Quality & Sensory

We at Blommer recognize that our customers make chocolate products, but sell excellent customer experience.

Flavor is the main key to that experience. Chocolate has a certain composition that makes it a unique product. It should be solid at room temperature, but melt in the mouth. High quality chocolate has a smooth, delicate taste and feels velvety smooth to the tongue and mouth.

People don’t just eat chocolate, they experience it!

The full experience of chocolate involves at least four of the five human senses, which is why sensory evaluation is a fundamental process in developing quality chocolate and cocoa products. We use sight, touch, smell, and of course, taste to evaluate the attributes of a chocolate. Getting it just right is what ensures the reputation of your brand.

Obviously, this is the most important element to sensory evaluation when it comes to chocolate, which can be any range of a combination of cocoa, sweet, milky or acidic flavors. If the balance isn’t right, the chocolate won’t please the palate. Chocolate out of balance or that has been improperly handled in the process from bean to bar can be bitter or woody, or can taste burnt or earthy.

When it comes to touch, a chocolatier must consider both the feel to the mouth and the feel to the hand. Does the chocolate melt away inside the mouth? Does it feel creamy and velvety? Or is it chalky? Mouth-feel is an important characteristic of chocolate. But the touch of chocolate also refers to how it breaks or snaps. Does it break with a clean edge, or is it crumbly? The sense of touch plays a big role in the quality of chocolate.

Taste and smell are intimately connected senses. In fact, it’s almost impossible to have taste without smell. Therefore, the aroma of chocolate must be considered along with the taste. A chocolate with a burnt or chemical-like odor simply won’t taste good.

Color, sheen and texture all play a role in quality chocolate. Chocolates can range from deep brown to almost red. And like with most foods, appearance is important to the brain when eating it. The sheen of a chocolate results from proper alignment of the cocoa butter crystals, which should produce a smooth and glossy finish. Improper storage can impact the sheen of chocolate. Chocolate that demonstrates a streaky white surface is said to have “bloomed” and is likely either old or was improperly tempered or stored.