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What is "Fine Chocolate?"
Sometimes referred to as "Gourmet Chocolate," there is neither an industry standard nor legality to define the terms "Fine Chocolate" or "Gourmet Chocolate." Unfortunately, lesser quality products on the market are sometimes described as fine chocolate. Sometimes the term has relevance, sometimes not. Caveat Emptor! -
What is "Junk Chocolate?"
Junk chocolate is an industry term. Cocoa butter, the most expensive and important component in fine chocolate is much more valuable and profitable to the cosmetic and pharmaceutical industries. -
What does the term "Chocolatier" mean?
Unfortunately, like the term "Fine Chocolate," there is neither an industry standard nor legality as to who can call themselves a chocolatier. Anyone can hang a shingle outside their door that proclaims "Chocolatier." Some are professionally trained and educated, but many are not. Many are simply candy makers or candy retailers and may even purchase some or all of their product from another source and resell it. -
What does "all-natural" mean?
Your guess is as good as mine! The term leaves tremendous latitude for interpretation. Strychnine, a poisonous white alkaloid, is "all-natural." Corn syrup, palm oil, coconut oil, and a litany of other inferior ingredients that can be mixed with chocolate are also "all-natural." It is also worth noting that organic chocolate may not be the highest quality because chocolate plants are susceptible to numerous pests. -
Does a higher price mean I am purchasing a quality product?
Absolutely not! Fine European chocolate, imported nut pastes, liquors, lavender flowers, spices, and other upper level ingredients can be very expensive. Some professionals sell their products at a fair price, but there is a certain element, masquerading in the business and marking up lesser quality chocolate and inferior ingredients to far more than they are worth -
What is a “truffle?”
A chocolate truffle is simply a spherical shaped bon-bon. The term simply describes the shape of the small filled chocolate candy and nothing else. The chocolatier can fill the truffle with a ganache or most anything else desired. The chocolate truffle was first created by M. Dufour in Chambrey, France in December 1895. They became increasingly more popular with the establishment of the Prestat Chocolate Shop in London by Antoine Dufour in 1902. -
What do terms like "buttery," "creamy," and "whipped" mean?
Creative writing! "Buttery" does not imply that a product has butter in it; "creamy" does not imply that a product has cream in it. "Whipped" fillings are usually ready-made by large manufacturers and sold to local shops in plastic tubs. They are rock hard when purchased and have to be heated to soften and then "whipped" with an electric mixer to beat air into them to increase the volume. They are usually loaded with transfatty oils, artificial ingredients, dyes, excess sugars and preservati -
If the cacao beans come from a particular country, does that mean it's good?
No more so than any other food product. Wine isn't guaranteed to be exceptional simply because the grapes are from Italy, France, California, etc. Many variables apply to cacao beans: weather fluctuations, the ethics of the growers and manufacturers, their care of the crop, it's handling, shipping, processing, truth in labeling, etc., etc., etc. As such, the quality of each country's product can vary from year to year. When all is said and done, the best of food products are about as good a -
What is single-origin chocolate?
This is sometimes referred to as single-bean or single-source chocolate – made from cacao beans from a single region of the world, or even a single plantation. Once again, there is neither an industry standard, nor legality as to what the terms mean, which allows for tremendous latitude and creativity with the interpretation. Most professionally trained and educated chocolatiers feel the recent trend toward single-origin chocolate is merely crafty marketing hype but doesn’t necessarily represe -
What's the "percent?"
This question drives professionally trained and educated chocolatiers batty. Most people don't fully understand what they're asking when they ask this question. Chocolate has a percentage of cocoa liquor, a percentage of cocoa butter, and a percentage of sugar. You would also need to know about the bean, the country of origin, and the country of manufacture in order to truly understand what you are eating. By the way, the terms cocoa liquor, cocoa mass, and cocoa solids are all synonymous.
