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Tasting · 4 minute read

How to taste chocolate like a maker

You do not need a special vocabulary. You need five slow minutes and two different bars.

By the Cocoa Ridge team · Example article

A box of different chocolates

Look and snap

A well tempered bar is glossy and breaks with a clean snap. If it bends or crumbles, it got warm on the way. It will still taste good.

Smell first

Break a piece and hold it under your nose. You will notice more than you expect: fruit, roast, wood or flowers.

Let it melt

Put a piece on your tongue and do not chew. The flavour changes as it melts: the first notes are often fruity, the middle more roasted, the end bitter or nutty.

Wait for the finish

After it has gone, wait. A good bar keeps tasting for a minute or more. That long finish is the sign of good fermenting.

Compare two

Taste Ridge Dark 72% next to Palm Sugar Milk 48%. Same beans, different recipe. The differences teach you more than any description.

The best tasting tool is a second bar.

Ime Ayuk-Briggs (example)

Put it to the test.

Taste two bars side by side and see what you notice.