Do you ever feel like there's chocolate overload? There are so many brands, types and flavors of chocolate to choose from. Sometimes it can be hard to know where to start.
In my test kitchen at my shop, we were tasting some chocolates for these brown butter pecan chocolates. It's always a fun day when we get to spend it tasting chocolate in the test kitchen.
After this tasting it occurred to me that chocolate tasting is very similar to wine tasting. Each type of chocolate contains its own set of unique flavors. The flavors change based on regions of where the cacao bean is grown.
Being able to concentrate and focus is extremely important. The next important thing is to make sure your palate is clean. That means if you just ate dinner, you really need to cleanse your palate.
I like to close my eyes to concentrate and just hold a piece of chocolate in my hand. The touch of chocolate is very important.
Inhale those fragrances! What do you smell? The aroma will vary depending on its variety. Do you smell fruits, nuts, spices, or even flowers? How intense is the smell?