Is there such a thing as the "perfect" chocolate bar?

Did you see this news about the quest for “perfect” chocolate?

For the thousands of you who have joined us on our workshops and tastings this summer the complexity of cocoa will come of no surprise.

Having explored and studied the cocoa of Colombia for many years I was first inspired by the diversity that the geography, climate and cocoa materials represented in the country.

Of course the story is much more complex and nuanced than this article can fully articulate.

At York Cocoa Works we champion a “Terroir” based approach to cocoa - we have come to observe that genetics, landscapes, biodiversity, traditions and economic social factors all play a role in the cocoa we work with and the chocolate we create!

The cocoa variety, the soil and the climate all create a set of flavour precursors ie potential - that are locked within the cocoa beans and the cocoa fruit/pulp - like all fruits this varies with rainfall and sunshine harvest to harvest and tree to tree.

The fermentation process creates a series of enzymatic reactions turning the energies and chemical compositions contained in the precursors of the beans and fruit into the flavours we receive and work with.

The fact that farmers can create consistent beans harvest to harvest is in short a miracle that we are grateful for.

Now industry and science need to codify these things - and that’s what this research is about!

We take the view that there are no bad Cocoa beans anywhere in the world - but there are bad and ineffective practices!

This research demonstrates quality control practices that have the ability to unlock quality potential from cocoa origins that have been conveniently dismissed as “bulk”.

For us at York Cocoa Works we search for origins where controls are in place to create qualities our customers are willing to pay for. We do not exclusively work with single farmers or only South American origins. We know that exceptional quality can be found everywhere if only farmers are supported and empowered with the knowledge and market place to gain the reward of better practices.

I’m looking forward to discussing this more at the London Chocolate Forum 2025 but for now read up here and come see us and let your tastebuds understand!