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Chocolate and Percentages: What Does It All Mean?
I often get asked what the percentage on the front of a chocolate bar means. As is the case with many things chocolate-related, the answer is not quite what I would call simple:
Percentages on chocolate bars get tricky because there is no clear and consistent legal standard for their usage. You may see one or more of the following terms on the front or back of the chocolate bar packaging:
cacao (or cocoa) content
cacao (or cocoa) mass
cacao (or cocoa) solids
chocolate
chocolate (or cocoa) liquor
cacao
cocoa
“Chocolate” is defined by the FDA as a product containing ground up cacao–cocoa beans–minus their shells. It can be 100% chocolate with nothing added, or there can be some other ingredients added such as sugar, vanilla and other natural flavorings, cocoa butter, cocoa powder, and some additional dairy products as well as emulsifiers such as lecithin.
The funny thing is that sometimes on the back of a chocolate bar you’ll see that the ingredients list includes “chocolate” as the first ingredient. You may wonder how the first ingredient of “chocolate” can be “chocolate,” but this oddity is simply because the roasted and refined cocoa beans can be called “chocolate” by themselves, even without sugar added. However, the FDA prefers the controlled term “chocolate liquor” which signifies the same thing (i.e. ground up cocoa beans). Sometimes if the cocoa beans have too low an amount of cocoa butter—as in the case of low quality cacao—cocoa butter must be added, but need not be listed in the ingredients because it is seen as a correction rather than an addition.
“Cocoa mass” is a controlled term used in the EU to signify the same thing as “chocolate liquor” here in the US (i.e. ground up cocoa beans). This term, like “chocolate liquor”, does not include “added” cocoa butter or cocoa powder. These items must be listed separately.
“Cocoa content” signifies a combination of cocoa beans, cocoa butter and cocoa powder altogether, but it has no legally defined meaning.
“Cocoa solids” is the really tricky term. It also has no legally defined meaning and some companies apparently use it to signify the same thing as cocoa content—again butter, beans, and powder—but other companies use it to signify only cocoa powder, or more accurately, the non-fat solid portion of the cocoa bean–and this is how I have seen the term used by most people. However, it is apparently not always used in this way.
Here is an interesting blog post by Emily Stone of Chocolate in Context, based on statements by several chocolate professionals with different ideas of what this term means.
Note that the first two comments are from Americans, and the last one is Australian. There could well be a difference in general usage of these various terms between the two countries. Note also that all three disagree to some extent; however, I believe that the first person, Ed Seguine from Guittard Chocolate, is the most accurate in terms of legally-defined terminology and general usage of terminology as regards chocolate in the United States. Still, as I mention, there is obviously inconsistency in usage in the industry, which is why there is really no completely correct way to use these terms in relation to each other without clarifying what one means by them, and such lengthy descriptions will certainly not find their way onto a chocolate bar package.
“Cocoa” is another tricky term because in common language, it often refers to “cocoa powder,” which is ground up cacao that has had some of the fat pressed from it, but it is also sometimes used generically as a catch-all for anything derived from cacao, and therefore the cacao itself, cocoa butter, and cocoa powder.
“Cacao” seems clearer, as one would think that it surely refers to only the fermented and dried seeds of the cacao tree, or what often are called “cocoa beans,” but do not expect that every time you see the word “cacao” that it will only include the ground up cacao seeds. “Cacao” is becoming quite a buzz-word now, and so it is just a matter of time before even more confusion sets in as it becomes the #1 catch-all term to describe a combination of all cacao-derived products. The shift in usage and meaning has already begun.
One small US chocolate maker has noted that he sees “cocoa beans” as the clearest way to differentiate the roasted seeds of the cacao tree from other cacao-derived products. This may be the case, but at the moment, the terminology is still rarely used.
Because of this, out of all of the above terms, the clearest commonly used phrase may be “cocoa content,” as it is openly and obviously inclusive of all cacao-based products, which is what the percentage on the bar will almost certainly signify anyway–as companies generally want to use as high a number as possible–and doesn’t risk confusing as does the term “cocoa solids” due to multiple possible meanings since molten cocoa butter can certainly be thought of as a liquid.
So, it is perfectly reasonable to say: “This bar is a 70% cocoa content dark chocolate”, which would mean that 70% of its weight comes from ground up cocoa beans with the possible addition of cocoa butter, and/or cocoa powder in some combination. The simplest 70% bar would be ground up cocoa beans and sugar, which is what one the Patric Chocolate 70% Madagascar is.
But, now we have run into a further problem:
The fact that “70% cocoa content” can mean different things is exactly why, though its meaning may be clear, it is still quite imprecise. In fact, 10 different bars that all use the same terminology (i.e. 70% cocoa content), can all have very different proportions of cacao, cocoa butter and cocoa powder in them. Fine chocolate generally does not include cocoa powder, but even so, different brands have highly variable proportions of cacao to cocoa butter. In fact, it is possible, for example, to have a 74% bar that has less cacao–due to added cocoa butter–and is therefore less robust in flavor, than a 71% bar with no cocoa butter added. The problem is compounded by the fact that most chocolate makers/manufacturers do not include the varying percentages of the different components added. Though texture and flavor can give some indication, one would hope that the lack of transparency in the chocolate world as regards percentage will, at some point, be a thing of the past; on this note, please see our web store for in-depth descriptions of the actual contents of our bars.
One final thing to mention, which is something that is probably clearer to most people than what we have already discussed, is that a high percentage does not guarantee quality chocolate. Many mass market brands have caught on to putting percentages on their bars as a marketing technique, because up to a point, only the European fine chocolate companies were listing percentages. As you can imagine, there is a very large difference between a 70% made with what is called “bulk” cacao, from a mixture of many uninteresting origins, and filled with massive quantities of vanilla, and a bar that is made from what is called “fine flavor cacao” from one of many different interesting origins, and that really showcases the beauty of the flavor of the cacao due to the artisan’s hand in the manufacturing of the chocolate. This being the case, the oft-quoted term “buyer beware” is certainly relevant here.
Best,
Alan McClure
Posted by Alan McClure
Author’s site: www.patric-chocolate.com/store/2008/03/chocolate-and-percentages-what-does-it.html
PATRIC CHOCOLATE
New chocolate-makers are springing up across America, in the most unlikeliest of places. Like Missouri.
Who’d a thunk it?
Using good ‘ol American ingenuity, a little over a year ago, Alan McClure started grinding up beans and molding them into lithe bars of very dark, and very sleek, bittersweet chocolate.
His company, Patric chocolate, makes bars that are “micro-produced,” and he’s got two in his line-up, both using cacao from Madagascar.
When I asked Alan what attracted him to the cacao from that region, he said “Since the bars are made from cacao that come from one single estate, and since the family there has owned it for quite some time, they really have been able to exert an extremely high level of control on the quality and consistency of the fermentation and drying, which is actually quite rare in the cacao world.”
Alan proclaims that this isn’t pure “criollo” chocolate, a much-touted term for a varietal that almost all chocolate experts say no longer exists in its pure form. (Some chocolate-makers are claiming to the contrary.) Right now, the all the beans for Patric’s bars are from a plantation in the Sambirano Valley.
Back in Columbia, Missouri, where Patric chocolate is made, a small amount of cocoa butter is added to the 67% bar, which tempers the flavor just a bit, and it’s interesting to taste the two examples side-by-side.
Because they look so similar, after I unwrapped the tablets, I forgot which was which. But after breaking the corner off both of them, I immediately knew which was the 70% bar; it was the one that broke off with a hard, crisp snap, and I tasted that one first. The little triangle melted in my mouth with lush, ripe red fruit at the beginning, lingering with a long roasty finish. The flavors were tannic, but not harsh at all. Someone who really loved complex, dark chocolate as much as I do would love this bar.
Softer and creamier was the 67% tablet. That small amount of cocoa butter released other flavors, namely dried cherries and plum skins. It was far more fruity than the previous bar, which surprised me and was less-intense, but quite good, too.
I continue to be impressed by the imagination and creativity of the new American chocolate makers and they’re well-worth searching out and supporting. I can’t wait to see what comes next out of Patric’s chocolate grinders. Next up for this micro-producer is a higher-percentage Madagascar bar, and a few others things he’s being coy about.
Alan has a very interesting blog, which talks about, and demystifies, the process behind sourcing beans and making chocolate. And he’ll be revealing more of what he’s up to as he grinds along.
Patric Chocolate Columbia, MO
Posted by david lebovitz
author’s site www.davidlebovitz.com
KYLIE GOES FRENCH
France has awarded Kylie Minogue its highest cultural honour in a Paris ceremony at which the country’s culture minister praised the Australian singer over her fight against breast cancer.
Christine Albanel today gave Minogue, who kicks off a European concert tour in Paris tomorrow, the Order of Arts and Letters and told her she was a “Midas of the international music scene who turns everything she touches into gold”.
“I want to publicly salute the courage you showed by revealing publicly that you had breast cancer,” Albanel said.
“Doctors now even go as far as saying there is a ‘Kylie effect’ that encourages young women to have regular checks.”
Minogue, who attended the ceremony along with her parents, said she had “fallen in love with France” since her first visit.
Past recipients of the French award include singers Bob Dylan and David Bowie and Hollywood stars George Clooney, Leonardo Di Caprio, Clint Eastwood, Robert Redford, Meryl Streep and Bruce Willis.
Minogue in December was decorated in the British Queen Elizabeth II’s New Year Honours List.
The singer was made an Officer of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (OBE) in the annual list.
Posted by Washington Post
KYLIE MINOGUE RECEIVES FRENCH CULTURAL HONOR
PARIS (AP) — France honored Kylie Minogue on Monday, making her Knight in the Order of Arts and Letters for her contribution to French culture.
The 39-year-old Australian singer received the prestigious title the day before kicking off a world tour for her album ”X.” Past recipients include Ella Fitzgerald and Bob Dylan.
Culture Minister Christine Albanel called Minogue the ”princess of pop, the uncontested queen of the dance floor.”
Albanel also praised Minogue for her personal courage in her battle against breast cancer.
”The heart, in French, also (refers to) courage, and I want to salute the courage you have shown in publicly revealing, three years ago, that you had been stricken with breast cancer,” Albanel said.
”This is an exceptional moment for me,” Minogue said in French.
She bubbled praise for Paris.
”I fell in love, and it’s a love affair that continues to blossom like an eternal spring,” Minogue said, this time in English.
Posted in New York Times
INLINE SKATERS MOB PARIS
A pack of in-line skaters take over the streets of Paris every Friday at 10 p.m. If you’d like to join this gang of rolling Parisians, come to the area beneath the Montparnasse tower at 9:30 p.m.
For three hours you can tour the city while vigorously “getting your skate on.” The route covers thirty kilometers and you’ll meet people from all of Paris - and beyond. This group of thrill-seekers is always up for a good time, but if the streets are wet or if it’s raining the week’s ride will not roll.
Should you need to rent in-line skates for the Friday night ride consult with Nomade Shop. They will rent skates to you, but because of the logistics of the transaction and schedules and such — you will probably need to rent the skates for a day and a half. I think you’ll pay about 9 euros for the full day and less for the half-day.
View their Web site or visit the shop at 37 Bld Bourdon, near Place Bastille, to get more details about purchasing or renting in-line skates. I’ve heard there are other places to rent skates. If you know about alternate places, please leave a comment (below) with the information.
Skater’s beware! Remember that the Metro closes at 12:30 a.m. If you return to the Montparnasse starting point at 1 a.m. you will need to take a bus or taxi, or walk home — unless you are one of those automobile owners that we hear so much about.
METRO: lines 4, 6, 12 and 13 to
Montparnasse Bienvenue
INFO: PariRoller Web site
Posted by Forty Days in Paris blog
Author’s site
THE ‘FRENCH PARADOX’ THAT ISN’T
If you follow French food and culture at all, you’ve probably heard of a delightfully regressive text called French Women Don’t Get Fat: The Secret of Eating for Pleasure. The basic gist is that French women eat pastries, fatty cheeses, five course meals, and buckets of wine, yet remain perpetually slender and never waste a minute worrying about their figures. The book further promises to show sad, dumpy, body-image obsessed Americans how a little bit of joie de vivre can make them thin, thin, thin!
Well, I’m about to let you in on a dirty little secret:
This is the current window display of the pharmacy down the street from me. Please note that, other than the makeup ad in the corner, every single image is an ad for some kind of dubious “diet aid” (actually, the one bottom left is an ad for control-top stockings, but same idea).
Why don’t French women get fat? Apparently, it’s the same mixture of dieting, disordered eating, and self-loathing that afflicts most western women.
Posted by lapetiteamericaine.wordpress.com
In food
Author’s site
KEEP OFF THE RESTING GRASS
Paris weekend weather has been amazing lately and to catch some sun I decided to go to a park near my apartment. I expected the park to be flooded with people (as it always is when there’s even a tiny bit of sun). What I didn’t expect, because I forgot about this annoying French quirk, was for the grass to be resting. Those of you who live here or have visited know what I’m talking about - the signs that signal the grass is “en repos”, or in other words “Stay Off!”.
This is something that I still don’t understand. If the grass needs to rest when the weather is crappy – fine, but when it’s sunny and in the 70s the grass is meant to be enjoyed. The French are so strict about this that they even have grass police in some parks. I was having lunch in a well known, large park near the office (I was on a bench) when 2 women appeared blowing whistles and motioning to people who were lunching on the grass to get off. It’s times like these when I miss Seattle and it’s abundance of non-resting greenery.
Posted by A Seattleite in Paris
in The Great Outdoors
Author’s site
MY KINGDOM FOR A SANDWICH
One of Paris’s best kept food secrets is hidden in plain sight right in the middle of one of the busiest tourist areas of the Latin Quarter.
The Pâtisserie Sud Tunisien is on rue de la Harpe. You can see the little blue and white corner building from the crosswalk that crosses the boulevard Saint Germain right at the Cluny métro stop (at the intersection of bd St. Michel).
What’s so special about it? If you look in the window, you see nothing but a dizzying display of exotic pastries. The pastries are delicious. But if you go inside, you can get The Best Tuna Sandwich on the Planet. Evidently it’s legendary and its reputation is growing by word of mouth. A friend of mine is always running into people who’ve had The Sandwich. I think it’s only a matter of time till this little Tunisian bakery is the most popular place in Paris.
This particular kind of North African sandwich is called a pain bagnat. It’s served in a little round loaf filled with tuna, boiled potatoes, hard-boiled eggs, pickly things, some crisp medium-hot chilis (similar to serranos), a couple of olives, and a delicious hot sauce called harissa (you have to ask for that).
If you’re out and about, it’s a perfect quick and hearty meal and it’s only 3.50!
Posted by LaGoulue
in Food & Dining
Author’s site
SARKOZY SURPRISES ONCE AGAIN
Tuesday April 01st 2008, 1:30 pm
With his approval ratings plunging into seemingly negative numbers, Sarkozy has been under extreme mounting pressure and stress to improve his popularity as was witnessed earlier in his presidential career. He has shocked the world by taking France by the horns (feathers) with his immediate action against immigration. His stance on “work more, earn more” slapped lagging chomeurs and professional “RMIistes” out of their beds. His marriage to a supermodel taller than him caused a stir outside of France. Of course, inside the hexagon, the French did not bat an eye, and wouldn’t do so even if he married a hairless dwarf monkey.
Although no one faults him for his singularity and take-charge attitude, the people of France expected an overall improvement in the quality of French life from Monsieur le president. Instead they got skyrocketing inflation and endless reportages of his love life. The public knows that during the myriad of marriage footage in the media, he was covertly passing unsavory laws - and le peuple is not pleased.
But in an unprecedented move to come clean, Sarkozy has offered complete transparency and divulged his intentions in an impromptu press conference today. He has decided to be open and honest about his plans for the country and has taken a vow of truth to disclose all plans and events to the public as they happen. He also plans to admit his recent “misinformations.” (We call those “lies.”)
He then continued to inform the media and general public of his recent decisions and actions, which are as follows:
1. He admits to having married supermodel, Carla Bruni, because she is a perfect trophy wife. He felt that having a beautiful, tall younger woman as a wife would boost his ratings. He, in actuality, hates Carla with the passion - particularly because she looks better nude than he does, speaks better English than he does, and everyone would rather talk to her and not him at cocktail parties.
2. Since the launching of the euro in France in 2002, the price of food and goods have gone through the roof, so much so, that many people are running out of money. They’ve had to resort to spending their savings. When France’s currency was the franc, even poor people could afford basic needs and still were able to save a little in the bank. Sarkozy realizes this and confesses that he does not care about poor people, so originally he had no intentions of any kind to make changes - but since today, he’s decided to bend a little and although it may sound shocking, he has decided to bring back the Franc. “Forget euros,” he quipped, “that currency is for pauvre cons.”
3. Regarding the Olympics in Beijing this summer, Sarkozy has urged everyone to buy a Reporters without Borders t-shirt and wear them next week, April 7, when the Olympic torch passes through Paris. “You must change the t-shirts a little, however,” he said, “please tear off the sleeves so that we all look like Rambo. Don’t forget to wear a bandana around your head, too”
Posted by Why Travel to France
in Politics
Author’s site
‘QUINTESSENCE’ AT THE PARIS FLEA MARKET
‘QUINTESSENCE’–simply the hottest dealer at the Porte de Clignancourt flea market in Paris. Ludovic Messager and his lovely wife Veronique have been the talk of ‘les puces’ ever since they opened their huge showroom and weekend home next door—-a must for any visit to the Paris Flea Markets–14 rue Saint Paul next to the Marche Paul Bert!!!!