Savoring 101
"Lose your mind and come to your senses." - Fritz Perls
Step 1: Choose a peaceful setting to spend quality time with your chocolate.
Step 2: Cleanse your palate with room temperature water.
Step 3: Select a plate for your chocolate, sit down and relax.
Step 4: Take three deep breaths.
Step 5: If you will taste more than one chocolate bar, start with the one that has the highest cacao percentage and work your way down so the sweetest chocolate will be last.
Step 6: Admire the wrapper. The maker put a lot of love and care into designing it. Once unwrapped, examine the bar. Notice the design of the imprint. The bar should have a uniform, pleasing color, and the finish may be shiny or matte. There should be no unsightly spotting.
Step 7: Run your fingers along the surface of your chocolate bar. Feel the weight of it in your hand.
Step 8: Snap! Crackle! Pop! Breaking off a piece of well-tempered chocolate might sound like the solid click of a cylinder turning in a lock, the crisp, clean snap of your fingers, or the splintering of the most delicate sheet of ice.
Step 9: Holding the piece of chocolate close to your nose, deeply inhale its aroma. The smell may be fruity, floral, roasted, nutty, spicy or earthy. Smell accounts for 80% of flavor, so relish the fragrance and anticipate the tastes that will reveal themselves on your palate.
Step 10: Place the chocolate in your mouth. Take a bite or two and then allow it to melt slowly on your tongue. It takes 7 to 10 seconds for top, middle and finishing notes to unfold and blossom in fine chocolate, but in some exquisite chocolates, the aftertaste may linger for up to 20 minutes. When you invite your senses to guide your experience, the journey will come alive.
Savoring chocolate in this fashion turns an ordinary moment sublime.
