The four types of chocolate are white, dark, milk, and semisweet. White chocolate contains cocoa butter instead of cocoa solids, hence it has very little chocolate flavor. Dark chocolate contains more cocoa solids than any other type of chocolate, making it the closest form to pure cocoa. Milk Chocolate has a creamier, milder taste which is very popular.
The percentage of cocoa required varies by region. Dark chocolate is the closest form to pure cocoa, contains at least 45% cocoa with extra-dark having 70-100% cocoa. It offers the most health benefits and contains no dairy.
Semisweet chocolate is used for baking cookies and other desserts.
Understanding how chocolate goes from cacao tree seeds to grocery store bars is vital in differentiating types. After roasting, the cocoa seeds are deshelled into nibs. Nibs are ground into cocoa mass, then melted into chocolate liquor – the base of most types.
Quality beans are carefully selected, fermented, and dried to develop flavor.