Chocolate 101
Cocoa, the types of chocolate, how it is made, and its history.
Chocolate 101 · Guide
How Chocolate Is Made: From Cocoa Bean to Bar
How chocolate is made, step by step: growing, fermenting and drying cocoa on the farm, then roasting, grinding, refining, conching and tempering.
6 articles
How Long Does Chocolate Last? Shelf Life and Storage
How long dark, milk and white chocolate last, whether old or bloomed chocolate is safe, and how makers set and label a best-before date.
Is Dark Chocolate Healthy? What the Research Says
What trials and regulators say about dark chocolate and health: cocoa flavanols, blood pressure, heart trials, sugar, and cadmium and lead.
Real Chocolate vs Compound Chocolate: What's the Difference?
Real chocolate is made with cocoa butter; compound uses other vegetable fats. What EU, US and Codex rules say, and how to read the label.
Dark, Milk, White, Ruby: The Types of Chocolate Explained
What dark, milk, white and ruby chocolate are made of, what the percentage on the wrapper means, and what EU and US rules say about each.
What Is Chocolate Tempering and Why Does It Matter?
Tempering makes cocoa butter set in one stable crystal form. Learn what that means, why it gives gloss and snap, and when you can skip it.