Chocolate quality
is very much dependent on the quality of the raw ingredients
and also the care taken during the production process:
roasting and crushing the cocoa beans and mixing the cocoa
paste with sugar and any other ingredients such as milk.
High quality chocolate is shiny brown, breaks
cleanly and is smooth, not containing any lumps, bubbles
or white specs. Good chocolate should melt on the tongue
like butter and should taste of pure chocolate rather than
cocoa powder.
Fine chocolate sould not be greasy or sticky
at ambient room temperature. The higher the cocoa butter
and vegetable fat content the better, with poor quality chocolates
usually lacking sufficient quantities of these.
For producing cakes and
dessert a chocolate with a high cocoa content is recommended,
whereas for decoration and fondants, a chocolate couverture
is normally used.
