The ultimate chocolate guide

Different types of chocolate

You’ll find three types of chocolate on the shelves at Spinneys – dark, milk, and white chocolate.

• Dark chocolate is made from cocoa beans, cocoa butter and sugar.
• Milk chocolate has the same ingredients as dark chocolate but with milk powder added to it.
• White chocolate is made from cocoa butter, sugar and milk powder.

How to melt chocolate correctly

There are two ways in which to melt chocolate; over a double boiler, or in a microwave.

Double Boiler:

To create a double boiler, bring a medium-sized pot, filled halfway with water, to a gentle simmer and turn off the heat. Place a heatproof bowl over and add in the chopped chocolate. Stir the chocolate with a rubber spatula until silky smooth. If the chocolate doesn’t melt completely, turn the heat back on low.

Microwave:

The microwave is obviously a much faster method but can easily end up scorching the chocolate so you have to be extra careful. With the chocolate in a heatproof bowl, microwave for 30 seconds at a time, stirring between each interval to ensure an even melt. Once the chocolate has predominantly melted with a few lumps remaining, remove it from the microwave and let sit for a minute or so to finish melting before you stir until smooth.

Percentages explained

90%, 80%, 75%, 65% – you’ve probably seen these numbers on the wrappers of numerous bars of chocolate. The percentages refer to the amount of cocoa solids in a bar. A 70% cocoa dark chocolate bar would, for instance, be made up of 70% cocoa and 30% sugar. Most people believe that the cocoa percentage is an indication of quality – the higher the cocoa, the better the chocolate. This isn’t exactly true – some of the world’s best chocolate are milk chocolate.

What does single-origin mean?

Single-origin chocolate is a term that chocolate makers use for a chocolate bar that has been made from cocoa beans sourced from one country. By using beans from a single origin, they’re able to focus on the flavours specific to that region. Some chocolate makers take it even further, producing ‘single estate’ bars with beans from one farm. When you taste chocolates from different origins, apart from the typical chocolate flavour, you’ll taste tropical fruit, acidity, dried fruit, coconut, raisins, floral or earthy notes. These notes are all natural flavours present in cocoa. Chocolate can taste like the place it originates from. The soil in which the cocoa trees grow, the temperature, the fruits with which they grow – these elements all contribute to the flavours of the cocoa beans and, ultimately, the flavours in the chocolate.

Joanne Black says:

Spinneys offers a range of chocolate from brands such as Charbonnel et Walker, Tony’s Chocolonely, Loving Earth and Mirzam. We focus on sourcing products that are premium, ethical and also a little different to what’s available elsewhere in the market. We source from all over the world, but we also work with fantastic home-grown brands such as Mirzam – Chocolate Makers.

We want Spinneys to be the go-to brand for seasonal events like Easter, for which we plan our range a year in advance. Our team is constantly looking at trends in the market to ensure we stock a selection that our customers will absolutely love. This year we have brought in a few exclusive one-off pieces including the Cocoa Loco Marbled Chocolate Bunny, Choc on Choc’s Bunny and Carrots, and two stunning dairy-free eggs from Booja Booja.