Get your chocolate fix today! Some Connoisseur-approved brands you can’t avoid
How chocolate bars came about is a long story that begins way before the chocolate shop or grocery store sold them. Chocolate begins its journey in the form of theobroma cacao seeds, more commonly known as cacao bean. The beans are roasted and ground, making cocoa butter and chocolate liquor.
If you have ever set foot in the chocolate aisle of a grocery store, you would be overwhelmed by the many types of chocolate. These types boil down to the ratio of the two cacao seed extracts, milk and sugar. Some of the commonly known chocolate types are:
Milk Chocolate
Milk chocolate is probably the most common type of chocolate consumed. It does not contain a lot of cocoa. It has only 10-40% cocoa mixed with sugar and milk. Compared to dark and bittersweet chocolate, it is much sweeter. Try Dove Silky Smooth Promises; it is one of the best milk chocolates on the market.
White Chocolate
A lot of people believe that white chocolate is not chocolate at all. It is partly true as it does not contain any other cocoa products besides cocoa butter. It has a very smooth, vanilla-like taste, nothing like chocolate at all. To taste white chocolate in its purest, try Lindt Classic Recipe White Chocolate.
Dark Chocolate
Not everyone has a taste for dark chocolate, as it is famously known to be very bitter. However, for dark chocolate lovers, nothing really compares to it. It has a cocoa percentage from 30-80%, and there is no milk content in dark chocolate. For a taste of healthy dark chocolate, try Pascha Organic Dark Chocolate.
Semisweet Chocolate
Semisweet chocolate contains around 35% cocoa solids. There is no black and white on what exactly semisweet chocolate is. Still, it lies somewhere between dark and bittersweet chocolate. Ghirardelli semisweet chocolate chips are amongst the best you can get for baking or even for ice cream.
Bittersweet Chocolate
Bittersweet chocolate must contain a minimum of 35% cocoa content, according to the FDA. Still, they are found commonly with around 50 to 80 per cent cocoa solids. This has a more profound and bitter flavor than other chocolates and is considered dark chocolate.
Unsweetened Chocolate
This type of chocolate is exactly as the name implies. It is pure chocolate liquor and is made just by ground cocoa beans. It is widely considered baking chocolate and is not great for consumption on its own. Hershey’s 100% Cacao Natural Unsweetened chocolate is fantastic for any type of baking.
Which type of chocolate do you prefer? Do you like the more unique ones like bittersweet chocolate or dark chocolate? Or is milk chocolate your favorite? There is a lot that people can say when it comes to chocolate; tell us your thoughts about chocolate in the comments below.