Do percentages matter?
We know that dark chocolate is good for us - full of antioxidants and polyphenols and all that good stuff which only comes out in the dark (70% or more) - but does it matter if it's 70% or 80% or even 100%?
Well, the higher the %, the less sugar is added and the more anti-oxidants you get through the increased cocoa solids. If we take the Lindt Dark Chocolate range as a guide, their 70% has 29g of sugar/100g, moving up their 78% drops to 17g of sugar/100g, then 15g at 85% cocoa solids, 7g at 90% and just 0.5% in their 100% bar. So you could leave it there and say, yes the higher the % the better but it is not that clear cut and we still want to like the taste and reap the benefits.
The cacao itself, where it grows, how its been treated and the balance of cocoa butter and solids all play a huge part. The higher the percentage, the less sweetness and therefore the cacao is more on show and the quality of the bean and the makers become more important.
This is where single origin bars show off the flavour profiles of the individual cacao beans, from a certain region or grower a bit like wine and if you look for independent chocolate makers there will be no emulsifiers and generally 3 core ingredients; cocoa mass, sugar and cocoa butter to create a bar. So with the view that anything 70% or above is good for you, don't struggle through a 100% bar if that's just not for you (although you will find some 100% bars are smoother than others and you could find one you like) but instead search out independent crafters and chocolatiers and try different percentages until you find your favourite.
Here's some of my favourites so far ......
Comments