chocolate's flavor notes

Flavors To Explore 

Chocolate contains over 1500 flavor components. Just like the minute distinctions in wine, and in coffee, chocolate can have a complex layering of distinctive notes. And just like wine and coffee, many influences are at work creating these nuances. These influences include the type of cacao beans used in the blend, whether criollo, forastero, or trinitario; specific regional variations; the process of fermentation and roasting as well as the beans' growing conditions.

These variations can cause subtle differences. Consider: coastal Venezuelan cacao beans have a dairy flavor, while mountain-grown beans have a typical nuttiness. In the case of many English milk chocolates, there's a caramel flavor that comes from the caramelization of the milk, part of their chocolate-making process.

The Various Flavor Notes

If you think you taste coconut, cinnamon, or chili, you're not mistaken. All these flavors and more, like pineapple, orchid, orange, cherry and cloves, are notes that belong to chocolate. You will also note textures and qualities like buttery, sour, and sugary

Regional differences

Where cacao comes from has a great influence on the final flavor. These are the flavors to look for by region:

Brazil: Bright acidity. Well-balanced cocoa flavors. Often times with subtle fruity note.

Colombia: Moderately fruity, lightly bitter with deep cocoa flavor.

Costa Rica: Fruity with a balanced cocoa flavor.

Dominican Republic (Santa Domingo): Deep earthy flavor with fragrant tobacco notes.

Ecuador (Arriba): Fruit and well-balanced floral (jasmine flower) notes.

Ghana: Deep, classic cocoa flavor. Lends balance to more complex beans.

Indonesia (Java): Appealing acidity balanced with clean cocoa flavors.

Côte d'Ivoire: Deep, classic cocoa flavor. Lends balance to more complex beans.

Jamaica: Bright and fruity. Appealing aromas. Often reminiscent of pineapples.

Mexico: Bright acidity.

Madagascar: Light citrus flavors somewhat like tangerines, with bright acidity.

Panama: Classic cocoa flavor highlighted by subtle fruit and roasted nut flavors.

São Tomé and Principe: Classic cocoa flavor that's very well-balanced.

Trinidad and Tobago: Complex fruitiness plus appealing spiciness such as cinnamon.

Venezuela: Complex fruit flavors that evoke ripe red plums and dark cherries.

Extra Added Flavor

While the majority of the flavors you notice, like the florals, nuts and herbals, are specific to the cacao bean, some are added by the chocolatier to balance out the blend, especially in sweeter chocolates, like milk, semi-sweet and even bittersweet. Read the label and you might notice the addition of vanilla. Vanilla can balance and deepen the other flavors present. Some chocolatiers add a teensy bit of salt, especially to milk chocolate. Japanese chocolatiers have a taste for malt in their milk chocolate. Any added flavor will be noted in the label ingredients. You may want to test your palate first by tasting before reading the label.

Describing Your Experience

There are no rules and there is no set language to describe your feelings when tasting chocolate. Here are some thoughts on how to consider the flavors to help you describe them for your tasting records.

• What does the chocolate feel like on the tongue? Is it smooth, thin or creamy?
• Uniform, grainy or uneven?
• How complex are the flavors? Do they seem multi-dimensional, and multi-layered? Or are they simple?
• If it's intense, would you describe it as brave, strong, full-bodied?
• How long do the tastes last? Are they fleeting and quick? Slow and lasting?