Secrets About Professional Chocolate Tasters
① People's faces light up when I say I taste chocolate for a living, but it's not always delicious. I also have to taste bad chocolate. I'm usually in a small room and sit in front of a computer to record information. Sometimes the room has red lighting. So I can evaluate chocolate only by taste, not appearance.
② I can sample as many as 30 chocolates per day. To taste them professionally, I spit the sweets back out. That's another not-so-sweet part of the job. Between samples, I wait 30 seconds to let my senses rest, and I chew half an unsalted biscuit and drink plain warm water.
③ First I smell the chocolate and record it. I also listen: Old chocolate doesn't make a clear and sharp sound when broken. Then I put a tiny piece in my mouth and leave it there for a few seconds. I let it melt and record the four basic tastes-sweet, sour, bitter and salty.
④ I love chocolate. The bottom part of my refrigerator is filled with chocolate from different parts of the world. My favorite types are very high in cocoa(可可粉).Before I started tasting chocolate professionally, I ate a lot. But now I don't eat so much.
⑤ Many people don't know how to appreciate the taste of chocolate. As a taster, I want to help others do what I do. To retrain your taste buds to enjoy better quality chocolate, try simple kinds that aren't filled with ingredients like nuts. Look at food with curiosity and love. Notice its color, smell and taste. Then you'll know good quality.