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Chocolate Care and More FAQS

Does your chocolate spoil?
What's the best way to store chocolate?
Why does chocolate sometimes get a white or grey sheen?
Do your chocolates contain allergens?
Do your chocolates contain hydrogenated oils? Transfats?
What is the percentage of cocoa in your chocolates?
Your chocolate is more expensive than others I see. Why?
What does percentage of cacao refer to?
Does a higher cocoa percentage mean better chocolate?
What does 'chocolate flavor' in a candy mean?
Can you send a free sample?


Chocolate FAQS
Stuffed Chocolate Site Help

Does your chocolate spoil?

Eventually every food product will go past its prime. Dark chocolate, however, is one of the longest lasting and most stable foods you can buy. Our dark chocolate has a shelf life of approximately 18 months. If held properly, chocolate can last for years. That being said, many people wrongly identify the phenomenon of fat or sugar "bloom" as "spoiled" chocolate

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What's the Best Way to Store Chocolate? The best way to store a chocolate bar is in a cool, dry environment where it will not come in contact with heat or moisture. There is usually no need to refrigerate dark chocolate that you will use within 8 months to a year of purchase. If you live in a very hot or humid area and must refrigerate your chocolate, we suggest wrapping it tightly in an extra layer of plastic wrap to help protect the aroma and flavor. Always allow the refrigerated chocolate to warm to room temperature before eating. We suggest that you never freeze chocolate.

Chocolate will oxidize more quickly and deteriorate in taste when exposed to light and air. Therefore, it is very important to protect the chocolate by storing it in closed packaging. Dark and milk chocolate naturally contain anti-oxidents (the agents that slow down the oxidation process). White chocolate does not contain these substances and is much more sensitive towards oxidation. The ideal temperature for storing chocolate is between 54°F and 68°F (12° and 20°C). At higher temperatures, the chocolate will soften and will lose its gloss. Lower storage temperatures are less risky. Care should be taken to bring cold products to room temperature to avoid condensation and sugarbloom. Fluctuating temperatures should also be avoided as they will accelerate the appearance of fatbloom. Chocolate should be protected against humidity and stored where the maximum relative humidity is 70%.

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Why does chocolate sometimes get a white or gray sheen on it?

There are two possibilities for this: 1) the cocoa butter has "bloomed" because the chocolate got warm enough for the cocoa butter's crystalline bonds to break and re-form in a "sloppy" pattern ("fat bloom"); or 2) condensation of water on the chocolate's surface has caused "sugar bloom". Neither type of bloom damages the chocolate for cooking purposes, but both make the chocolate grainy for eating out-of-hand.

Bloom

Blooming of chocolate products is the most common problem you will encounter in the world of chocolate. There are two forms of "bloom": fat bloom and sugar bloom. Fat bloom is the visible accumulation of large cocoa butter crystals on the chocolate surface. It is often accompanied by numerous minute cracks that dull the appearance of the chocolate. Sugar bloom is a crystallization of sugar that is often caused by high humidity and the formation of condensate ("sweating") when cold product is brought into a warm area. To differentiate between fat and sugar blooms, fat bloom will feel oily and melt when touched, while sugar bloom will feel grainy to the touch. Poor storage conditions cause fat bloom. To prevent bloom, it is important not to expose chocolate to wide fluctuations in temperature; instead, make all temperature changes gradually. Although it may look unpleasant, bloomed chocolate is fine to eat.

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Do your chocolates contain allergens?
All of our real chocolate products contain soy lecithin, a soy based emulsifier. depending on the product, a confection may contain tree and/or ground nuts, dairy, coconut, egg products, and gluten. We cannot guarantee that any of our products are entirely free of trace amounts of these ingredients. We produce all our artisanal chocolates in the same location with the same tools and utensils. Becauuse of this there is some risk of cross-contamination. We do, however, thoroughly cleanse and sanitize utensils when moving from producing one form of confection to another, but the basic component of all our chocolates includes lecithin.

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Do your chocolates contain hydrogenated oils, such as palm oil?
None of our chocolates contain hydrogenated oils and trans fats. All of our chocolates are real chocolates with cocoa butter as the sole fat.

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What percent of your chocolate is comprised of cocoa?
Artisanal Products - Standard Belgian Chocolate
Our dark (semi-sweet) is 53.5% cacao, cocoa Butter 35.7% and Natural vanilla.
Our milk chocolate is made with natural vanilla, has 31.5% cacao and 22.5% milk powder.
Our select white chocolate has 25.5% cocoa butter and 23% milk powder.

Panned Berries, Nuts, Coffee Beans, Fruits
A variety of chocolate styles are used, each best fitted to the filling within. If you require information regarding a specific product, please email your request to info@stuffedchocolate.com..

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Your chocolate is more expensive than products I see at the grocery. Why?

The basic facts are these:

- The chocolate we use is imported, couverture quality chocolate. We do not depend on sugar, wax, or non-cocoa oil to lessen the quality and lower the price. What you get is real chocolate

- We use only the finest ingredients, such as nuts, fruits and spices.

- Our truffles and other ganache and praline products use 40% real cream, unsalted butter, and natural flavorings.

- Each of our artisanal products is hand-made; in most cases, on receipt of your order. This level of hand-production and individual work increases our costs.

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What does percentage of cacao refer to?

Cacao content is the total cacao content in the chocolate, which is everything derived from the cocoa bean.
The three cocoa components are: chocolate liquor, cocoa butter and cocoa powder.
If you see a label for 60% Cacao Dark Chocolate it means the 60% cacao content is made up of cocoa butter and chocolate liquor; the remaining 40% of the chocolate is comprised of sugar, vanilla, and other ingredients.

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Does higher cacao percentage indicate better chocolate?

Not really. The percentage gives an indication of the intensity or mildness of a chocolate. If you prefer one flavor profile over another, that's a matter of taste - not percentages. Don't follow the 'numbers' - follow your favorite flavor!

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What does 'chocolate flavor' in a candy mean?It means that the candy or other product labelled 'Chocolate Flavor' does not contain real chocolate so, by Federal regulation, cannot be labelled as 'chocolate'. We here at Stuffed Chocolate do not create confections which are 'chocolate flavored' - we use the 'Real Thing'.

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Can you send free samples?

Sorry - due to the cost of shipping we cannot send a free sample.

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Any Other Questions? Contact Us!

Member: Retail Confectioners International

Stuffed Chocolate, Ltd.
138 Walton Drive
Amherst NY 14226

E-Mail info@stuffedchocolate.com
Call 716.839.5176
Toll Free 866.232.3612

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Unique Gourmet Chocolates from Stuffed Chocolate Extraordinary Chocolates are wrapped around the finest fruits, nuts, berries and roasted coffee beans. Rich deep luscious chocolate at its' best!Savor our tantalizing chocolate truffles in a variety of flavors, including rare ice wine truffles.We also offer a variety of Euro-styled chocolates, chocolate baked goods, teas, coffees, bar mixes, smoothies, and an ssortment of gift products.

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