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Where Milk and Dark Chocolate Meet

Author: Lisa Jeeves
by Lisa Jeeves
Posted: May 03, 2016

There used to be just two schools of thought when it came to chocolate. There were those who loved everything that came coated in the sweet, creamy milk version. Then there was the other side of the coin – those whose idea of heaven was the sharp taste of the bittersweet dark treat. For years, wholesale chocolate companies supplied each of these two seemingly opposing camps with their preferred version. But now, things are beginning to change.

The fans of milk chocolate love its soft, creamy texture that coats the inside of the mouth, making every single taste bud explode with sweetness. Fans of the bittersweet dark stuff, on the other hand, will often say that the dark version has a much richer flavour and provides a more complex taste experience – one that varies with the source of the cacao beans, the way the beans are processed, and other factors.

No Right or Wrong

Of course, there’s no right or wrong when it comes down to personal taste. But that doesn’t mean that the debate has ever ceased. Manufacturers and suppliers of wholesale chocolates are well aware that many of their customers strongly prefer one type of chocolate over the other, and are therefore unlikely to switch sides.

Milk chocolate usually contains a relatively small amount of cocoa solids. It can be as low as 30% and in some instances, even less. It’s these solids that give it its distinct taste. The greater the percentage of cocoa solids, the darker and stronger the final product. Bittersweet chocolate is usually available cocoa content ranging anywhere from 50% to 90%. Anything above that and you’re pretty much eating the pure stuff – which is an acquired taste.

Did You Know…

You might be wondering, where is white chocolate in this milk-vs.-dark debate? Well, the white bars aren’t (strictly speaking) classified as chocolate, because they don’t contain any cocoa solids at all. What they do contain are fats from the cocoa bean in a form known as cocoa butter. This derivative of the cocoa bean contains healthy elements such as thiamine, riboflavin, and phenyl ethylamine. It is a powerful antioxidant, but the processing used in the production of white chocolate removes these qualities from the cocoa butter.

Chocolate Fusion

Over the past few years, our favourite food, which was once the enemy of dieticians, has been coming into favour thanks to its designation as a ‘superfood’, with many properties that can benefit our health.

This, in its turn, has led to the development of what some call "half and half" or "halfway house" chocolates. In essence, this is an attempt to develop a product that will provide both lovers of milk and bitter one product that is a fusion of all the good qualities in both types.

Today, wholesale chocolates are available with varying degrees of cocoa solids that combine milk and bitter into one taste experience. Look for bars with a 36%-54% concentration of cocoa solids plus milk for a new and invigorating flavour sensation.

Angelina Moufftard works for hf Chocolates, established wholesale chocolates suppliers with decades of experience supplying sweets and high-end chocolates to retailers across the UK. Working with the most dedicated suppliers from France, Spain, Germany, Holland, Belgium, the USA and the UK, hf Chocolates' great tasting and beautifully packaged products add panache to any sweet display.

About the Author

Writer and Online Marketing Manager in London.

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Author: Lisa Jeeves

Lisa Jeeves

Member since: Oct 18, 2013
Published articles: 4550

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