The Chocolate Lover Writer

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Types of Chocolate

Unsweetened Chocolate (sometimes known as baking chocolate) contains 100% cacao and 0% sugar. It’s held together by cocoa butter. Most people find unsweetened chocolate too bitter to eat as is, but it is often used in baking.

Cocoa Powder also contains 100% cacao and 0% sugar, but is missing the cocoa butter to keep it together. Cocoa powder is only used in baking and should not be confused with hot chocolate mix, unless you enjoy really bitter beverages.   

Dark Chocolate is chocolate that contains over 70% cacao. Not all 70% chocolates will have the same flavors or bitterness since the provenance of the cacao bean can radically alter the flavor, but all will contain the same amount of cacao to sugar ratio.

Bittersweet Chocolate is chocolate that contains around 70% cacao and 30% sugar. Nowadays this chocolate is more often used in baking than the traditional unsweetened chocolate. In Europe, bittersweet chocolate is simply known as dark chocolate.

Semi-sweet Chocolate contains around 60% cacao and 40% sugar. This great all-purpose chocolate can be eaten, used in baking, or even melted for decorating pastries.

Milk chocolate is chocolate that contains only 10 – 40% cacao mixed with sugar and milk solids. Occasionally vanilla is added extra flavor and lecithin for smoothness.

White chocolate contains no cacao at all and is simply made up of cocoa butter and sugar and occasionally a little vanilla for flavor. Chocolate purists don’t consider white chocolate to even be chocolate.

 Source: https://www.simplychocolate.com/learn-different-types-of-chocolate

My Favorites - Gourmet Bars

  • Chocolove - Dark chocolate with cherries and almonds
  • Chocolove - Milk chocolate with toffee and almonds
  • Ghirardelli - Dark chocolate with raspberry filling
  • Ghirardelli - Milk Chocolate with caramel

My Favorites - Mainstream candy bars

  • Twix
  • Babe Ruth
  • Almond Joy
  • Reece's  

The Chocolate Lover Writer

    Like many consumers around the world, I have a great love of chocolate. Although I guess a more accurate description would be that I appreciate chocolate in its many forms, but I don't have to have it all the time. I consider it to be more of a occasional treat that I indulge in every now and then.

    While I try to maintain a healthy diet, I can't fully escape the allure of chocolate, nor do I want to. I'm smart about my consumption of sweets. Maybe it's because I don't have an addictive personality, or I just have excellent control. No matter the reason, I never go overboard. I like to save my chocolate consumption for celebrating a personal goal or as a reward after an especially difficult day at work. And beyond that, I do partake in using it for more intimate activities (wink wink) when the mood strikes me.

"Theobroma Cacao, the Latin name for chocolate, means “Food of the Gods” for a reason. It’s a heavenly way to lift your performance."

    Aside from personal preferences and it being the number one treat for consumers, over the years there have been studies that have looked into health benefits concerning chocolate. Some of these benefits include a better mood, eating less, a healthier heart, glowing skin, less inflammation, and for anti-aging. Of course with any benefit, there is usually a drawback. In chocolate's case, most products have quite a bit of sugar in them, so be careful. 

    Also due to storage and farming issues, much of the world's chocolate supply can contain mold toxins. "One of the more insidious and dangerous forms of mycotoxin, ochratoxin A, was present in 98% of samples tested in one study.[33] Of those contaminated with ochratoxin, the study found an 80% co-occurrence of aflatoxin as well. Mycotoxins amplify each other when more than one is present."

    This is not meant to discourage you, but to inform you of the risks. I don't see myself giving up chocolate anytime, and neither should you. There are still too many bars and candies still for me to try.

Source: https://www.bulletproof.com/diet/superfoods/is-chocolate-good-for-you-health-benefits/?utm_source=google&utm_medium=paid_search&utm_campaign=7731436492%7CNB+DSA+-+103019&utm_content=non_branded&gclid=Cj0KCQjwv7L6BRDxARIsAGj-34o6aPHWs7gGJcKWf4CGJ4K5Ajw7S3Ccg0PiV7P30Qzyj3gnfBTx7OUaAs9wEALw_wcB

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