In this article, we explore the complexity of artisanal chocolate, highlighting the difficulty of defining flavor profiles and origins compared to other foods like wine or cheese. This complexity is due to the diversity of bean varieties, processing methods, as well as the absence of legal protections or standardized classifications.
If you think of the world of fine cheese, you'll quickly identify your preferred type – whether it's Parmesan or Etivaz. Similarly, wine lovers enjoy debating the merits of Bordeaux versus Burgundy, New World versus Old World, and so on.
Cheeses and chocolates
Chocolate, on the other hand, is more complex. During tastings, one of the trickiest questions is often:
"What is the chocolate equivalent of a grape varietal or wine region?"
Furthermore, new supermarket bars claiming to be made from the finest "Peruvian," "Ecuadorian," or "West African" beans further complicate understanding.
One of the reasons for this complexity is that artisanal chocolate is an extremely varied universe. Producers and artisans work not only with different varieties of cocoa beans but also with different fermentation, roasting, and conching processes, as well as varying cocoa percentages, all of which alter the final taste. Furthermore, unlike wine, which follows an annual harvest cycle, cocoa can be harvested multiple times a year, further blurring the notion of vintage. In this regard, the excellent work by Holy Cow (India, Idukki, Cop Goground) allowed us to compare the aromatic differences of cocoa between dry season and monsoon harvests using two 85% bars.
India, Idukki, Cop Goground
And, unlike apples/cider and grapes/wine where the fruit itself is directly consumed, with chocolate, it is the seed (cocoa beans) that is consumed, which makes varietal identification more difficult. Indeed, while two apples from the same tree or two grapes from the same vine will be of the same type, it's not that simple for cocoa. A single pod can contain several different types of beans. Similarly, planting an apple tree from a seed will yield a fruit different from that of the mother tree, and a cacao tree grown from a seed can produce highly varied beans.
As an example, we can mention the fantastic Ottange farm in Madagascar (Sambirano Valley), a small plantation with a unique blend of Trinitario and Criollo. This latter variety, very rare on the island, will shift the aromatic profile towards a more bitter character, far from what one might expect from a typical Malagasy chocolate!
Madagascar, Sambirano Valley
Beyond this lack of easily recognizable typicality for consumers, the history of artisanal chocolate is much shorter and more recent than that of wine or cheese. Furthermore, in most cases, beans from the same farm are processed by several artisans located in different parts of the world. This means that there is not yet an equivalent in the chocolate world of official classifications such as AOC in France and Switzerland or DOC in Italy, which codify and protect the style of a wine based on its region of origin.
In a way, this is a tremendous opportunity. It gives artisans and producers great freedom to create unique flavor profiles and varied taste experiences. But it also complicates the task for chocolate lovers trying to understand what they are buying, what to expect, and what types of bars they might enjoy. This also reinforces the importance of transparency.
Since there is no legal protection yet similar to that of Champagne or Parmesan, artisanal chocolate must educate consumers to look for the farm (or cooperative) from which the beans originate. Moreover, it should also be noted that some artisans may designate the origin "badly" or in an unclear manner since the nomenclature is not established.
One must also be wary of misleading marketing that misuses vague terms like "single origin" (so, please, ignore phrases like "Premium Peruvian Beans" or "Colombia Collection").
Finally, the world of artisanal chocolate must do more to help consumers understand the richness and complexity of its flavors. During our tastings, we observe a genuine interest in discovering aromas and flavors, where enthusiasts can discuss in detail notes or finish. Learning is a fun and exciting activity, and generally, all it takes is a small lexicon of our feelings and emotions to be able to debate it!
To conclude, we remind you of our small glossary with the denominations we consider most relevant to guide you:
Blend - Mixture of beans from multiple origins.
Single Origin - Beans from a single country.
Grand Cru - Beans from a single region.
Estate - Beans from a single farm.
Blend - Mixture of beans from multiple origins.
Single Origin - Beans from a single country.
Grand Cru - Beans from a single region.
Estate - Beans from a single farm.
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