Chocolate Tasting #1

1st (recorded) tasting-not blind.

2 chocolates:

SB62Nib) Scharffen Berger Nibby bar 62% Note that this bar has a distinct texture difference, due to its inclusion of cacao nibs. It is still a pure chocolate, since cacao nibs are indeed processed into pure chocolate, but these are coarse ground nibs, so the texture and taste are different.

GSS) Ghirardelli "semi-sweet" bar including milk fat. This bar came to us via a circuitous route, and thus we are unsure of its exact composition.


Tasting accompanied by vanilla silk to cleanse palate. Note that this is our idea, not necc. in agreement with others. Others claim that you should snap (listen for the snap for a good choc.) then smell, then let it melt on tongue for a few sec. then press to roof of mouth, then chew 3-5 times. Spitting is not neccessary here....


GSS-

K- May have been in purse too long. Taska tastes plastic. Smell is nice full cherry flavor. No snap. A bit chalky, pwdered sugar. No bitterness at all, very sweet. Not a dark chocolate. What little bitterness it has is in the finish. Semi sweet

V- Slight Coffee flavor. no Snap. Reminds me of dark choc. chips, or chips in really good ice cream. Very clean, perhaps simple. Not unpleasant at all. Just enough bite at the finish to tell you that it is for real, but not enough to make you think twice. All in all a pleasant choc., but nothing out of the ordinary.

SB62N-

K- Grenadine and bananas-with brazilnuts. Higher melting point, long time before flavor comes through. Scent almost floral- perhaps.. gardenias or honeysuckle A good amount of Cacao nibs. Sweet coffee. Flovar arrived on swallowing, perhaps better for small bites and faster chewing.

V- Texture is of course very intriguing- bananas are very clear. Clean, almost tasteless at the beginning, finishing with a crunch of the nibs and the rich bitter flavors coming through. Strong snap. Very pleasureable and interesting, very low sweetness.


Final comments

K- More dark chocolate- the more I appreciate it. Curious to see what I would choose were I given a choice of a whole bar to eat. Still might prefer milk, but not sure. Cartainly would have until last few weeks. Think I would now have a hard time eating candy bard from the checkout line...


V- For pleasure-the nibby bar, but for cooking, the GSS seems good, and it isn't a bad snack at all. Not really a fair comparison, of course, since I think the GSS was meant for cooking.
I agree with K that dark chocolate is far more complex in flavor (like red wine..) and I would prefer a good dark, pure bar to a milk bar, but there are really good examples of both (again like wine). Comples tastes are almost always preferable, but there are times and places for both.