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Demonstration

Demonstrations are organized all day long. You will be able to see how chocolate is tempered to make it shiny and tasty.


Tasting

There's a chance to taste different chocolates. Children in particular have a wonderful time.

Chocolate tasting etiquette

  • Tasting should occur in the morning when your sense of taste is at its sharpest.
  • Tasting amounts should be small to avoid over-indulgence and overpowering your taste buds.
  • When sampling, begin with white and milk chocolate before venturing into the intense flavours of dark chocolate.
  • Always clean your palate with water(at room temp.) or flavourless crackers between tastings.
  • Limit your tasting to six different pieces to ensure your palate continues to sense the subtle differences in the chocolate.
  • There are 5 different categories used to rate chocolate.

  1. Aroma
    • The sense of smell makes up a large part of the sense of taste, thus indicating how chocolate will taste.
    • All chocolate has the basic “chocolaty” aroma, but other common aromas or “notes” that can be found include earthy, spicy, tobacco, licorice, grass, citrus, and even cheese !
  2. Look / Snap
    • Good chocolates often have a redder appearance rather than black.
    • Grain should be fine, preferably without air bubbles.
    • Surface should be smooth with a silky sheen.
    • It should break with a clean, crisp snap, not too brittle or too soft.
  3. Taste
    • The flavours will evolve, initial bursts, slow developers, and hidden notes.
    • It is best to first let the chocolate slowly melt on the tongue to release the initial flavours and slow developers, and then munch the chocolate to reveal the hidden notes.
    • Roll the chocolate around the tongue to reach the four zones. The top senses sweet, the sides sense salt and sour and the back senses bitter.
    • earth
  4. Melt
    • Chocolate melts at a temperature that is close to our body’s temperature… which is why it melts in our mouths !
    • It should be smooth and velvety, never sticky, waxy, or sandy in the mouth.
  5. Length
    • A good chocolate is revealed in its length, the aftertaste that lingers on after the chocolate is eaten.
    • Poor quality chocolate quickly turns bitter and metallic in the mouth.
    • Good quality chocolate tastes good in the mouth a long time after eating.