What is That Unappealing Aftertaste in Low-Quality Chocolate?

Posted on November 6, 2011 by coco

Dubious chocolate manufacturers of chocolates of low distinction swap Polyglycerol polyricinoleate for cocoa butter (so they can sell you cheaper-to-make chocolate that tastes like cardboard and has been stripped of some of it’s most beneficial antioxidants it and then turn around and sell you the cocoa butter they removed as skin cream).

Ever wonder what that awful aftertaste is as you’re  spitting out a bite of substandard chocolate? It’s PGPR, the chocolate industrial complex’s latest evil answer to if it ain’t broke don’t fix it. Gone is the awesome taste of unsullied chocolate. Behold the gnarly taste of chocolate made from the fatty acids of castor oil.

For years, sub-quality chocolate manufacturers (Hershey’s, Nestle, Mars, et al) have been trying to get the FDA to allow them to replace the naturally-occurring cocoa butter with vegetable oil. Failing that, they succeeded in getting the cocoa butter – PGPR swap approved, ostensibly in the name of cost savings, but of course there’s a profit to made from that freed-up cocoa butter and hungry consumers with unhappy faces.

Not only does PGPR taste like crap, it also replaces a healthful component of chocolate. A 1996 UC Davis study on the health benefits of chocolate revealed that the powerful antioxidants in chocolate actually derived from cocoa butter and the stearic acid it produces.

So that’s the hand you’ve been dealt by the big money chocolateers: a substandard(er) bar of chocolate with an unsavory aftertaste and the healthful ingredients removed. And in return, we are able to give those chocalateers bigger profits. See! Everyone wins!!

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a cocoa bean is born

Posted on April 21, 2011 by coco

Somewhat counterintuitively, cocoa is not born a bean. In order to become the cocoa bean we all know and love so well, the seed of Theobroma cacao must first be fermented and dried. The process looks like this:

cocoa beanFirst, whole cocoa pods are harvested from the trees. This occurs at various times throughout the year as not all the pods ripen at once. Once harvested, they are transported to a fermenting facility.

Back at the facility, the pods are cut open and the pulp and cocoa seeds are removed and the rind is discarded. The pulp and seeds are piled in heaps, placed in bins, or laid out on grates.

The pulp and seeds ferment in the bins over the course of several days, the pulp liquifying during this time. The liquified pulp is allowed to seep through the bottoms of the bins into the grates where it is drained away. This process of fermentation, called “sweating,” must be monitored carefully, as it is essential to the taste and quality of the cocoa bean.

cacao beansOnce the rind has completely liquified and drained the cocoa seeds remain to be collected. They are spread out over a large surface, exposed to heat (preferably the sun), and raked frequently to speed the drying.

Finally, after this elaborate, several-day process, like an ugly duckling into a swan, a bitter cocoa seed has been transformed into a sweet, mild cocoa bean.

cacao beans

 

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Chocolate & Red Wine the Keys to Eternal Health

Posted on January 22, 2009 by coco


Ah, the immortality I would have to look forward to if only the above were true. Still, a University Pittsburgh researcher may be on to something.

Dr. Joseph Maroon, vice chairman of neurological surgery at University of Pittsburgh Medical Center writes in “The Longevity Factor,” that chemical compounds found in certain foods trigger genes make us healthier and cause us to live longer.

30% of longevity is determined by our genetic makeup, Maroon says, and we are genetically programmed to wear out after a time. But about two-thirds of aging is determined by our diet and activity level.

Pat of an anti-aging diet may contain a healthful dose of the good stuff. The right kind of chocolate can be good for you, Maroon says. Chocolate is a mild stimulant, perking mood and brain activity, which can likewise engage and uplift the physique.

Also beneficial is red wine, which contains a substance called resveratrol, which triggers genes in humans that promote survival. His research has led him to drink a glass or two of red wine each day.

But the limit should be two glasses for the typical man, one for the typical woman, he cautioned. More than that brings on the detrimental effects of the alcohol.

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World Chocolate Consumption Down Thanks to This Nasty Recession-Thingie

Posted on January 22, 2009 by coco


Chocolate consumption in the United States and Europe is falling due to the economic crisis. Luxuries like chocolate just aren’t as easily justified now that more consumers are struggling to make ends meet.

This had had a corollary effect on the world’s cocoa prices, which have fallen by about 10% from record highs in 2007.

Swiss chocolate maker Callebaut CEO Richard De Maeseneire came to the defense of the good stuff: He said the chocolate business was a “defensive industry” because even in times of recession, people will always tempted by the relative affordability of chocolate.

That, he said, coupled with continuing strong demand from Asia promises to help keep growth on track however.

I say bring it on. You won’t hear me complaining about a glut of cheap chocolate on the market.

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Chocolate and Insomnia

Posted on January 16, 2009 by coco

If you’re a regular late-night chocolate indulger, and you’ve been suffering from a difficulty getting to sleep, it may be worth it to try enjoying that cocoa bean treat a little earlier in the day.

Chocolate is a stimulant. A mild one, but a boost nonetheless. It not only stimulates your taste buds, but the caffeine and theobromine stimulate your heart rate as well.

If you’re just too incorrigible a chocolate fiend, you may try to alter the type of chocolate you’re eating. A Hershey’s dark chocolate candy bar has about 30 milligrams of caffeine (about as much as a cup of lack tea) while a milk chocolate bar has 9 milligrams. White chocolate, with no theobromine and barely any caffeine, will have the least effect, however this reduction may be mitigated by the larger amounts of sugar in the milk and white chocolates. Waddya gonna do.

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Chocolate and Romance

Posted on December 12, 2008 by coco

Some things just go together naturally and no one can necessarily explain why. One of these popular pairings is chocolate and romance. Chocolate is often associated with love and romance and we only have to think about Valentine’s Day to get some idea of how this sweet treat is used to woo a partner (or potential partner).

I suppose there are some obvious reasons as to why chocolate should be associated with love. The fact that is has traditionally been considered to be an aphrodisiac would probably be a good starting point. Yes, right back to the days of the Mayans and Aztecs, when the nobility consumed chocolate, it was believed to have mystical powers in the bedroom department. This theory has undoubtedly survived due to the scarcity and desirability of chocolate when it was first introduced to Europe. In fact, Europe’s most celebrated lover, Casanova, was purported to tuck away a fair few cups of chocolate during the course of each day. This wasn’t to satisfy any chocoholic tendencies, oh no, it was his belief in the aphrodisiacal powers of this cocoa drink.

These days we’re a little more savvy when it comes to taking the success rate of foods seriously as forms of aphrodisiac. However, there’s a lot to be said for the powers of romance and there aren’t many people who are going to be upset about receiving a huge box of chocolates for Valentine’s Day. Even if there’s no hope of a romantic get together, a night in front of the tube with a box of chocolates is still sinfully delicious.

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Chocolate: A Healthy Treat

Posted on December 4, 2008 by coco

Here’s some good news for all you chocoholics – eating chocolate is good for you! Well, hang on a minute; let’s not get too excited just yet. I’m not saying that you can clear all the fruit and vegetables out of your cupboards and fill them with oversized chocolate bars and biscuits. ‘Everything in moderation’ as they say. ‘You can have too much of a good thing’ but ‘a little bit of what you fancy does you good’. Enough of the sayings and phrases and let’s talk facts.

Cocoa contains an antioxidant called flavanol and it’s this little component that could potentially have health benefits such as lowering blood pressure. As this is contained in the cocoa itself, you should obviously choose a chocolate bar with a high cocoa solid content, specifically dark chocolate. Dark chocolate generally has a much higher cocoa content than milk chocolate and the milk itself will dilute the effects of the flavanols. As white chocolate often doesn’t contain any actual cocoa, this won’t have any effect.

The downside is that as chocolate is high in both fat and calories, it’s difficult to really balance out the benefits compared to the fat intake and there’s a very fine line between the two. The obvious solution is to just have a small amount and that way; you’re getting a sweet treat but not over indulging. If only I could follow my own advice – I find it very difficult to open a bar of chocolate and just limit myself to a couple of squares. It doesn’t tend to last very long I’m afraid but maybe the answer is to just buy a very small bar, really enjoy and then know it’s gone. If there’s opened chocolate hanging around, I can’t be held responsible for my actions.

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Fair Trade Cocoa

Posted on December 4, 2008 by coco

The cocoa bean market is a pretty volatile one and prices can really fluctuate on a yearly basis. As many cocoa farmers have smallholdings they are completely reliant on the sale of their cocoa beans for their income. This income is pretty low at the best of times so if world cocoa prices take a nosedive they can pretty much lose their livelihood for the year. As the harvest has to sustain the whole family for the year this can be devastating. The aim of Fairtrade is to provide a constant, fair price to cocoa farmers for their beans, enabling them to have a reliable income and to plan for their expenses and their futures.

Although the Fairtrade scheme has existed for over forty years, it has only been on chocolate bar labels since the late 1980s. Despite this, until just a few years ago it was fairly difficult to get hold of Fairtrade products and they were generally only stocked in specialist shops. Nowadays, however, there’s no excuse for not buying, or at least being aware of Fairtrade chocolate. Big manufacturers have begun to take notice of the demand for these products as consumers have become more aware of the conditions that some farmers live in, due to the poor prices paid for the beans. Obviously, it comes down to taste and I’m not suggesting you just buy Fairtrade for ethical reasons. At the end of the day, the chocolate has to taste good, as well. However, I’d recommend giving it a go. It’s fairly obvious from the packaging if a bar of chocolate is Fairtrade.

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Chocolate in Alcohol

Posted on December 4, 2008 by coco

As we’ve learnt, cocoa is a pretty versatile ingredient. As it’s naturally bitter in flavour it can be adapted for use in all kinds of food and drinks and can be used in both sweet and savoury dishes. It can also be turned into an alcoholic drink. Liqueurs often tend to be sweet and many brands tailor to the sweet tooth. They are drunk as a short drink so a sweet, syrupy consistency actually works well, particularly at the end of a meal.

There aren’t many chocolate liqueurs on the market and these are the traditional thick, syrupy drinks. You’ll more commonly see a drink called crème de cacao. This is pretty self explanatory, as it’s made using cocoa flavouring. Despite its chocolately connotations this punchy beverage tends to be almost clear in colour, so if you’re expecting a glass of liquid, alcoholic chocolate, you might be setting yourself up for initial disappointment. However, take a sip and you’ll get a real cocoa hit. There’s also a dark version called, unsurprisingly, dark crème de cacao and this has more of a traditional chocolate brown colour. Seriously, try one of these next time you go out for dinner. If you’re a chocoholic, it really hits the spot. It’s flavoured with vanilla as well (just like chocolate bars) so there’s an extra sweet, perfumed taste.

As well as drinking these as a liqueur, they’re great added to cocktails and work well in drinks like the chocolate Martini or the Grasshopper.

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Drinking Chocolate

Posted on December 4, 2008 by coco

Hot chocolate, drinking chocolate, a nice cup of cocoa – call it what you will but people have been enjoying the benefits of liquid chocolate for thousands of years. It was the ancient Mayan and Aztec civilisations that first discovered this drink, although, of course, it was rather a bitter concoction back in those days. No sugar to sweeten things up then. In fact, it was far more of a fiery brew than the sedate bedtime drink of today, as they added chillies and peppers to their drinking chocolate. It was probably the modern day equivalent of knocking back a couple of triple espressos.

Hot chocolate is typically made with a cocoa powder base, which is topped up with hot milk or water. However, there are plenty of variations. One of my favourites is the Italian drink that is basically melted chocolate. It’s so thick you practically need a spoon to consume it but it’s absolutely delicious and gives you a real chocolate hit. I remember sitting outside a café in Venice thinking all my Christmases had come at once as I was presented with one of these. I’ve also come across a novel version of hot chocolate that’s basically a mug of piping hot milk with a small chocolate bar placed in the centre. This slowly melts into the milk creating an increasingly chocolately drink. Other versions include flavourings such as vanilla or cinnamon that add a spicy note. So it’s not just a case of spooning some cocoa into a cup and waiting for the kettle to boil – there are all kinds of ways to enjoy chocolate as a drink.

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