Written by: Daniel P.

Complexity in Cacao Evokes True Valentines Day Love

Do you like chocolate? Perhaps even love it? Most of us do. However, the vast majority of people regularly consume mass-marketed candy-like chocolate akin to those handed out on Halloween to little kids. Occasionally, one may even venture to enjoy a Lindt or Ghirardelli bar as a guilty pleasure. However, the real truth is that while these treats may be delicious they really do a disservice to the true potential of the cacao bean by masking the flavors with an overload of cocoa butter, milk, and sugar. The more expensive cacao bean is scarcely used in favor of cheaper ingredients which satisfy ones need for a sugary treat.

True cacao connoisseurs know that cacao beans grow in many different equatorial climates around the world and possess deep, sometimes subtle complex flavor notes according to the climate and soil profiles of the particular region the beans are grown in. These complex flavors are present in the cacao bean and only require a little sugar to be brought to life. Adding a plethora of other ingredients will only mask the great flavors the beans provide as previously mentioned.

True cacao aficionados (maybe even snobs) will admit that dark chocolate, and particularly artisan dark chocolate, is the only real way to enjoy the full potential of the cacao beans. There are different methods of making artisan chocolate from stone grounding, to smoking beans, to intensely ground beans resulting in a smooth mouth feel.
Valentines day is about love and love tends to be a complex thing when you really think about it. Real chocolate is almost equally as complex and thus makes a great treat to enjoy yourself or with a loved one on valentines day. We recommend finding a local artisan chocolate maker and trying some single origin chocolate bars or even those with added nuts, salt, oils, or other aromatics. Beware though, dark chocolate is not a beginners chocolate.

Single origin bars or bars made with scarce bean harvests may cost significantly more than candy-like chocolate, but the complexity is definitely worth it. Let the chocolate melt in your mouth, as opposed to scarfing it down, in order to slowly let the flavors release and mingle on your palette. If you like dark chocolate, there is a lot of possibilities out there to try as artisan chocolate making is trending in the U.S. and around the world. The flavor possibilities are endless so start sampling!