palet d’Or
(pa-LAY dohr) French for “golden disc.” A regional specialty that has
expanded to general usage. A pure ganache bon bon of dark chocolate.
Panned
A method of coating chocolate onto hard centers. Chocolate is sprayed onto
the centers as they rotate in revolving pans; cool air is then blown into the
pan to harden the chocolates. Can also be done on the stovetop.
Para
A variety of Forastero cacao bean cultivated in the Brazilian state of Para.
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Term
Description
Particle Size
A measurement the size of the particles of the cacao beans and sugars. Generally, particles sizes of 14-18 microns are desirable for smoothness.
Pastille
A small, hard, round or oval fruit candy, often used as a lozenge, or a disk of
chocolate. A rounded top intended for the roof of the mouth, and a smooth
flat bottom on which the tongue could gently press the chocolate upwards.
Fits, and melts, perfectly in the mouth.
Pasty
See “Thick.”
Pâte de Cacao
See “Chocolate Liquor.”
Paté Glacée
See “Confectionary Coating.”
Patisfrance
A brand of premium quality chocolate and couverture used by professionals.
Percentage of Cacao
The amount of cacao solids in a bar compared to other ingredients. The higher the cacao percentage in a bar, the more depth of chocolate flavor, and the
less sweet the chocolate. Ranges from 30% cacao for some milk chocolates to
100% cacao (no sugar but still enjoyed by some people for eating).
Pistoles
Milk, white, or dark chocolate chips for tempering.
Pod
Fruit of the cacao tree, leathery, oblong or oval. About 6-12 inches long.
Ripens in 5-6 months. Inside are 30-40 half-inch-long, almond-shaped seeds
(beans) from which chocolate is made. Pods are harvested, cut open with a
type of machete, and left to ferment. The beans are scooped out, spread out
in the sun to dry, graded and sold to chocolate producers.
Polishing
A cosmetic cleaning of fermented and dried beans in preparation for market.
Porcelana
One of the rarest beans in the world, a genetically pure strain of the Criollo
bean from the Andean region of Venezuela. The beans have a pale, almost
white-colored interior, but the nibs produce regular-colored cacao. Flavors
vary by producer, but typically yields almonds, strawberries, cream, butter,
butterscotch, and sometimes bread flavors. Bars tend to be reddish-brown.
Praline
See “Praline Paste.”
Praline Paste
A ground nut paste generally made from almonds or hazelnuts and sugar
(and sometimes ground chocolate), used in French patisserie since the 16th
century and is also made in Italy (known as gianduja) beginning in 1865.
Praliné
(prah-lee-NAY) See “Praline Paste.”
Premier Cru Chocolate
Estate-grown chocolate. The term is used by some chocolatiers.
Press Cake
See “Cocoa Cake.”
Pressed Cake
See “Cocoa Cake.”
Pressing
Where the chocolate liquor is carried through hydraulic presses and the melted cocoa butter is extracted from the paste.
Prestige Chocolate
The most expensive category of chocolate ($40 per pound and higher), according to the confectionary industry standard of price per pound.
Pugging
Chocolate mixture after it has been kneaded with the addition of vanilla, cocoa butter and (if milk chocolate) powdered milk.
Pure Origin Chocolate
See “Single Estate Chocolate.”
Quetzalcoatl
A mythical plumed serpent god worshiped by the Aztecs and that provided
them with cacao, which they considered to be divine.
Quick Tempering
See “Tempering.”
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Term
Description
Raw Cacao
Cacao beans that have been harvested, fermented, dried, sorted, graded, and
packed into jute bags at the farm and ready for sale and processing.
Refining
Reducing the size of cocoa solids and sugar crystals.
Rio Caribe
A Trinitario bean grown near the Rio Caribe, in the Sucre State of Venezuela.
A slight dark tone and a refreshing bitterness. Common flavors are coffee,
almonds, slight red fruits, and pure cocoa.
Roast, Dark
Cacao beans roasted longer to further mellow the cacao’s flavor. Tend to have
“dark” tones with traces of caramel, woods, and coffee.
Roast, Light
Cacao beans roasted for a shorter time. Imparts a sharp, fruity tone to the
finished chocolate.
Roasting
Heating process that fully develops flavors and aromas of the cacao beans.
Typical roasting time is 30 minutes, then nibs are ground.
Rocher
(ROH-shay) French for “rock.” In chocolate, rochers are slivered almonds,
coated in chocolate to create clusters that are poetic chocolate “rocks.”
Rustic Chocolate
A pre-industrial style of chocolate, before conching was invented. An inferior
texture and mouthfeel.
São Tomé
An island republic in the Gulf of Guinea off the west coast of Africa. A prime
growing area for the Amelonado subspecies of high quality Forastero. Can be
bitter with flavors of pure cocoa, sharp red fruits, cinnamon, and vanilla. A
good base for blended chocolate.
Score Marks
The grooves, or channels, that separate a chocolate bar into segments.
Seed
See “Cacao Bean.”
Seed Leaf
See “Cotyledon.”
Seize
When melted chocolate becomes lumpy and stiff, usually as a result of too
much liquid coming into contact with chocolate during heating or when the
chocolate itself is overheated.
Semisweet Chocolate
Chocolate liquid blended with varying amounts of sweetening and extra
cocoa butter. Flavorings may be included. Available in bar form, but usually
sold in pieces or chips. Contains 15-35% chocolate liquor, cocoa butter, sugar,
lecithin, and vanilla. Not interchangeable in recipes with milk chocolate.
Sheen
Shine on couverture and eating chocolate. Brighter on high-quality chocolate.
Single Estate
Beans from a single plantation or hacienda.
Single Estate Chocolate
Chocolate created with beans from one particular estate, plantation or
hacienda. Single estate does not necessarily mean only a single variety of
beans in the chocolate, as long as the beans come from the same estate.
Single Origin Chocolate
See “Single Estate Chocolate.”
Snap
A clean, sharp break of the chocolate when it is cool. One of the
characteristics of well-tempered chocolate. Plus, the higher the cacao
content, the harder the chocolate, and the crisper the snap.
Soya Lecithin
Lecithin extracted from soybeans. Used in the manufacture of chocolate.
Increases the pliability of the chocolate. See “Lecithin.”
Sugar Bloom
See “Bloom.”
Summer Coating
See “Confectionary Coating.”
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Term
Description
Sur Del Lago
One of the two distinct cacao growing regions of Venezuela (the other is
Andean). It produces beans called Sur Del Lago Clasificado.
Sur Del Lago Clasificado
A hybrid of Criollo and Trinitario cacao beans. Hearty, robust, bears an extreme dark tone with flavors of butter, hazelnuts, red fruits, and floral tones.
Sweet Chocolate
Contains more sweeteners than semisweet chocolate and at least 15% chocolate liquor. Chocolate liquor with sugar and extra cocoa butter. Fat content is
similar to semisweet chocolate. Often interchanged with semisweet or bittersweet chocolate. Used mostly for decorating and garnishing.
Swiss-Style Chocolate
Creamy, smooth, soft, and velvety (more than French and Belgian). A greater
focus on milk chocolate. This is based on the heritage of the Swiss chocolate.
See “Milk Chocolate” and “Conching.”
Tablette
French for a chocolate bar for eating. Also called “Chocolat en Tablette.”
Tasting Square
See “Napolitain.”
Temper
The visible appearance of chocolate; varies by cooking method; “tempered”
chocolate will have a high-gloss sheen and clean snap when broken.
Tempering
The process of bringing the chocolate to a certain temperature so the cocoa
butter reaches its most stable crystal form. If the chocolate is melted in the
normal way (40-45°C) and then left to cool to working temperature, the finished product will not be glossy. Proper tempering, followed by proper cooling produces a nice shine and good eating properties.
Terroir
(tehr-RWAHR) French for “soil,” “land,” or “terrain.” Used in wine, tea, and
coffee analysis to denote the special characteristics of soil, geology, aspect,
and altitude that give the grape, leaf, or bean its individuality. For cacao it
indicates single varietals and/or areas that have specific plants.
Another word for terroir is cru, borrowed from the wine and tea worlds.
Theobroma Cacao
Botanical description for the cacao tree that produces cacao beans. Theobroma means “food of the gods” from the ancient Greek words for “god” (Theo)
and “food” (Broma). A tropical evergreen in the family Byttneriaceae. Native
to the Amazon basin, but now grows worldwide in a tropical belt 20° above
and below the equator in Ghana, the Cote d’Ivoire, Madagascar, Grenada,
Java, Sri Lanka, Sumatra, Venezuela, Ecuador, and Mexico.
Theobroma Grandiflorum
A species of the genus Theobroma, grown in the Amazon rain forest in Brazil,
also called cupuacu. Pods are about the size and shape of a football, with skin
like a kiwi fruit. Seeds are in the moist pulp inside the pods. They are dried,
then processed like cacao beans to produce a light-colored chocolate that has
a mellow, mild bittersweet flavor with fruity undertones. Cocoa butter is present in cupuacu as it is in chocolate. Cupuacu is processed into both powder
and bars and is used in the same way as cocoa powder and chocolate.
Theobromine
A stimulant, one of the more than 400 compounds that comprise chocolate.
Thick
Also called pasty, refers to the texture of the chocolate, can be due to too low
fat content in the beans, not using lecithin in the manufacture of the chocolate, or a high (over 80%) cacao content.
Torrone
(toe-ROW-nay) Italian for nougat.
Tourteau De Cacao
See “Cocoa Cake.”
Trembleuse
(TRAHM-blurz) A special cup for chocolate drinks, created in the early 18th
century, set in a holder in the center of a saucer to keep it erect and steady.
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Term
Description
Trichocolate Terrine
A cold molded dessert in three layers, each flavored separately with dark,
milk, and white chocolate, usually served with a fruit or custard sauce.
Trinitarios Bean Family
Hybrid of Criollo and Forastero varieties, hardier growing than the former
and a more delicate, fruitier flavor than the latter. Quality can be very good
and complex. Flavorful, high-fat cocoa. Developed originally in Trinidad, now
grown in where Criollo is grown: the Caribbean, Colombia, Mexico, Trinidad,
Venezuela and in southeast Asia. About 10-15% of current world production.
Trinitarios Cocoa Beans
See “Trinitarios Bean Family.”
Truffle
A small, rich chocolate, usually shaped into a ball but can also be irregularly
shaped or oval. Ganache or couverture center, chocolate coating, and often a
cocoa powder exterior.
Tumbadores
The men who harvest the pods for crushing, roasting, and pressing.
Unsweetened Chocolate
See “Baker’s Chocolate.”
Vanilla
The flavor derived from the cured pod of a tropical orchid. The pod is referred to as “vanilla bean.”
Vanilla Bean
Moist and flavorful beans from climbing orchid vines grown in Tahiti and
Madagascar. Used as a flavoring for hundreds of years.
Vanilla Extract
Produced by steeping vanilla beans in an alcohol and water solution, concentrated, only a small amount is needed for flavoring.
Vanillin
A substitute for natural vanilla, a byproduct of the paper industry. Used to
flavor some chocolate and candies.
Varietal
The type of bean, such as criollo, forestero or trinitario, used in the chocolate.
Varietal chocolates are made from a single type of bean.
Viscosity
The measure of flow characteristics of melted chocolate. Determines its ability to coat or enrobe confections. Varies by type (dark, milk, or white) and
whether or not it is couverture (higher percentage of cocoa butter).
White Chocolate
Made from cocoa butter, dairy, sugar, and vanilla. Soya lecithin is often used
as an emulsifier. It does not contain chocolate liquor, but must contain at
least 33% cocoa butter to be considered of good quality.
Winnowing
The process of de-shelling (removing the outer husk of) the cacao bean after
roasting to release the inner nibs during the manufacturing of chocolate.
Xocoatl
Aztec for “bitter water.” What the Aztecs, Toltecs, Mayas, and Incans called
the beverage made from cocoa beans. The word “chocolate” comes from this.
Pairing Fine Teas and Chocolates
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Teas and Chocolate Short Chart
A handy short version of the tea and chocolate pairings detailed in the preceding pages. Please feel free to print
this chart and keep it with you when you are at the confiserie (candy shop).
Type
Teas
Assam
Ceylon Lovers Leap
Ceylon black tea
English Breakfast
Black
Irish Breakfast
Keemun
Lapsang Souchong
Yunnan Gold
Bai Hao
Dancong (fruity)
Dung Ti
Jade
Oolong
Pouchong
Shui Xian
Tie Guan Yin
Wu Yi Oolongs
Oolongs in general
Gen Mai Cha
Gyokuro
Houjicha
Green
Longjing (Dragonwell)
Matcha
Sencha
First flush
Darjeeling Second flush
Autumn Flush
White Peony
White
Silver Needle
Nicely aged, Earthy
Pu-Erh
Pu-erh with Orange Leaf Dark chocolate
Flavored
Black tea, raspberry, cornflowers, rosehips
Black tea, vanilla
Black tea, toasted coco-nut, chocolate, vanilla
Chai, citrus flavor
Citrus flavored tea
Earl Grey
Floral scented tea
Fruit flavored tea
Jasmine Green Tea
Jasmine Pearls
Jasmine Pouchong
Masala Chai
Pair with These Chocolates
Milk, Dark, White
Milk, White
Flavored/Filled
Milk, White, Flavored/Filled
Milk, White, Flavored/Filled
Dark, Flavored/Filled
Dark, Flavored/Filled
Milk, White
Dark
Milk
Dark, White
Dark, Flavored/Filled
Milk
Milk
Dark
Milk
Flavored/Filled
Milk, White
Dark, Flavored/Filled
Milk, Dark, White, Flavored/Filled
Milk, Dark, White
Milk, Dark, White
Milk, White, Flavored/Filled
Milk, White
Milk, Dark
Milk, Dark
Milk, Dark, White, Flavored/Filled
White
Dark
Flavored/Filled
Milk, Dark, White
Dark
Flavored/Filled
Dark
Flavored/Filled
Milk, Dark, White, Flavored/Filled
Flavored/Filled
Dark, Flavored/Filled
Milk, Dark, Flavored/Filled
White
Dark
Milk, Dark, White, Flavored/Filled
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Pairing Fine Teas and Chocolates
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