California Chocolate Abbreviated Definitions

California is not particularly known as a region in which the cocoa beans are grown and harvested.  Here are a few terms used in the production of fine chocolate which you will find throughout California!

CHOCOLATE GLOSSARY

For detailed definitions, see  finechocolateindustry.org

Artisan chocolate - produced by artisans, a knowledgeable chocolate maker

Cacao - Theobroma cacao tree, and the fruits it produces, as well as their seeds

Chocolate Maker - companies that produce chocolate in small batches from fermented and dried cocoa beans

Chocolate Manufacturers - large, mass market companies that produce chocolate

Chocolate liquor - has nothing to do with alcohol, but refers to ground up cocoa nibs

Chocolate or Cocoa percentage - percentage of chocolate liquor + cocoa butter + cocoa powder in a chocolate. A 70% chocolate bar has about 30% sugar

Chocolatier - person that uses fine chocolate to create unique chocolate products and confectionery

Coating chocolate or chocolate-flavored coating - Some or all of the cocoa butter is removed from the chocolate liquor and is replaced with less expensive vegetable fat

Cocoa butter - Cocoa butter is a vegetable fat

Cocoa butter percentage - higher percentages in fine chocolate have a positive impact on mouthfeel and flavor.

Cocoa nibs - The broken pieces of the fermented, dried, and usually roasted, cocoa bean, after the shell may be eaten out of hand, or ground into chocolate liquor

Cocoa powder - lower in cocoa butter than the initial chocolate liquor from which it is made, it has 10-22% cocoa butter content

Conching -   a texture and flavor improvement process

Couverture - used by chocolatiers to coat ganache or in molded chocolate bonbons

Dark chocolate - should only contain cacao liquor, sugar, cacao (cocoa) butter, lecithin, and vanilla.

Lecithin - is an emulsifier

Milk chocolate - only contains cacao liquor, sugar, cacao (cocoa) butter, milk solids, milk fat, lecithin, vanilla.

Pistoles - Coin shaped pieces of couverture.

Roasting - Cocoa beans are roasted 

Tempering - temperature of the chocolate is manipulated to allow for a controlled crystallization of the cocoa butter to occur

Terroir - refers to ways a particular place can have an impact on a given population of cacao

White chocolate - Fine white chocolate should only contain sugar, cacao (cocoa) butter, milk solids, milk fat, lecithin, vanilla.

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