Everything You Need to Know About Dark Chocolate: A Complete Guide

1. Dark Chocolate: Healthy Thanks to Low Sugar and No Milk Content? Dark chocolate, also known as "bitter chocolate", plays a special role among gourmets, as the focus is on the pure taste of the delicately tart cocoa beans. While lovers of milk chocolate or white chocolate appreciate the mild aroma and creamy consistency, dark chocolate convinces with its authentic strength of character and a particularly crunchy chocolate break. Speicher & Consorten gives you tips for a full-bodied chocolate enjoyment and introduces you to the health potential of cocoa beans. This article is completed with the most important purchase and quality criteria for dark chocolate bar. What is dark chocolate? While dark chocolate is often used colloquially, varieties with a cocoa content of at least 70% are referred to as dark chocolate. As the cocoa content increases, the dark color - and the delicate tart nuances - becomes correspondingly more intense. It is characteristic of dark chocolate that, unlike milk chocolate and white chocolate, it does not contain any milk components and therefore melts less on the tongue. Chocolates with a high cocoa content are also known as black chocolate or men's chocolate. Dark varieties with a cocoa content of around 50% are in turn referred to as dark or semi-sweet. If the cocoa content of chocolate is between 50 and 70%, it is sometimes also referred to as dark chocolate. What is dark chocolate made of? ingredients Dark chocolate consists of cocoa mass, cocoa butter, sugar and possibly vanilla. The other ingredients vary depending on the cocoa content. While chocolate with 70% cocoa already has tart, fruity cocoa nuances, but still tastes subtly sweet, the mix of a high cocoa content and a low sugar content of a chocolate with 85% cocoa ensures pure, intensely bitter cocoa enjoyment. A chocolate with 90% cocoa contains even less sugar and, due to the high cocoa content, is only something for gourmets who appreciate an authentically bitter taste. No sugar is added to 100% cocoa black chocolate and it consists only of cocoa mass. A culinary tip: intensely dark varieties are ideal when melted, to wrap fruits like strawberries or bananas in a chocolate coating. Tart bitter dark chocolate is also ideal for refining desserts, ice cream, pralines and pastries. How is dark chocolate made? For an intense chocolate aroma, the cocoa beans are first fermented, dried and roasted. The cocoa beans are then ground. As cocoa mass, they now form the basis for the production of dark chocolate, which is mixed with cocoa butter and sugar in a kneading mixer. For a fine consistency, a flaky chocolate powder is produced using a multi-stage grinder, which is then conched. When conching, the chocolate mass is stirred and kneaded at 55 to 90 degrees in order to remove undesirable flavors - for example, excessively bitter nuances. Accordingly, this step in chocolate production is indispensable for a full-bodied flavor. Conching also draws liquid out of the chocolate mass and ensures a melt-in-the-mouth consistency. So

2. that the finished dark chocolate breaks with the typical cracking and has a matt shine when it is later enjoyed, it is tempered and then cooled again. Before the final shape is created, the chocolate mass is melted one more time and poured into bars or bars - or used as a coating for pralines and the like. Is dark chocolate healthy? Dark chocolate is rightly considered healthy because it has a high cocoa content. This is responsible for the positive effects on the cardiovascular system. This is because cocoa beans contain valuable antioxidants that have a cell-protecting function. These are secondary plant substances which, in the form of flavonoids, have a preventive effect against cardiovascular diseases. In addition, the cocoa components can have a positive influence on blood pressure. Another plus point of dark chocolate is the reduced sugar content, which has a positive effect on dental health. However, since dark chocolate also provides concentrated energy, chocolate types with 70% cocoa content and more should only be consumed in moderate quantities. Otherwise the body weight increases - and being overweight has a negative effect on the cardiovascular system. A bar or rib of a chocolate with at least 70% cocoa is a guide for healthy enjoyment. In this regard, why not try our delicious Antidote Chocolate, which delights connoisseurs with their delicate, tart, slightly fruity aromas. Another highlight of dark chocolate: the higher the cocoa content, the faster the desire for the chocolaty aroma is satisfied. Accordingly, a piece of chocolate with 85, 90 or 100% cocoa can satisfy the chocolate craving. The higher the cocoa content and lower sugar content of dark chocolate, the lower the blood sugar increases, so that sugar-free dark chocolate with 100% cocoa is an option for diabetes. Dark chocolate without sugar is therefore also suitable in small quantities for people who love chocolate but would like to lose weight or not want to gain weight. Health-conscious connoisseurs can increase their cell protection and the preventive effects on the cardiovascular system, if you supplement the supply of flavonoids by consuming other foods. In this context, green tea, berries, coffee, cherries, black tea and citrus fruits should be mentioned. Let yourself be carried away by our Speicher & Consorten specialties such as our fruity Elbe-fresh green tea , our aromatic captain's coffee and our Speicher & Consorten Speicherstadt tea inspire you to enjoy "healthy pleasure"! Is dark chocolate suitable for people with lactose intolerance? While the classic dark chocolate is milk-free and therefore does not contain any lactose, individual dark chocolate types can have a small amount of milk components. To be on the safe side, people with a lactose intolerance should look at the ingredients list. Since the low lactose content is hardly significant in comparison to milk chocolate, dark chocolates tend to be unproblematic for lactose intolerant people and are usually well tolerated. If you suffer from a milk protein allergy, however, you should only consume classic dark chocolate, whose recipe is purely vegetable. The same applies to vegans: while milk chocolate and white chocolate are unsuitable due to the animal ingredients,

3. Buy Artisans Premium Quality Antisote Chocolate Bars For lovers of dark chocolate, we recommend our hand-poured Antidote Quality Chocolate Bars for a smooth, melting pleasure. This natural dark chocolate with 70% cocoa content is free from additives and owes its unmistakable aroma to slightly fruity nuances that linger for a long time. The fine cocoa beans for this specialty - the varieties Criollo and Trinitario from Peru - are lovingly hand-picked by small family businesses before they are further refined.