charactistics of a fine chocolate

Listen, smell, see, taste and feel. Chocolatiers know a fine chocolate by its characteristic “snap” when broken. The chocolate should appear smooth and slightly shiny.  Its aroma should be full, but not too sweet.  It should feel silky to the tongue, with no graininess. At room temperature, its flavor is at its fullest.

cocoa liquor content

Using time-tested, proprietary European techniques, raw cacao from the tropics is transformed into cocoa “liquor”—cocoa in its purest form.

The greater the cocoa content, the richer the flavor. Fine milk chocolates require a cocoa content of 30% or higher; we prefer 40% or above. The bittersweet European chocolate that we use comprises 52 to 70% cocoa liquor—enough for a rich, satisfying taste, but with enough Heartland whipping cream, butter and sugar to lend a sweet balance to the cocoa's natural sharpness.