Chocolate Glossary: From “Acidity” to “Toasting”, All The Most Common Terms

Acidity

The acidity in chocolate is due to the presence of organic acids in cocoa. On the tongue it presents itself as a stinging sensation, which pushes salivation, and can be more or less intense depending on the type of cocoa that is processed; in some cases excessive roasting of the cocoa beans can damage the natural acidity of the product.

Aromatic Notes

Aromatic notes are the set of smells and flavors that are perceived by our senses when we taste cocoa or chocolate: they are what distinguish one variety from another and also what makes them more or less valuable. They are not added aromas, they are totally natural and specific to the raw material, they develop during fermentation and roasting and can recall spicy, fruity, floral flavors, etc.

Bean to Bar

“Bean to bar” is the expression used by those in the industry to refer to the manufacturing process that transforms the cocoa bean into the chocolate bar you buy on store shelves: the term is in fact composed of the words “bean” and “bar”.

Cabossa

Cabossa is the fruit of cocoa, the casing inside which are the cocoa beans from which, after a particular processing, chocolate is obtained. It has the particularity of not growing on the branches but directly on the trunk of the plant.

Cocoa

It is the main ingredient from which chocolate is obtained. In particular, cocoa beans are used, first transformed into cocoa nibs and then reduced again to cocoa powder obtained by grinding. There are three main varieties of cocoa: Criollo, rare and prized, with a delicate and aromatic flavor, Forastero, the most widespread with an intense and robust flavor, Trinitario, a cross between Criollo and Forastero.

Cocoa Butter

Cocoa butter is the vegetable fat that is naturally found inside the beans, contained in a variable percentage depending on the type of plant from which they are harvested. It is responsible for the typical creaminess and brilliance of chocolate and a melting point between 86°F/30°C and 95°F/35°C, which is why chocolate melts in the mouth. In the most valuable beans, the ratio between dry mass and cocoa butter is balanced, approximately 50% and 50%. Thanks to its richness in saturated fats, which make it a natural moisturizer, it also has other uses beyond cooking, particularly in the pharmaceutical and cosmetic fields.

Cocoa Mass

It is the heart of chocolate, also called cocoa liquor, and is obtained by grinding roasted cocoa beans. It is a dense paste, composed of cocoa and cocoa butter, without sugar.

Cocoa Nibs

Cocoa nibs, also called cocoa nibs, are small flakes or fragments of roasted, peeled and crushed cocoa beans that have not been further processed; they can be used as a tasty snack to eat alone, or added to yogurt, ice cream and any type of dessert.

Conching

It is one of the last stages of chocolate processing, also called "conching": during this operation, thanks to special machinery, the chocolate paste is mixed at high temperatures so as to be lightened by water and volatile acids. Thanks to this process it transforms from crumbly and grainy to smooth and homogeneous and takes on a less sour flavor.

Dark Chocolate

Dark chocolate is a type of chocolate characterized by a high percentage of cocoa and the absence of milk. To be defined as "dark", the chocolate must contain at least 43% of total cocoa dry matter, which includes both cocoa mass and cocoa butter; the minimum percentage of cocoa butter must be 26%. The percentage of cocoa determines the different types of dark chocolate: dark (from 43% to 55% cocoa), extra dark (from 70% cocoa and above), bitter dark (with cocoa percentages greater than 80%).

Deaf Snap

It is the technical jargon term used to describe the noise a chocolate bar makes when it breaks, one of the parameters that are evaluated during the tasting phase, to establish the quality of the chocolate and above all whether the tempering has taken place correctly.

Decortication

Another phase of chocolate production, this time one of the initial ones: it is a process that follows the roasting phase and serves to separate the cocoa beans from the thin membrane that covers them; this membrane is not thrown away, but is often used to produce cocoa infusions.

Drying

Drying is the process that follows the fermentation of cocoa. It lasts about a week and is intended to reduce the presence of humidity in the cocoa beans, preventing the formation of mold.

Fermentation

This is the first operation to be carried out after the extraction of the cocoa beans from the pod fruit, a process that lasts up to a week and that serves to develop the typical aromas of cocoa: over the course of the days, in fact, the microorganisms act on the proteins and sugars of the cocoa, forming heat, acetic acid and alcohol.

Ganache

A term used in the world of pastry making to indicate a smooth and velvety cream obtained by mixing melted chocolate and hot cream and used especially for filling or covering cakes and sweets; sometimes it is flavored with vanilla, liqueurs, spices or citrus fruits. There is also a version of whipped ganache, obtained by whipping cold ganache for a frothy effect.

Gloss

Gloss is one of the criteria that determine the quality of chocolate: when you have a shiny and smooth chocolate in your hand it means that it has been tempered correctly. Sometimes the gloss can be compromised by fats or sugars that rise to the surface, for this reason it is important to store the chocolate carefully.

Grinding

Grinding is the process during which the cocoa nib is worked until it forms a liquid paste called liquor) and is carried out with melangers, special cylindrical machines with millstones inside that are able to reduce the cocoa particles to smaller than 20 microns, making them practically impalpable.

Milk Chocolate

Milk chocolate is a variety of chocolate obtained by mixing cocoa derivatives (cocoa mass, cocoa butter and low-fat cocoa powder), sugars (sucrose) and milk or milk derivatives (powdered milk, concentrated milk, powdered cream, anhydrous butter). To be defined as such it must have: cocoa, at least 25% of total dry cocoa substance, of which at least 2.5% of dry low-fat cocoa; milk, at least 14% of milk dry substance, obtained by partially or totally dehydrating whole milk, partially or totally skimmed milk, cream, or butter; at least 25% of total fat, deriving from cocoa butter and milk fat.

Persistence

It is another factor that determines the quality of chocolate, because it indicates the sensation perceived by taste and smell that remains after tasting cocoa and chocolate: if you continue to smell and taste even several minutes after the end of tasting, it means that you are in front of a high quality product.

Praline

Praline is a paste obtained by caramelizing dried fruit, such as hazelnuts or almonds, mixed with chocolate or cocoa butter. It has a sweet and toasted taste, with a soft or crunchy consistency depending on the processing, and is used in pastry making to fill chocolate-based desserts.

Raw

Raw chocolate is a type of chocolate that differs from traditional chocolate in its manufacturing process. The cocoa beans used for raw chocolate are not roasted or are exposed to maximum temperatures above 107°F/42°C, unlike traditional chocolate which is roasted at higher temperatures (around 285-302°F/140-150°C) to develop flavor and reduce acidity.

Roasting

Just as important as fermentation, roasting is the process that allows cocoa to release all its aromas. Cocoa beans are roasted at a temperature between 110 and 140 degrees centigrade (230-285°F) for 15 to 40 minutes, but both can vary depending on the type of cocoa used and the characteristics you want to enhance.

Roundness

A very important factor in establishing the quality of a chocolate, therefore a product that has been well processed, is the roundness, or the creamy sensation that is perceived by the palate during tasting: the higher the creaminess, the more the chocolate is said to be “round” and therefore it is a product of high quality.

Tempering

Tempering is one of the most important moments in the processing of chocolate, on which factors depend to judge the quality such as the brightness, the roundness and the “dead snap” above. It is a cycle of cooling and heating of the chocolate that allows the sugar crystals of the cocoa butter to stabilize, making them shiny and crunchy and that serves to prevent the fat from rising to the surface; each type of chocolate follows different temperings. When tempering is not done properly, the chocolate can present defects to the sight (e.g. rising or stains) and to the consistency (e.g. too hard or grainy).

White Chocolate

White chocolate is a cocoa derivative that is distinguished from other types of chocolate by its composition and its ivory color: it is obtained by mixing cocoa butter (at least 20% of the total weight), milk or milk derivatives (at least 14%) and sugar (in a quantity not exceeding 55%).