3 Ways To Enjoy Your Favorite Kind Of Chocolate Even More Than You Already Do
Do you describe yourself as a chocolate lover? Have you journeyed through every sweets shop and ordered samples from afar in a personal quest to find the primo box or bar of creamy cocoa, and do you feel confident that you've found the absolute best-tasting chocolate the world has to offer? While it may seem impossible to imagine, you can take your chocolate game to the next level. Here are 3 ways to enjoy your favorite kind of chocolate even more than you already do.
Pair It With Music
Recently, an orchestra in London teamed up with a major chocolate company to demonstrate how sound can affect the flavor of chocolate. The orchestra released an entire album with each song specifically tailored to complement one chocolate bar in a line of treats. In total, nine bars were paired to nine unique songs with the intention of producing an exciting sound/taste experience. It sounds crazy, but it turns out there are studies to back it; what you listen to while you eat actually can affect how you experience the flavors of your food.
How can you use this information to go forth and make your favorite chocolate even better? The next time you're about to put a square of goodness in your mouth, throw some tunes on first. If your favorite chocolate bar is crunchy, try listening to some type of white noise such as calming ocean or rain forest sounds to boost that crunchiness. If you favor a smooth chocolate bar, keep your music low-pitched and mellow. If your favorite chocolate has lots of fruits and/or nuts in it, find a song with heavier beats and more melody changes.
Experiment With Textures
According to research, your brain takes the shape and feel of food in your mouth into account when determining how you experience the taste of that food. And yes, this holds true for chocolate. In fact, when a chocolate company changed the shape of their bars some years back, they were bombarded with compliments on their new recipe despite the fact that their recipe remained unaltered.
If you want to see if changing the shape and/or texture of your favorite chocolate will bring out hidden notes of flavor, try custom ordering your favorite brand in a shape other than you're used to. If you like milk chocolate, opt for a smooth, round product; rounder shapes tend to taste sweeter. If you favor the subtle bitterness of dark chocolate, try to get a square bar if you usually purchase round pieces. Angular shapes are perceived as more bitter by your brain.
Complement It With A Beer
Wine has taken the spotlight for ages when it comes to adult drinks that complement chocolate. With all the new craft beer on the market now, however, that may be changing. The richness and subtle flavors of beer tend to coincide well with chocolate, often highlighting otherwise masked flavors.
If your favorite bar is milk chocolate, look for a light, chocolaty stout. If dark chocolate is your thing, try eating it with a strong, dark ale. If your bar of choice is filled with nuts or fruit, simply look for a craft beer that has similar fruit or nuts in its flavor profile. Don't be afraid to experiment, but avoid IPAs. IPA-style beer is hops-heavy and tends to clash with the delicate sweetness of chocolate.
You may think that you've found the best chocolate in the world and it couldn't get any better, but it actually can. Try the above three tips to bring the taste of your absolute favorite kind of chocolate to the next level. Check out a candy shop like Abdallah Candies And Gifts to find some chocolate and get started with rour pairings.
