It all starts with the country the cocoa pods are grown in, the climate conditions and hot temperatures. The Cocoa beans grow inside a large fruit or pod. When they are ready they are taken out of the pods and fermented. Then these seeds or beans are dried in the same area they are grown in. After this they will be sent to the manufacturer. 

Here they are cleaned and roasted. A lot of beans will be mixed with beans from other regions to produce different flavours and tastes. 

Chocolate made from one variety of cocoa, grown in that one region and not mixed with beans from other regions are called Single origin chocolates.

What does the percentage mean in chocolate?

The cocoa percentage in chocolate is the total amount of cocoa  in it. The cocoa is usually in 3 forms – chocolate liquor, cocoa butter and cocoa powder. These all come from the cocoa bean. The percentage tells you how much of the bar is actually chocolate. 

A quality test.

A good quality dark chocolate when broken will give a nice sharp snap, it won’t bend or just crumble. 

This is exactly why I use chocolate that has been through all these steps to produce a very smooth and rich chocolate. And now you know what to look out for when it comes to choosing the perfect, delicious, high quality chocolate that is truly decadent.