If you start crunching on a cool bar of dark chocolate, you may find it disappointingly waxy and a tad bitter. But follow these steps for serving and tasting chocolate, and you'll get the full savoring experience.
•Always serve chocolate at room temperature. As with many foods, cold temperatures hinder your ability to detect the flavors in chocolate. Never store chocolate in the refrigerator.
•Smell the chocolate first. Inhaling the fragrance will prime your tongue for tasting the chocolate, so it actually can enhance your perception of its flavor.
•Don't take tiny nibbles of chocolate. Break off a big enough bite to detect all of the chocolate's nuances as it melts in your mouth.
•Place the chocolate on your tongue and allow it to arrive at body temperature. Press it against the roof of your mouth briefly.
•Let it melt a bit on your tongue before chewing; this allows the cocoa butter to spread evenly in your mouth, suppressing any astringencies or bitterness.
•Chew and enjoy, especially between sips of your favorite dessert wine from our list of winners.
Tina Danze
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