Any chocophile has no doubt noticed that chocolate bars can have varying cocoa percentages ranging from the low 20s or 30s all the way up to 100%. These percentages can tell you a lot about the flavor profile and intensity you can expect from your chosen chocolate. To understand what these percentages mean it helps to have a thorough understanding of how chocolate is made in the first place.
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 Jessica Gavin | 2022-12-01 01:00:23 |  23,238 Views |
What is the difference between Dutch-processed and natural cocoa powder?
Chocolate comes from cocoa beans which are harvested from the cacao tree. There is some debate over the difference between "cocoa" and "cacao" but cocoa generally refers to the raw form of the beans while cacao is used to describe the beans after they have been processed. After fermentation dried and roasted cocoa nibs are separated from the husk of the bean. These raw cocoa nibs consist of cocoa solids and cocoa butter or fat. The nibs are put through a mill and as they are ground they are turned into cocoa liquor (which is non-alcoholic). As the nibs are ground other ingredients such as sugar and vanilla are added to the mixture before the final chocolate product is tempered and packaged. The ratio of pure cocoa products to other ingredients is indicated by the cocoa percentage.
For example if a chocolate bar has a cacao percentage of 75% this means that 75% of the recipe comes directly from the cacao bean. This "cocoa liquor" as it is sometimes called includes the cocoa butter and the cocoa liquor that is created during the milling process. The remaining 25% of the recipe is everything that is not chocolate. Usually this is mainly sugar but depending on the chocolate it can also be milk powder or a little vanilla.
Certain types of chocolate such as milk or dark chocolate require different cocoa percentages to earn their label. If you’re craving dark chocolate you’ll typically want to look for a bar with a minimum cocoa percentage of 60%. These requirements also vary depending on the country where the chocolate is made. For example the United Kingdom requires milk chocolate to have a cocoa percentage of at least 25%. In comparison the U.S. only requires 10%. Because of this many American chocolates such as Hershey’s bars (which have an 11% cocoa percentage) are often considered “not real chocolate” by cocoa connoisseurs.
