High-quality craft chocolate is like a fine wine with diverse tasting notes you can slow down and savor. This guide will teach you how to enjoy TCHO chocolate bars like an expert. Even if you consume a lot of craft chocolate, tasting can help you discover and appreciate its complexity and beauty.

“It helps to understand that when done well and carefully and not just full of sugar, chocolate can open your tastebuds up to a whole new world of flavor,” says Brad Kintzer, TCHO’s Chief Chocolate Maker. “The key is to slow down and, just like wine tasting, look out for a few things and be open to a world of flavor experiences.”

How to Identify & Savor Quality Chocolate 

One way to stay on track during a chocolate tasting is to focus on the flavors and textures you’re experiencing. “When I taste chocolate, I try to wipe my memory and pretend it’s the first time I’ve ever experienced it,” Brad explains. “I open myself to any memories and the intense aromatics of chocolate. Be open and try to let yourself relax. There is no rush. The flavor may stay in your mouth for 30 seconds in many foods we eat. With chocolate, it could take five minutes for the flavor to go away because it’s one of the most flavor-dense foods in the world. Try to take at least two minutes to see what is that final aftertaste; what am I left with? Do I want to take another bite?”

What Chocolate Should Look Like

“In wine, you look at the colors and the legs. In chocolate, certain beans are lighter in color. Our Born Fruity is a light red, and Holy Fudge is darker. The shine and the temper are important. This can lead to a different melting property and how fast the flavors are delivered,” says Brad.

Explore the shape of the chocolate. Did a mold create a beautiful form for the chocolate? Now, examine the color of the chocolate. If it’s exceptionally dark, it likely has a higher cacao percentage. “You might want to break the chocolate in half, snap the chocolate pieces off, and note the strength of it. Milk chocolate is going to be softer,” Brad says.

What Chocolate Should Smell Like

As with wine, you can smell your chocolate before tasting it. Breathe in deeply and check for the difference when it’s room temperature or warmed in your fingers. “Smelling chocolate is great. Others are more muted. You should see if you notice anything,” Brad says. Let the smell stay with you as you take your first bite.

What Chocolate Should Taste Like

Craft chocolate quickly melts in your mouth, which means you will taste most of its flavor within 10 seconds. Take some time to let the taste wash over your tastebuds. Is it sugary? How about fruity or bitter? The remaining flavor will come through on your palate within a minute. You may notice deeper hints of cocoa or vanilla as you savor the chocolate. Take a second taste of the chocolate to see its acidity or fresh fruit sourness. The chocolate may even taste bitter or astringent.

Quality craft chocolate will taste fresh, not freezer-burned. It won’t take on other flavors but those naturally occurring in the chocolate bar. It will also leave you wanting more. To try another portion, reset your palate with water and a plain snack like a cracker or pretzel.

Have Fun with Chocolate Tasting

Now it’s time to start your chocolate tasting. Pick your favorite type of chocolate and start exploring. Chocolate with different cacao percentages can offer a fun and themed tasting session.

“I love to encourage people to find their own way to explore,” Brad says. There is no right or wrong answer to what you’re tasting. We want people to have fun with chocolate. If they are interested in it, there is a pathway to learning about chocolate in a totally new way.” Brad also recommends tasting chocolate with a group. “Make it fun with friends and encourage a conversation,” he suggests.