The best varieties of dark chocolate

The history of real dark chocolate began in 1828 thanks to the discovery of the Dutch entrepreneur Konrad van Houten, who invented a hydraulic press and learned with its help to separate cocoa butter from dry cocoa powder.

Houten, a talented chemist, figured out how to use lye to process cocoa solids. Under the influence of alkali, the fibers of the cocoa beans became softer and more amenable to processing. The powder obtained by Houten was highly soluble in milk and water and had a pleasant taste. This is how instant cocoa was invented.

At the same time, the first dark chocolate bars were made from cocoa butter (obtained in the process of pressing), cocoa and sugar mass. The resulting chocolate was glazed into sweets, which were made at the van Houten chocolate factory in Amsterdam.

Van Houten's discovery marked the beginning of the creation of the chocolate industry. It is no coincidence that the middle of the 19th century was the time of the emergence of the largest chocolate companies: Ritter Sport in Germany, Nestlé in Switzerland, Kanebo in Belgium, Cadberry in England, Hershey in the USA, Abrikosov and Sons Partnership in Moscow ".

What is the best chocolate in the world?

The best bitter chocolate is produced in Belgium. According to old production standards, Belgian chocolate does not contain artificial flavors, preservatives or additives. It contains only natural cocoa butter and grated cocoa, and of the highest quality. Bitter in Belgium is chocolate that contains at least 72% cocoa liquor.

Almost every Belgian city has a small chocolate factory, as well as small boutique shops where you can buy delicious handmade chocolates. The generally recognized world capital of chocolate is the Belgian city of Bruges.

The most famous brands of Belgian chocolate:

• Neuhaus;
• Leonidas;
• Godiva;
• Gilian;
• Pierre Marcolini;
• Wittamer.

To store high-quality preservative-free chocolate, special conditions (temperature and humidity) are required, so it is hardly sold in regular stores. They go to a specialized boutique for him.

The best brands of Swiss chocolate

Switzerland ranks second in the ranking of global chocolate producers. The inhabitants of this country are so fond of chocolate that, on average, each of its inhabitants eats 12 kilograms of this delicacy per year.

The best bitter chocolate made in Switzerland is represented by the brands:

• Lindt;
• Villars;
• Frey;
• Maestrani;
• Sprungli;
• Toycher.

Elite varieties of Swiss chocolate are made from the most expensive cocoa products, do not contain preservatives and chemical additives, and therefore their shelf life is not too long. The range of products from Swiss manufacturers is updated weekly in chocolate boutiques around the world.

Elite French chocolate

French producers of quality chocolate have recently begun to displace Belgian and Swiss chocolatiers from the top lines of the best chocolate rankings.

The best bitter chocolate of French production amazes not only with the sophistication of taste and boldness in the selection of ingredients.Richard's box of chocolates, for example, has built-in sensors that monitor temperature and humidity. The best brands of French chocolate are represented by brands:

• Richard;
• Madame Sevigne;
• Michelle Richard;
• Michel Chatillon;
• Debauve & Gallais.

The most expensive chocolate

Bitter chocolate, which is the best? Probably the one that is served to the table of the American President and Queen of Great Britain.

• The most expensive chocolate in the world is Chocopologie by Knipshildt. The cost of one pound (450 grams) of this chocolate is $ 2,600.
• The second step in the rating of prices for chocolate belongs to the products of the Texas company Noka. A tiny box containing four pieces of this chocolate will set you back $ 16, and one pound costs $ 854.
• The Swiss company DeLafée amazed the whole world by covering its candies with the thinnest layer of 24-karat gold. A set of two candies costs 40 euros, and the cost of one pound of chocolate is 508 dollars.
• The cost of a pound of exquisite Belgian chocolate from Godiva is $ 120.

The best brands of Russian chocolate

The best bitter chocolate in Russia is produced in factories:

• Commitment to quality.
• Russian chocolate.
• Russia.
• The victory of taste.
• Odintsovo Confectionery Factory.
• Bogatyr.

The whole gamut of dark chocolate tastes is most fully represented, perhaps, in the products of the Faithfulness to Quality factory. Cocoa liquor content in premium chocolate bars: 65%, 75%, 85% and 99%.

Inside one 100-gram package of Assorted Bitter Chocolate Flavors there are 20 square 5-gram bars representing the entire range of dark chocolate flavors produced by this factory.

The gustatory palette of bitter chocolate from the Odintsovo Confectionery Factory (producing A. Korkunov chocolate) contains from 55 to 72% grated cocoa.

The best Russian chocolate is produced at three factories of the United Confectioners holding:

• Concern Babaevsky
• Roth Front.
• Red October.

Bitter chocolate produced by the Babaevsky concern amazes with a variety of flavors. Nuts (hazelnuts, almonds), vitamins, candied fruit pieces, sesame seeds, ginger are added to it. Some types of chocolate are made using a sweetener (isomalt). Bitter chocolate without additives contains 75 and 87% cocoa liquor.

The Krasny Oktyabr factory produces bitter chocolate of the Slava (porous and dessert) and Gorky brands, containing 80% grated cocoa.

The Rot Front factory, which is part of the same holding, produces 3 versions of Osenny Waltz brand dark chocolate containing 56% grated cocoa:

• dark chocolate with alcohol content;
• bitter chocolate with orange pieces;
• bitter aerated chocolate containing alcohol and orange pieces.

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Andrey Mosov, head of the expert area of ​​NP Roskontrol, doctor:

“Lead and cadmium are very toxic, they accumulate in the human body, have a negative effect on the nervous system, blood cells, the state of bones and internal organs. If you eat 50 grams of chocolate every day, then you will receive 9 mg of lead per year. At the same time, according to studies, the average city dweller already receives about 20 mg of this heavy metal per year with all other products containing lead and from the polluted atmosphere. Such a dose is already enough for the first signs of toxic effects to appear: a decrease in mental activity, high blood pressure, headaches and memory impairment. That's why you shouldn't get too carried away with chocolate. "

I propose to figure out which chocolate is healthier and better quality.

What should be in the lineup?

Bitter chocolate is, first of all, milk-free chocolate!

The main ingredients are cocoa mass and cocoa butter. The more cocoa liquor in the composition, the better and healthier.Bitter chocolate must contain at least 55% cocoa liquor.

Although according to the technology, cocoa powder can be found in dark chocolate, but an indicator of a really high quality is its absence. Therefore, I advise you to pay attention to this.

Sugar shouldn't come first! It is important. Choose those chocolates where he is as far from the beginning of the list as possible.

Is lecithin normal?

You will often see lecithin in confectionery. This substance will be responsible for a smoother and more uniform consistency. This is a generalized name for the products of refining vegetable oils by hydration. No negative changes in the body occur during its use. Its presence in the composition is the norm.

Why is dark chocolate sometimes sour?

Sour taste in 90% of cases is due to the low quality of raw materials. Perhaps the cocoa beans were not processed according to technology or with significant violations. Sometimes conching (intensive mixing at high temperatures) is not done correctly, or the beans are initially of poor quality.

Astringent taste may indicate that the beans have been stored for too long or have been plucked too unripe.

Good chocolate shouldn't have an astringent or sour taste.

Why does chocolate sometimes contain the inscription “may contain an insignificant amount of nuts, wheat, etc.”, even if there are no such components in the composition?

Everything is explained very simply. Few manufacturers can provide different equipment for different types of confectionery in production, i.e. where biscuits and chocolate with nuts are made, chocolate without additives is also made.

At the request of the technical regulation, any manufacturer is obliged in this case to indicate this information for people with food allergies. Nuts and wheat are some of the most common and strong allergens, and even the smallest amount is dangerous for people with intolerances.

So, let's move on to the chocolates themselves.

Ritter Sport with elite cocoa from Ecuador

Manufacturer: Ritter Sport

Location: Germany

Ingredients: cocoa mass (content of high-quality cocoa mass - not less than 40%), sugar, cocoa butter, milk fat, natural vanilla extract.

The nutritional value:

proteins - 7 g;
fat - 49 g;
carbohydrates - 28 g

Energy value: 602 kcal

On the front side of the package the inscription "73% cocoa" proudly flaunts, but in the composition - not less than 40%. By law, everything is fair, but ... As they say in Odessa: These are two big differences! The presence of milk fat in the composition is also not in favor of Ritter Sport.

"Apriori" with 75% cocoa content

Manufacturer: brand "Faithfulness to quality".

Location: Russia

Ingredients: cocoa mass, sugar, cocoa butter, lecithin emulsifier, salt, natural vanilla flavor. The total solids content of cocoa is not less than 75%.

The nutritional value:

proteins - 9.4 g
fats - 42.2 g
carbohydrates - 36 g

Energy value: 561 kcal

Good composition without any complaints. But this brand is rarely found in stores. Sometimes I see her in big 5-star fives.

"Red October" Gorky 80%

Manufacturer: Red October

Location: Russia, Kolomna

Ingredients: cocoa mass, sugar, cocoa powder, cocoa butter, soy lecithin emulsifier, vanilla flavor. The content of cocoa products is 80%. Mass fraction of total dry cocoa residue - not less than 75.7%

The nutritional value:

proteins - 12 g;
fats - 39 g;
carbohydrates - 29 g;

Energy value: 550 kcal

In the composition of this product, cocoa powder is listed in third place, which indicates that there is a lot of it in the chocolate mass - more than cocoa butter. Not the best option.

Korkunov "Gorky" 72%

Manufacturer: Odintsovo Confectionery

Location: Russia, Moscow region

Ingredients: cocoa mass, sugar, cocoa butter, soy lecithin emulsifier. Cocoa products in chocolate - 72%. Chocolate contains a total dry cocoa residue of 72%. May contain trace amounts of almonds, hazelnuts, wheat gluten, milk and egg whites.

The nutritional value:

proteins - 8.6 g;
fats - 45.2 g;
carbohydrates - 31.8 g

Energy value: 558 kcal

Good line-up, no questions asked.

Victory, dark chocolate 72%

Manufacturer: Confectionery factory "POBEDA"

Location: Russia, Moscow

Ingredients: cocoa mass, sugar, cocoa butter, emulsifier (lecithin), flavoring (vanillin). Total dry cocoa residue - not less than 65%.

The nutritional value

Proteins - 10 g;
Fat - 36 g;
Carbohydrates - 36 g

Energy value: 510 kcal

In this case, the title indicates "72% cocoa", and on the reverse side it is written in small print: "the mass fraction of the total dry cocoa residue is not less than 65%." But the difference is still not as big as that of Ritter Sport. But in general, the composition is very good.

Lindt 85% cacao

Manufacturer: Lindt

Location: France

Ingredients: cocoa mass, reduced fat cocoa, cocoa butter, unrefined cane sugar, natural flavor (Bourbon vanilla). May contain trace amounts of nuts, milk, soy, sesame and wheat. Chocolate contains: total cocoa solids not less than 85%.

The nutritional value

proteins - 11 g;
fat - 46 g;
carbohydrates - 19 g

Energy value: 530 kcal

This chocolate pleased us with the fact that sugar is in 4th place, also unrefined cane! Great news, but in second place is cocoa powder, which is allowed by the regulations, but indicates a lower quality of the chocolate itself.

CHOKLAD MÖRK 70%

Manufacturer: Ikea Food

Location: Spain

Ingredients: cocoa mass, sugar, emulsifier (lecithin), natural flavor (vanilla). Total cocoa solids: 70% minimum.

The nutritional value:

proteins 8g;
fat 39 g;
carbohydrates 37 g

Energy value: 560 kcal

Do not be alarmed, cocoa mass is cocoa mass with cocoa butter under a different name. There is no cocoa powder, vanilla instead of vanillin also pleases. Plus 70% on the package is equal to "at least 70%" in the composition. A good product!

Babaevsky, Elite 75%

Manufacturer: Babaevsky Confectionery Concern.

Location: Russia, Moscow

Ingredients: cocoa mass, sugar, cocoa powder, cocoa butter, emulsifiers, soy lecithin, E476, vanilla flavor. Mass fraction of the total dry cocoa residue - not less than 70.8%. There may be a small amount of peanuts, nuts: almonds, hazelnuts and cashews, dairy products

The nutritional value:

proteins 10.5g;
fats 37 g;
carbohydrates 32 g

Energy value: 530 kcal

Again, cocoa powder, which is more than cocoa butter! And lost 5% of cocoa solids.

So, I choose dark chocolate only without cocoa powder and milk fat. Because their composition will be approximately the same, I will arrange them according to the value of BJU (more protein, less fat, carbohydrates and calories).

Top 3 according to Eat and jog:

1) Victory, dark chocolate 72%

2) CHOKLAD MÖRK 70%

3) Korkunov "Gorky"

A priori with 75% cocoa is also a good product, but very rarely found in regular stores.

Please write in the comments if you want a similar review for milk chocolate or any other products.

Remember to moderate your consumption of even dark chocolate!

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