Chocolate & Mindfulness

Yesterday, I had such fun giving a talk for a nearby corporate “lunch & learn”. I wove the topics of dentistry, heart disease and stress reduction together in a way that I’m certain no one else could! I ended my talk with a mindful chocolate meditation. If you’ve never been mindful with your chocolate, you really owe it to yourself to give it a whirl.

Chocolate is a great place to start with becoming more mindful with your eating.

Adapting a more conscious approach to chocolate transforms the act of eating from ordinary to  exceptional.  Once you’ve learned the secret of eating chocolate mindfully, a small amount of good chocolate will deliver a large amount of pleasure. Ordinary, run of the mill  (poor quality) chocolate won’t hold any power over you anymore.

 Temperature Matters

For best tasting, chocolate should be at room temperature. This allows the chocolate to begin to melt the moment it hits your mouth. Cold chocolate doesn’t release its flavors and aromas as quickly, altering the tasting experience.

Slow Down and Be Mindful

You can’t appreciate good chocolate if the phone is ringing or you are checking your e-mail. Chocolate comes from all over the world to end up in your house, so turn off your screen, feel your feet on the floor and make the time to be with your chocolate. You can go back to the real world when you’re finished.

Involve all of your senses.

Take a good long look at your chocolate.  Chocolate experts use the appearance of the chocolate as one of many criteria to judge its quality. Good chocolate should have a shiny, even gloss on its surface. If chocolate is too old, it will develop a hazy finish called ‘bloom.’ The color of the chocolate depends on the origin of the beans and the roasting process. The color should be uniform for the entire bar. Also examine the detail and care that has been put into creating the chocolate bar. Are the edges clean? Is the molding clear? Has extra effort been put into making an even, uniform bar?

Break Off a Piece

Break your piece of chocolate in half and listen to the sound. High quality chocolate produces a sharp, crisp sound and a clean edge. This is called the chocolate’s “snap.” The higher the cocoa quantity and the better the tempering, the louder the “snap” of the chocolate. Professional chocolate tasters can tell a great deal about the quality of chocolate just by this sound.

 Smell the Chocolate

Just like with wine. you will discover that chocolate can containan array of scents and aromas. Close your eyes, breathe in the chocolate.

Feel the Chocolate in Your Mouth

Chocolate melts at about 97 degrees so it literally melts in your mouth. Take a small piece of chocolate, put on your tongue and lift it up to the roof of your mouth. It will slowly start to melt. While melting, the chocolate should feel rich and luscious in your mouth flavor will shift and change as the melting continues. You should not need to chew good chocolate at all, just let the flavors release on their own. Examine the texture of the chocolate — it can vary from smooth to grainy. Good chocolate has a rich, velvety texture. Poor quality chocolate feels waxy or greasy.

 Taste It

As the chocolate melts you’ll taste a bouquet of flavors. Like with smelling the chocolate, pay attention to the flavors that just pop into your head. These could be the same as what you smelled, or completely different. Spend time being aware of how the flavors change over time as the chocolate continues to melt and coat more of your mouth.

 The Finish

As the last of the chocolate leaves your mouth, the lingering flavor is known as the ‘finish’ of the chocolate. Good chocolate should have a complex, interesting finish that is not bitter or unpleasant. The finish is an important part of the tasting, as many of the early flavors may be masked by other ingredients in the chocolate.

Eating chocolate in this  meditative manner will improve your nutrient absorption of the beneficial nutrients in chocolate. No doubt you’ve already heard that dark chocolate is loaded with anti-oxidants. The higher the cacao content, the more nutrients – and the less sugar.

Here are a few of my favorite chocolates that I like to meditate with.

Taza Stone Ground Chocolate is a small artisan chocolate company in Somerville, MA that is devoted to sustainability. Their round discs of chocolate have a unique texture due to their special minimal processing technique. If you’re in the neighborhood, they give a great tour of their facility.

 

 

E. Guittard Chocolate is another one of my favorite chocolate bars. This small family owned company started in the 1850’s during the California gold rush. They are also committed to sustainability and fair trade practices.