The dark age

Life is like a box of chocolates, says Sally Field in the film Forrest Gump. "You never know what you're gonna get."

The chocolate industry is often full of surprises, with the premium end of the market full of innovative product ideas. Dark chocolate in particular has enjoyed a significant growth in sales in the UK recently, according to Mintel.

"Although dark chocolate is still high in sugar, it is rich in antioxidants and lower in fat than milk chocolate," says Mathilde Dudouit, senior market analyst at Mintel. "It now has the reputation of being healthier than other chocolate and this has really struck a chord with Britain's chocoholics."

"Dark premium chocolate has taken on a new role in recent years," remarks Marcell Redpath, account director at Dragon Brands consultancy. "We have a new breed of 'chocolate connoisseurs' who are lapping up the quality credentials of dark chocolate." Paul Young, chocolatier and proprietor of his eponymous boutique chocolate firm, agrees: "We are wanting to become better foodies and love being connoisseurs, whether it's wine, cheese or chocolate."

The Mayan civilisation of Central America first learned to enjoy chocolate roughly 3,000 years ago as an unsweetened, bitter drink fashioned from the cacao bean. The Spanish conquistadors took chocolate back to Europe in the 16th century and machinery devised during the Industrial Revolution facilitated the creation of the solid sweet we know it as today.

Essentially, sweet chocolate is a result of the blending of cocoa solids, cocoa butter, sugar and sometimes milk and vanilla, with different chocolate types and qualities arising from variations in the ratio of these blends. Dark chocolate contains no milk and a minimum of 70% cocoa (both solids and butter); milk chocolate contains roughly 50% cocoa, while white chocolate contains milk, sugar and cocoa butter, but no cocoa solids, which means it is not technically chocolate at all.

Cheap chocolate can contain as little as 7% cocoa, milk substitutes, and vegetable oil instead of the expensive cocoa butter. In the US, the Food and Drug Administration has rejected calls from some sweet manufacturers to amend the legal definition of chocolate to allow products made with these stand-in ingredients.

The long process of making chocolate also holds the key to distinguishing low-grade from top-notch. Three species of bean are mainly used: the widespread, hardy forastero; the rare, delicate criollo; and trinitario, a hybrid of the two. Variations in flavour and quality, however, lie not only in bean choice. "There are significant differences between cocoa beans from different plantations and areas of the world," Young explains. "Even the same variety will taste different depending upon where it is grown." Furthermore, they are: "sensitive to their surroundings and adopt fragrances and tastes from the soil and the air. Some cacao beans grown next to ylang ylang and vanilla fields pick up a floral fragrance"

While forastero isn't inferior, criollo is highly sought after for the complexities of its flavours, and can command up to £10 per 50g bar.

While this South American native is now mainly grown in West Africa, chocolate manufacturers are following customers' lead and placing more emphasis on origin.

"Increasingly we find ourselves using more types of chocolate with selected sources of origin," says Thorntons' head of new product development John Chambers. "The majority of our beans still come from Ghana and the Ivory Coast." Brands such as Montezuma are tapping into consumer interest in provenance with single-origin or single-estate chocolates, many with Fairtrade or similar approval.

After harvesting, the beans are fermented over several days, which removes all but around 6% of their moisture. Roasting is the next crucial stage, carried out at between 130°C and 150°C and subject to a fine margin of timing gauged by the roaster's use of taste and smell. The subtle variances of roasting that dictate nuances of flavour are a matter of strict industrial secrecy for manufacturers. The roast cocoa is ground to release the chocolate liquor, from which cocoa butter and cocoa solids are extracted and separated. The two are recombined in varying ratios to produce different qualities of chocolate. Emulsifiers such as soy lecithin or polyglycerol polyricinoleate (PGPR) are sometimes added to enable the smoothness, or 'mouthfeel' of the final product, although many manufacturers reject the use of these additives. PGPR is also used as a cocoa butter substitute in cheaper products.

The next process also contributes to mouthfeel. Refining sees the cocoa and sugar mix ground into particles of 20 to 30 microns (the tongue cannot feel anything smaller than 50 microns). This is followed by conching, again part of the smoothing process and also where premium and poor chocolates part company. In this process the cocoa mass is warmed, agitated and kneaded until smooth. Time spent conching can range from a few hours for cheaper brands to a few days for premium. The final process, tempering, involves the precise use of temperature control to determine the uniform crystallisation of the cocoa butter, which dictates the sheen and consistency of the final product and the quality of its snap.

The era of chocolate flavours extending only to a few fruit crèmes and a caramel hard centre has long gone. The growing sophistication of the public palate has seen the British population treated to flavour and truffle combinations that would once have been regarded as the stuff of pregnancy cravings. "My biggest selling chocolate truffles are Marmite, port and Stilton, sea-salted caramel and Cerney goat's cheese and lemon," says Young. "Could I have said this 10 years ago?" Several premium brands, including Young's, NewTree and Montezuma, have put - among other things - chilli, curry, lavender, tequila and wasabi into their chocolate.

Sales figures confirm dark chocolate's appeal. According to Redpath, Green & Black's dark varieties outsell their milky versions by two to one and Mintel puts sales at a 96% leap between 2005 and 2007, with £85M worth sold last year. Britons are eating less chocolate, but they are choosing to eat dark and premium brands more. The antioxidant and cancer-tackling reputation of dark chocolate is helping shift bars with up to 85% cocoa content. Young says: "Dark is the preferred medium for fine chocolatiers, as its diverse flavours and textures can be mixed and matched with unusual and interesting ingredients."

Premium chocolate-making is not without its challenges. "We wanted to do it the artisan way: by hand, without mechanical help or artificial ingredients," Young explains. "This led to a few small problems such as short shelf-life and having to make smaller batches every day, but we implement an ever-changing menu and have built up good customer loyalty."

The economic downturn is putting pressure on the industry. "Food inflation is across the board and cacao is not exempt," Redpath points out. "The price of cacao has risen by nearly 30% since December 2007." Chambers agrees: "We're always innovating and improving our products, but we face pressure as a result of ingredient price increases. That requires strong controls from our supply chain colleagues plus creative work from the new product development team and robust product formulation to minimise waste. But it would be false economy to cut corners on ingredients."

Despite the squeeze, the premium chocolate industry remains healthy enough to deal with demanding consumers and a crowded marketplace. Where to next? "The UK will see a huge shift towards local and seasonal British ingredients," says Young. "We have a diverse array of ingredients that marry with chocolate: blackberries, elderflower, sage, apples, pears and my personal favourite: English cheeses."

Maybe Mrs Gump had a point: you never know what you're gonna get. FM