Kees Beyers, Founder and CEO of Beyers Chocolates, offers some tips for when you're next on a mission to purchase your own (and almost everyone else's) favourite, feel-good treat:
Check the price. Good things come at a price, so expect to pay more for quality. As Beyers says, "When you purchase chocolate from a reputable chocolatier you are paying for a handcrafted product, for special attention to detail, for creativity, and for superior ingredients."
Check the ingredients. Key ingredients of good chocolate are a high cacao content, cocoa solids and cocoa butter. Vanilla and lecithin are also likely to feature. Beware of chocolate that contains high sugar content, ingredients you've never heard of, additional fats, and 'Dutched cocoa'.
Check the date. Commercial or retail chocolates usually have a longer shelf life than quality, handmade chocolates. The more recent the date of manufacture, the fresher the chocolate will be.
Use your nose. Beyers points out that there is an art to storing chocolate, "Chocolate can absorb surrounding odours and must be carefully stored. Beware if it has anything other than a strong chocolate fragrance." No fragrance at all is a sign that the chocolate is either old or of inferior quality.
Use your eyes. If the chocolate is packaged in a way that allows you to see it, look for a smooth, glossy surface that is free of bubbles and blemishes.
Use your ears. Good chocolate should break with a sharp, clear 'snap'. Purchase a small sample of the chocolate and then break it in half. If it falls to pieces, or breaks with a dull thud, it's not a good sign.
Use your hands. Put a small square of the chocolate on your palm and close your hand. Wait 20 seconds and then open your hand. If the chocolate has melted, it's a sign of good quality.
Use your taste buds. If you detect a gritty or grainy texture, it's likely the chocolate is not of good quality. There are three distinct qualities of top quality chocolate says Beyers, "When you taste it, it should have a silky-smooth texture, it should immediately start to melt, and the flavour should linger in your mouth."
Kees Beyers believes that life is too short to eat bad chocolate - and we agree!
