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Tasting chocolate is a little like tasting wine, except of course that it is a solid material. Don't just put it straight into your mouth. Allow the chocolate to show its personality by hitting all of your five senses. A small piece of chocolate should be placed on the tongue and allowed to melt of its own accord - don't suck or chew!
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- observe the speed of melting (the quicker the better - this comes from high cocoa butter content). Chocolate should melt if held in the hand for a few seconds as cocoa butter is a unique fat that is solid up to 33 degrees centigrade and molten at 34 degrees centigrade.
- the crystalline structure of cocoa butter gives real chocolate its distinctive crisp snap with a texture of tree bark in the break.
- gloss and condition can be quickly assessed just by looking at a piece of chocolate. Colour is a little more difficult to define - in general the redder and lighter the cocoa, the finer the flavour.
- the taste buds can only distinguish sweet, sour, salt and bitter. They can also discern the texture and particle size. Fine chocolate has a very long "finish" as do great wines.
- it is the nose which is the most highly tuned instrument for the delectation of any food or wine. Too much sugar interferes with the process of tasting in the same way as too much salt can overwhelm delicate flavours such as peppermint and chilli.
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