You‘re thinking of treating yourself to a little chocolate. You‘re trying to choose; 8 , 70 60%? Which one is better and what does it all mean?

Let me clear this up for you. The number we see on chocolate denotes the actual percentage of that product which came directly from the cacao tree, cocoa butter or cocoa solids (chocolate liquor). The remaining ingredients could be sugar, emulsifiers, milk solids, vanilla or other flavorings. But do equal numbers mean equal quality?

Let’s compare 2 bars of chocolate which say 7 on the label. One is a premium brand such as Valrhona and one is a lesser expensive, mass produced brand. Take a bite of the Valrhona and it will begin to melt quickly, releasing a smooth, almost silk like texture on the tongue. Delicious. Biting into the lesser quality chocolate could have a chalky, waxy or powdery feel on the tongue. So, if they both say 70 on the label, why are they so different? Since the percentage is the actual amount of that chocolate which came from the cacao tree, the ratio of cocoa butter to cocoa solids could be very different. Cocoa butter is expensive and it’s more challenging to use than, say, stable fats such as hydrogenated vegetable oil so, the higher the cocoa butter, the more costly the product, the creamier and smoother the texture on the tongue. This is known as “mouth feel.”

So why do the manufacturers put the percentage number on the package in the first place? One simple word, marketing. Somewhere down the line we’ve been told that chocolate is good for us, especially dark chocolate. While chocolate does contain some phytonutrients, it’s also very high in fat and the quantity we’d have to consume to obtain any benefits would be trumped by the amount of fat and sugar we’d ingest. So, really, chocolate is still to be considered a treat.

Which takes all the pressure off of anyone who prefers milk or white chocolate to dark. My simple advice is, eat what you like. Remember, it’s not a salad, it’s a treat!

Enjoy!