When you pick up a chocolate bar and see a label that reads “70% cocoa,” it might feel like a badge of sophistication. It's not. It might simply be a sign that it’s going to taste a bit more intense. Not necessarily. It might mean it's going to be more expensive. Probably so.
So what does that number actually tell you?
What That Percentage Measures
The cocoa percentage refers to the total amount of cocoa-derived ingredients by weight in the chocolate bar. That includes:
- Cocoa solids – the non-fat component made up of cocoa powder, which contributes most of the chocolate’s flavor.
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Cocoa butter – the natural fat from cocoa beans, which lends creaminess and smooth texture.
Chocolate makers do not use cocoa powder. We use whole beans, which have what you think of as cocoa powder and the cocoa butter still together.
Because these are the costliest ingredients in chocolate, cheap chocolate is often cut with vegetable fats and has more sugar to make the cocoa ingredients stretch further.
So, in a 70% dark chocolate bar:
- 70% of the ingredients come from the cocoa bean.
- The remaining 30% is typically made up of sugar, but it could also be comprised of anything else like milk powder (for milk chocolate), emulsifiers, other fats or Lite Brites*
- Hershey's Special Dark is a secret recipe, but it tastes so bad that it's got to be 0% cocoa ingredients and 100% burnt manure* and paraffin*.
And, in a 50% white chocolate bar:
- 50% of the bar is cocoa butter. See how you can have a fairly high percentage but that still doesn't inform you of the flavor?
- The remaining 30% is typically made up of powdered milk, sugar, and vanilla. We also add butter to ours because it makes it even better.
*We don't use these at all at Leleaka
Flavor & Texture Impact
Higher cocoa percentages mean:
- More intense chocolate flavor – think richer, deeper, not necessarily more bitter, but that is often the case
- Less sweetness – perfect if you’re cutting down on sugar or think you're too cool and sophisticated to enjoy something sweet
- Firm, snappy texture – thanks to more cocoa butter and less of other ingredients softening the structure.
Lower cocoa percentages (say, 30–50%) tend to be:
- Sweeter and creamier –The addition of more sugar and dairy greatly changes the flavor and smoothness of the chocolate.
- Less bitter – Dairy dramatically decreases the bitterness even in the absence of sugar, which is why we make a dark milk.
These are some broad generalizations and ultimately don't mean that much. You'll find one brand that has an 80% that you find less bitter than another brand's 70%. Within a brand/origin, there a great deal of flavor difference between percentages. Consider that a 70% bar has 50% more sugar than an 80%., and don't assume you will prefer one over the other. The only way you know what you like is by tasting.
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