Dark Stars

There is something almost magical about allowing a small square of good-quality dark chocolate to melt on your tongue. For a brief moment, as its tantalising taste is released into your mouth, the bustle of everyday life simply disappears. In my experience, sampling chocolate has become as absorbing as studying fine wine. Gone are the days of choosing between one or two big brands. Today, aficionados appreciate how different cocoa beans, their country of origin and, most importantly, processing can affect the taste and texture of the chocolate. There are three main cocoa varieties: aromatic Criollo (less than five per cent of world production), strong, earthy-tasting Forastero (85 per cent) and fine-flavoured Trinitario (about 10 per cent). Like grape varieties, the characteristics of each cocoa bean type are affected as much by the local soil and climate as by how they’re handled and blended.

Once harvested (which happens twice a year), cocoa pods are split open with a machete and the 40 or so seeds (the cocoa beans) inside are removed along with their sugary white mucilage (coating) and left to ferment. This helps to develop the beans’ aroma, while reducing their natural bitterness and acidity. They’re then slowly dried and cleaned. If they’re dried too fast, they will taste acidic or smoky, and poor cleaning leaves them vulnerable to mould.

Although the majority of cocoa beans are still sold as a commodity on the international cocoa market, an increasing number of chocolate manufacturers source their beans direct. Valrhona, for example, has always dealt directly with the growers, seeking out individual cocoa estates with exceptional beans, so their chocolatiers have greater control over the quality of beans they buy and the final blends they create. Others, such as Green & Black’s, buy their beans directly from the growers for ethical as well as gastronomic reasons, since this has allowed them to create the first UK certified organic and first UK Fairtrade chocolate bars.

Interestingly, and contrary to popular belief, a high cocoa content is not necessarily indicative of superlative chocolate, since the taste depends more on the quality rather than quantity of cocoa beans. Like wine-lovers, serious chocolate buffs not only assess the aroma and flavour of chocolate, but also its appearance, which should be dark and glossy; the sound it makes when snapped, which should be crisp; and its texture as it dissolves in the mouth, which should be silky smooth.

All of these factors depend on the skill of the individual chocolate manufacturers and how they roast, crack and winnow the beans to remove their shells. The way the resulting nibs are blended to secret house recipes and ground into cocoa liquor, which consists of cocoa butter and solid cocoa, also affects the end result. The finer the nibs are ground, the silkier the chocolate will feel in the mouth.

Traditionally, cocoa liquor is paddled in a large vat known as a conch for several days to enhance its flavour and improve its texture. Rudolphe Lindt developed this technique in 1879. Bite into a glossy bar of Valrhona Caraïbe and you will experience the very best of artisan-made chocolate as its deep, rich flavour is slowly released into your mouth. Compare it with Lindt Excellence Ecuador or Madagascar chocolate. These are made by the Lindt & Sprüngli Chocolate Process (LSCP), developed by the company in 1972 to reduce the conching time from five days to up to a day. This technique is widely used by large chocolate manufacturers.

Whichever method is used to reach this stage, the resulting cocoa butter is tempered (cooled and reheated in a controlled environment) to ensure it is stable and homogenous. It is then ready to be mixed with a little sugar to create dark chocolate. Milk solids are added now to make milk chocolate, which is also offered by artisan makers. White chocolate is made from deodorised and refined cocoa butter.

Exotic flavourings are the latest trend. You’ll find chocolate bars flavoured with amaretti, ginger, cardamom or chilli. Individual chocolates have even more adventurous flavours. Rococo offers gin and lemon truffles, chocolates with geranium, and rose and violet creams in its yummy English Selection. All of which provide the perfect excuse for further delicious experimentation. Such research will be helped by the fact that Chocolate Week 2007 (chocolate-week.co.uk) is being celebrated across the UK from 15 October, so you can sample a wide range of chocolate in all Waitrose branches this autumn.

Sybil Kapoor is a food writer who contributes to The Sunday Times.