3 White Chocolate-Buying Tips All Chocolate-Lovers Need To Know

Do you love white chocolate? Could you use a few tricks to help you make your next white chocolate experience an even better one? If so, read on for 3 white chocolate-buying tips that every chocoholic needs in their life.

Don't Be Afraid Of High-Cocoa Content Bars

All real chocolate bars will have their cocoa percentage printed on their labels. Most chocolate-lovers know that cocoa is bitter, and so the higher the percentage of cocoa a bar has, the less sweet and more bitter the bar will taste. What many of these chocoholics don't know, however, is that this rule only applies to milk and dark chocolate; and if they rule out high-cocoa content white chocolate bars based on this theory, they're missing out on an incredible experience.

When making chocolate, cocoa beans are separated into two components -- cocoa solids and cocoa butter. In milk and dark chocolate bars, both of these components are then mixed with sugar, milk, and flavoring. Since the solids are dark in color, though, they're left out of the mix when creating white chocolate. Instead, only the butter from the cocoa is mixed with sugar, milk, and flavoring. And guess what part of the cocoa bean is bitter... the solids.

That's right, you could buy a 70 percent cocoa-content white chocolate bar and it may not be very sweet, but it won't have any of the bitterness associated with high-cocoa content milk or dark chocolate bars. That's not to say that high-cocoa content white chocolate bars lack in flavor; the cocoa butter alone packs plenty of flavor and aroma. The real different produced by the lack of cocoa solids in white chocolate is the texture of the final bar. Good white chocolate is lighter and creamier than milk and dark chocolate.

Cocoa Content Not Listed, Now What?

If you're looking for a quick snack at a convenience store where you know the white chocolate bars aren't real chocolate, but you'd still like to get the closest thing to real chocolate as possible, the color of the bar could be a dead giveaway as to how good a product is. Cocoa butter is yellow, not white. A good white chocolate bar won't be white at all. Instead, it will be pale yellow in color, and that color will come directly from the large percentage of cocoa oil used in the production of it. 

If a white chocolate bar doesn't list its cocoa content, it's probably because the manufacturer is using inexpensive cocoa butter substitutes and adding the characteristic creamy color of white chocolate with artificial sweeteners. That's okay; as a knowledgeable chocolate-lover, you can get through this. The best of your options will be the least white bar you can find that doesn't have any artificial coloring. Just search the candy shelf for the most off-white white chocolate bar you can find, and then give its ingredients a quick scan for food dyes and artificial coloring. If you don't find any, you're holding a good bar; pay up and enjoy. 

For An Extra Special Treat, Look For A Bar Made With Criollo Beans

Chances are you've been enjoying white chocolate produced from the cultivar group of beans known as Forastero beans. Why? Because about 85 percent of the world's chocolate is made from Forastero beans. The trees that grow these beans are native to Africa; they're disease-resistant, fast-growing, and produce excellent yields.

Criollo beans, on the other hand, are tough to grow. They're actually the earliest known cacao bean and were harvested by the Mayans 2000 years ago. The trees that grow these beans thrive mostly in Central and South America; they produce smaller yields and aren't as disease-resistant as their Forastero relatives. Despite their growing difficulties, these beans are so sweet and well-balanced that they're considered a delicacy.

Criollo beans account for only 5 - 10 percent of the world's cacao production, so bars made from these beans are hard to find and somewhat expensive. But if you want a truly special treat, it's well worth the effort to scout down an authentic Criollo bean-made white chocolate bar.

Do you love white chocolate? Well, you could love it even more. The next time you need a chocolate fix, implement the above 3 tips when choosing your bar to find the best white chocolate bar a chocolate-lover could ask for, and when looking for some custom chocolate boxes, reach out to a place like Abdallah Candies And Gifts. 

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