Chocoholic heaven: a tasting

For true connoisseurs, the business of tasting chocolate is as nuanced as tasting wine or coffee. When savored slowly, the flavors intensify and linger longer. What could be better?

Lee Johnson at Fiori Chocolatiers has devised a guide for planning your own chocolate tasting. Here are some ideas to consider.

Basics: Chocolate is best enjoyed at room temperature, approximately 66 to 76 degrees.

Sight: Couverture chocolate is typically dark-red brown to nearly black in color. Surface shine indicates that chocolate is freshly made and tempered properly.

Aroma: Smell the chocolate and pick out aromas from list. When tasting, refer to this same list for help describing flavors.

Flowery: like freshly cut flowers

Earthy: dried herbs, grasses, woody aromas

Spicy: cinnamon, pepper, vanilla

Berry: ripe berries such as raspberries, blackberries, currants

Fresh fruit: orange, lemon, passion fruit, pineapple

Nutty: almonds, hazelnuts, peanuts

Sound: Break chocolate between your fingers (or bite if it's a truffle). Properly prepared chocolate will "snap" when broken.

Taste: Allow the chocolate to sit on your tongue for a few seconds. Then chew 5 to 10 times to allow the melted chocolate to expand its surface area. Swirl it around to touch all areas of your tongue and roof of mouth.

The primary flavor qualities that you are sensing are acidity, bitterness and sweetness. Acidity helps to improve and intensify other sweet or fruity flavors. Bitterness is an indication of cacao quantity. Sweetness is the sugar content. When these are balanced properly they exemplify other flavors.

Use the flavor characteristics listed under "Aroma" to describe the chocolate.

Texture: Couverture chocolate should have no noticeable grainy texture on the tongue. It should be smooth and creamy with an almost buttery melting quality.

Finish: The chocolate flavor should remain and linger in your mouth. The longer it lasts, the higher the quality of couverture.

CeCe Sullivan, Seattle Times Food staff