Glossary of Terms

Conch

Invented in 1879 by Rudolphe Lindt, the conch was originally shell shaped (hence the name). It consists of a large vessel capable of taking a few tonnes of cocoa liquor at a time. Inside is a large paddle mounted eccentrically, which grinds the cocoa against the sides as well as continually stirring the mixture. The process is run for usually a minimum of 6 hours, although the better chocolate manufacturers will continue a batch for up to 100 hours. This process is not fail safe - chocolate can become "conched out" which means that the resultant texture being cloying.

Cocoa

Cocoa liquor, also known as cocoa solids, is the combination of the cocoa mass and the cocoa butter.

Snap

This is a measure of how the chocolate breaks when a piece is broken off the rest of the block. The cleaner and crisper the sound, the better. A good, clean snap indicates that the cocoa butter has been correctly conched.

Sweetness

This varies from Very Sweet through Balanced to Very Bitter.

Taste

An area for all the tasting notes.

Texture

From gritty to very smooth. The smoother the better, generally, except when it becomes cloying.