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How to Savor Fine Chocolate

Tasting Tips from Godiva's Master Chocolatier

by Madelyn Miller

Everyone knows how to taste wine. You swirl, you sniff, you chew and then you either swallow or spit. But there is not as specific a regime for chocolate. So I asked Godiva a master chocolatier, Thierry Muret, for tips on how to best enjoy  fine chocolates.

"Truly fine chocolates have several characteristics in common:  they are always fresh, contain high quality ingredients like premium cocoa beans and dairy butter, are usually less sweet and feature unusual textures and natural flavors," says Muret, who learned the chocolatier's craft in his native Belgium.  "Consequently, their taste differs greatly from less expensive chocolates, which tend to use artificial flavors and preservatives to achieve a longer shelf-life."

According to Muret, comparing fine chocolates with the inexpensive varieties available in discount stores, grocery shops and supermarkets is like comparing "a fine methode champenoise champagne with a bulk fermented sparkling wine."  The taste profiles are so different, in fact, that Muret suggests the following tasting tips to help consumers better appreciate the special qualities that fine chocolates offer:

• Look at the chocolate pieces.  Fine chocolates should have a consistent color and a natural-looking satiny sheen free of air bubbles or other blemishes.  The best chocolates also display a high degree of craftsmanship in their shapes and designs. 

• Smell the chocolates.  Savoring fine chocolate begins when you open the box and take in the bouquet of the contents.  Fine chocolates should have a fresh, deep aroma, not the overly perfumed or sugary smell associated with artificial flavors or preservatives. 

• Taste the chocolate.  In tasting fine chocolates, look for two things:  flavor and texture.  Freshly made fine chocolates have very intense but refined flavors and subtle nuances of textures.  With the notable exception of truffles, the couverture or outside coating of fine European-style chocolates is often molded in a sleek, semi-hard shape that "snaps" when you bite into it.  The inside of a chocolate piece is called the center or filling and, in fine chocolates, is specifically intended to complement the couverture in terms of flavor and texture. 

When tasting a piece of chocolate, let it melt against the roof of your mouth to feel the texture.  A fine chocolate should be velvety smooth without any of the graininess that comes from incomplete refinement.  Roll the chocolate over your tongue, allowing the flavors to permeate your mouth.  The initial taste should be a nutty, roasted chocolate flavor, followed by sweetness and other flavor components.  Lastly, fine chocolates tend to have a longer "finish" or pleasant aftertaste that lingers on the palate.

According to Muret, fine chocolates are more expensive because they cost more to make.  Their intensity of aroma, texture and flavor, however, means that people can easily satisfy their chocolate cravings with only one or two pieces, making fine chocolates one of life's affordable luxuries.

From its famous truffles and shell-molded chocolate pieces to its European-style biscuits, gourmet coffees and hot cocoa, Godiva Chocolatier is dedicated to 75 years of excellence and innovation in the Belgian tradition. I would like to spend at least that long studying how to taste chocolate.

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