90% of the world’s population loves eating chocolate because it tastes so good. When we eat chocolate our body releases dopamine which is similar to chemicals that are pumped into our blood when someone kisses, hugs, or delights us. There are a lot of things that come under the single word “chocolate”, from sweet chocolate to dark bitter chocolate.
You can buy chocolates online for gifts, parties, or just to delight your taste buds. It comes in different shapes such as stars, animals, people, and more to celebrate festivals. For instance, you may have seen chocolate eggs and rabbits on Easter festival and chocolate Santas and coins on the occasion of Christmas.
The cacao tree is the source of cocoa beans which is the main ingredient to chocolate. Apart from making chocolate, cocoa beans are used in a wide range of chocolate-flavored beverages and desserts. These beans are not used directly, they are first fermented and roasted.
There are major three kinds of bean products -:
- The solid part of the bean is known as Cocoa
- The fat element is known as cocoa butter
- The combination of these two is Chocolate
A chocolate bar is made by combining cocoa solids and fats with sugar and other ingredients.
Basic Types of Chocolates -:
Following are three basic types of chocolates
Milk Chocolate
The texture of Milk chocolate is smooth and silky. It is made up of cocoa solids, cocoa fat, vegetable oil, and sugar. It is much sweetened in taste and consists of at least 12% of milk powder or condensed milk.
If you like velvety touches in the chocolate then this type of chocolate is for you. It is creamy and lighter in color. It can be covered with roasted nuts to give some crunch touch. This type of chocolate contains only 10% cocoa and is very popular among children due to its sweetened taste.
White Chocolate
Some people think that white chocolate is not real chocolate and made with milk. But it is not that white chocolate is also made from coca, but only with cocoa butter, cocoa solids are not added in white chocolate. In addition to large amounts of cocoa butter, it also contains palm oil, other filler, and loads of sugar.
The composition of this chocolate is close to 20% of cocoa butter, 15% of milk powder, and about 55% sugar content. The pure white chocolate is produced with a good amount of cocoa butter but many companies add its substitutes such as vegetable oils to reduce its cost.
Chocolate products are not only known for their outstanding taste but also symbolizes love and friendship. It is the best idea to buy and gift chocolate online for your girlfriend or boyfriend on Valentine’s occasion.
Dark Chocolate
Generally, dark chocolate is bitter and contains more cocoa solids as compared to milk chocolate and white chocolate. It is a good source of minerals( iron, magnesium, and zinc) and antioxidants (flavonoids and polyphenols), therefore reduces the risks of heart disease, diabetes, and cancer.
It is of two types: one is semi-sweetened and the other unsweetened. The second one is pure chocolate liquor. The coca content in semi-sweetened chocolate is more than 30% and it can be higher than 80% in unsweetened one. It is rarely liked by small children, only young and adult people prefer to eat dark chocolate. It is one of the best stress relieving food and used for baking and melting many deserts.
Further Classifications of Chocolates -:
These basic chocolates are further classified into following types -:
Raw Chocolate
Raw chocolate often made from unroasted cocoa beans and milk solids are not added to it.
Organic Chocolate
The organic cocoa beans, which are grown without synthetic chemicals and fertilizers are used to produce organic chocolate. The surplus amount of phenols are found in Organic chocolates. It is expensive compared to other types of chocolates.
Cocoa Nib
The nib is made from crushed cocoa beans and is rich in nutrients. It is used in smoothies, oat mills, and smoothies.
You must try all the above-mentioned chocolates to delight your taste buds.
