Have you ever felt that chocolates from different brands taste all the same? Do you know processing of cacao defines the quality and taste of the chocolate? The most important step in processing cacao is roasting. This is the phase where cocoa beans are roasted to start of different chemical reactions in the cacao beans where the acidity is reduced or removed, and nice chocolate flavors are formed. During the roasting process harmful elements formed during the fermentation process are also eliminated.
During Roasting process something called Maillard reaction happens giving us nice chocolate flavor. Maillard reaction is where amino acids and sugars in the cacao react with each other forming complex compounds causing browning reaction. This is how the chocolate gets it brown color and flavor. Like coffee, cacao also reacts differently to different temperatures. Companies have defined roasting profile of their cacao beans to differentiate their products in the market. Roast profile of cacao not only defines its taste but also its nutritional value.
Dark Chocolate consumption is growing day by day in India with consumers becoming aware of its various health benefits. But are you consuming the right chocolate? The amount of cocoa in the chocolate is the key here. Anything above 70% cocoa is something suggested by doctors to realize its true benefits. Which means the darker the better. But how sure are we that we are getting the right benefits from the dark chocolate we consume? As you read further you will understand that we are consuming something commercially made and doesn’t really fit the bill.
The primary reason why dark chocolate becomes a super food is, it contains phenolic compounds (flavanols). These contribute to increase of stem cell reproduction, blood sugar regulation, increase oxygen in blood etc. resulting in many potential benefits like healthy heart, better performance during exercise, faster recovery from inflammation, Healthy Gut, healthy skin and many more. There is enough research which concludes that chocolate anything above 70% cocoa has high flavanols in them and need to be consumed regularly to reap the benefits. But still the question lingers how do you know if your dark chocolate has right amount of flavanols? The answer lies in roast profile.
Roast profile of cacao beans has a huge impact on the flavanol content. While raw cacao beans have high flavanols, are not palatable and have to be processed to give it the acceptable form and taste. Research by American Oil Chemists Society states that when cacao beans are roasted above 170 degrees centigrade flavanols are lost by more than 50%. To keep flavanols at the highest possible level the roast profile should be less than 150 degrees Centigrade with roasting time less than 30 mins. Sounds easy right? But do you remember we said roast profile defines the taste of chocolate? This is where commercially made chocolate available in supermarkets fail miserably.
The typical roast profile of commercially made chocolate is above 170 degrees centigrade. Why do they do that? Isn’t it counterproductive to the idea that dark chocolate must be beneficial? Was it all noise that their chocolate being world class, luxury etc.? The answer is a simple yes and the following are the reasons why they do it:
1. Low quality cheap cacao: quality of the cacao is defined by its fermentation, drying process and season of produce. To reduce the cost of raw material companies, procure cacao using unsustainable practices getting beans which are in low quality. With cacao crisis worldwide this has become a usual practice these days. To mask all the bad quality flavors, cacao beans are roasted at high temperatures.
2. Multiple origins of cacao: As different origins of cacao have different taste notes large companies again use high roast profile to remove them and get consistent taste profile. That’s why most of the commercially made chocolate tastes similar.
3. Naturally identical flavors: sounds as if they are using natural flavor but its artificial flavor which is used to mask the taste of bad quality cacao. Almost all of the commercially made products have this. Because of the high costs of cacao this has become a usual practice to reduce cacao percentage in the recipe and mask it with artificial flavor.
That’s why the color of the commercial dark chocolate products above 70% dark are almost black in color. The real dark chocolate is never black in color, its dark brown in color even if it is 100% cacao.
How do craft chocolate makers fare in this perspective?
High quality cacao: craft chocolate makers choose cacao typically from one region and choose only organically grown cacao. For them the taste notes of origin and health benefits which dark chocolate provides are very important.
Origin Taste Notes: In India itself cacao is grown in different parts of the country. Each region has a different terroir profile and offers wide variety of taste notes changing sometimes from farm to farm. Representing the origin of the cacao is very important for the craft chocolate makers. To keep the origin flavors craft chocolate makers, use low roast profile for roasting their cacao beans.ey define for the organization. They are not even afraid to show their craft to their customers as there is nothing to hide.
The chocolate from craft chocolate makers tastes very different from commercially made chocolate. Craft chocolate products have taste notes like berries, citrus, nutty which are unique to the origin of the cacao. Craft chocolate products also have high level of flavanols compared to commercially manufactured products.
So, when you buy dark chocolate next time, buy it from a craft chocolate maker. They might be expensive compared to commercially made chocolate, but the quality and benefits you get from them weighs the price many times.
Choose Wisely as you deserve the best!!!
Clean and Honest Ingredients: Craft Chocolate makers take chocolate making in a different perspective. They make products with clean ingredients and their recipes are aligned tightly to the highest ethical standards which th
