This is a guest article from the chocolatiers of Santa Barbara Chocolate. Santa Barbara Chocolate is the supplier of my favorite chocolate, and they’ve been a more than welcome sponsor of PrimalCon since the very beginning, donating boxes of dark chocolate coins for guests to enjoy. PrimalCon attendees can attest, their chocolate is top notch. As a big fan of really dark chocolate myself – as I know many of you are – I’ve reported on the health benefits of dark chocolate, and explored whether all chocolate is created equal. Still, with all the various labels and terms thrown about these days, choosing a high-quality dark chocolate can be a little confusing. What separates bad from good from best? So I decided to go straight to the source and get expert advice from professional chocolatiers… Strike the Right Balance With recent developments and knowledge about the world of chocolate, more and more people are turning to the idea of eating pure chocolate sourced from healthy trees, grown under the care of happy farmers, and produced with quality ingredients. Yet how do you go about finding the excellent dark chocolate with these qualities? There are many components that affect the quality of chocolate and consumers should aim to strike the right balance between harvesting practices, manufacturing processes, quality ingredients and of course, for those conscious consumers, ethically grown and traded. The flavor and texture of any chocolate will naturally reflect these qualities when selecting and tasting chocolate based on the above factors. When you find that chocolate that meets these standards it will delight and inspire your taste buds. Shade Grown with Love A chocolate company that starts their journey on the right foot will have an ethical interest in the environment and the farmers. First, look for chocolate that is shade grown in the depths of the green rainforest. There is a huge difference when it comes to shade grown chocolate and sun bleached chocolate. Rather than growing cacao beans on a farm where the plot of land and the branches are exposed to the harsh sunlight, ethical companies use a natural organic approach known as shade grown. This means the cacao plants are planted in the rainforest and given the chance to do what they do best, to stretch for the sun when they need it and to shrink back into the shade when they want to stay cool. The plant works in harmony with nature and can develop the natural and organic way. Mother earth is in the flavor, and with shade grown chocolate you can enjoy the benefits of the sweet damp soil and the earthly nutrients that add to the flavor. How can you tell if a chocolate is shade grown? Chocolatier’s recommendation: The flavor of the chocolate is the best test. Shade grown chocolate won’t exhibit strong astringency or overly acidic flavors. Rainforest Certified Cacao is another measurement. Ripened to Perfection Second, look for chocolate that is sustainably grown and ripened to perfection. The old … Continue reading What to Look for When Choosing a High-Quality Dark Chocolate