How to distinguish a high quality dark chocolate?

If you are a big fan of dark chocolate , you must know a few rules to distinguish a top quality product. Sigoji, a Belgian-Cameroonian luxury chocolate maker, informs you of the elements to watch out for in order to make the right choice of a high-end artisanal chocolate .

How to recognize the quality of dark chocolate?

The best way to analyze a dark chocolate is, of course, to taste it. But before that, there are a few techniques to ensure the quality of the product.

Check the cocoa percentage

For more taste , less fat and less sugar, choose dark chocolates with a maximum of cocoa, according to your tastes. The higher the cocoa content, the more health benefits the chocolate contains. In addition, the higher the rate, the less room it leaves for sugar . We can therefore consider that from 60% cocoa , a bar of dark chocolate is of quality. Indeed, this is the threshold above which the quantity of sugar present in the recipe is acceptable compared to that of cocoa .

Beyond 80%, the bitterness of the chocolate is very present. So if you like full-bodied dark chocolate, don't hesitate to choose products at 80, 90 or 100% to taste all the intensity of the cocoa!

Sigoji offers you dark chocolate bars with various cocoa percentages according to your preferences:

• Dark chocolate bar from Cameroon 65% cocoa ;
• Dark chocolate bar from Cameroon Old cocoa 80% ;
• Dark chocolate bar from Cameroon Noir Absolu 100 ?

Avoid long ingredient lists

Dark chocolate only requires three ingredients : cocoa powder, cocoa butter, and sugar. However, many store-bought chocolates may contain additives and flavorings . The longer the list of ingredients, the less the product resembles the traditional recipe for real chocolate .

Also check for the absence of vegetable fats (palm oil, shea, etc.). Many manufacturers use them to replace part of the cocoa butter, in order to save money. However, they have a negative impact on health and the environment . For example, palm oil increases bad cholesterol, due to its high level of saturated fatty acids, and carries a risk of cardiovascular diseases. It is also responsible for significant deforestation and therefore contributes to the disappearance of many species.

The watchword is, therefore, to favor chocolates prepared with “pure cocoa butter” and according to a coherent list of ingredients.

Choose an ethical and social chocolate shop

Sigoji carefully selects its ingredients in order to offer exceptional artisanal chocolates . Euphrasie Mbamba, the founder, born in her grandfather's cocoa plantations in Cameroon , has inherited ancestral know-how allowing her to perpetuate the tradition of real cocoa .

Sigoji's mission is to respect the environment and the work of the planters it works with. Some strong values are dear to the family chocolate factory:

• Respect for ancestral traditions ;
• Preserving cocoa using traditional methods ;
• Fair remuneration for planters ;
• Respect for the local terroir .

This is how the Belgian-Cameroonian chocolate factory is part of an ethical, social and sustainable approach while advocating fair remuneration for workers.

Need more information to choose your box? Contact Sigoji

Sigoji, Belgian artisan chocolatier, offers you a large selection of luxury chocolates . Request more information via our online form or contact us by phone .