Home  Health Center  Food & Nutrition Center  ABCs of restful ZZZs  Alternative Sweeteners & Sugar  Chocolate Delights  Cleanse Your Body  Cold and Flu  Essential Fatty Acids  Digestion Help  Eating Well for Healthy Aging  Gluten Free Living  Joy of Soy  Kids' Health  Men's Wellness  Natural Beauty  Natural Weight Management  Non-Toxic Home  Sports Nutrition  Nutrition News  Pregnancy & Baby  Superfoods  Women's Wellness  Vitamins & Supplements  Wellness Fair  Climate Change Solutions  Farm Fresh Email      printer friendly version Chocolate Tasting: A Party for Your Taste Buds With chocolate’s popularity on the rise—due in part to its health benefits and the availability of high quality chocolates—its taste characteristics are often compared to those found in wine and coffee. Chocolate tasting parties are also rising in popularity and offer a fun way to learn more about which chocolate tastes best to you. Here are some tips for planning your own chocolate tasting party: Choose a variety of chocolates ranging from milk to dark chocolate in a wide range of percentages. Include a couple varieties of single origin chocolate. (These are chocolates crafted from beans grown in the same region. The flavors will reflect the “terrior” or the growing conditions unique to each region.) Serve chocolate at room temperature. Break chocolate up into small pieces and place in small paper muffin cups. Label each type of chocolate. Make sure everyone has each type of chocolate at his or her place setting. Place a piece of paper and a pen at each place setting to record taste notes. Place water and water crackers or saltines at each place setting to cleanse the palate. Tasting Tips 1) Look at the chocolate. Is it dark or light? Does it have a glossy sheen or is it dull? 2) Smell the chocolate. Think wine when smelling the chocolate. Try to discern different fruit varieties, nuttiness and floral notes. Keep your mind open as there are over 600 different scents found in chocolate. 3) Listen as you break the chocolate in half or bite into it. The sharpness of the snap indicates the level of cacao in the chocolate. 4) Taste the chocolate. Place a piece of chocolate in the middle of your tongue and allow it to melt. Chocolate melts at body temperature. Swirl the melted chocolate around your mouth, noticing its mouthfeel. Is it creamy, gritty or even chalky? Open your mouth and breathe in. Notice the flavors you taste. Note the different flavors found in each stage of tasting. 5) Cleanse your palate with crackers and water and move on to the next chocolate. 6) After tasting all the chocolate, treat your guests to a chocolate dessert paired with Port for a grand finale.

|  careers  |  contact us  |  terms of use  |  privacy policy  |   |  on sale  |  find your store  |  recipes  |  health  |  departments  |  about us  |  site map  |  site built by media karma