It’s no surprise that chocolate and February go together like movies and popcorn. It’s also no surprise that in just about every February issue of every magazine published, there will be some interesting chocolate facts. Here’s a sampling of some wild facts we learned this month:

The flavonoids in chocolate can help prevent brain cell death and thus be included in a diet that can help prevent Alzheimer’s Disease (Livestrong.com).

High consumption of chocolate leads to a significant decrease in risk for stroke, heart disease & reduction of blood pressure (NYTimes.com)

Germans consume the highest amount of chocolate per year (International Cocoa Organization)

Most of the world’s cacao beans are grown in Ivory Coast (Food Network Magazine)

God Gave us Chocolate to Make up for Brussels Sprouts (Barkeater Chocolates)

Have an awesome February and a great Valentine’s Day!

As we wind up this very, very busy holiday season (thank you all!) – we are already working ahead for our usual Valentine’s Day rush and our fundraising season kick-off! Making thousands of gourmet chocolate hearts at the end of December may seem a bit out of place- but this is our most popular time for helping organizations raise money. That translates to a lot of Barkeater Chocolates’ Valentine’s Day confections being sold by school groups and non-profit organizations in the next 30 days.

Enjoy your December holidays and New Year celebrations wherever you are! Here in our corner of the Adirondacks – there may not be much snow yet – but there is a mountain of chocolate still to be made.

When we polled the people who “like” Barkeater Chocolates’ Facebook page on what’s the wildest thing they’ve ever covered in chocolate – we got what we asked for. Phoebe did not particularly like chocolate covered jalapenos; while Jim took a big bite of chocolate covered bacon.  However, the most interesting answer (that we can actually quote) was from Sarah – who told us that her kids really enjoyed their chocolate covered crickets.

As for the crickets; we don’t plan on offering that line of confections any time soon. However, much of the world does enjoy a feast of insects. Western civilization has pretty much shunned the much loved grub & fly larvae panini; but those in Asia, Africa & Australia don’t seem to be hung up on whether they eat fire roasted ants with their tomatoes.

We pride ourselves on unique chocolate confections (Wasabi Ginger Truffle, anyone?), but at this time, we’re not bringing scorpions into the test kitchen. At least, not yet…

OK – We understand that if you’re reading this post you probably already know what the little numbers & words on your chocolate labels mean. You know – all those percentages and descriptions such as semi-sweet & bittersweet. And while we don’t mean to dumb it down, it’s worth going through one more time, now that the holidays are knocking on our doors. Let’s face it – when you’re shopping for gifts at the rate of a race car driver, you’re not going to be paying all that much attention to the labels – so this little refresher course is just a way to cement it in your brain so you can concentrate on which wrapping paper to buy.

Percentage of cacao will be present on most gourmet chocolate bars. But here’s the thing – they will most likely be present on only dark chocolate bars. And what really is a dark chocolate bar? Does it mean there is no milk fat in it at all? No. In fact, there are many dark chocolate bars with some milk fat added in for texture and taste. So let’s back up for a second. The percentage of cacao in a bar refers to the ratio of cacao to other ingredients (such as sugar). A 60% bar will have more sugar than a 70% bar. The higher the percentage – the more bitter the chocolate. Good for you health wise – but depending on your personal taste preferences – maybe not good tasting. Some people will eat a 90% bar – most of us prefer to use that for baking cakes.

That said – in the US – there isn’t any magic number that defines what percentage of cacao has to be present in order to define chocolate as dark. Usually, we consider it dark chocolate at 60% or higher, but lower percentages have also been referred to as “dark.” Milk chocolate generally comes in at about 30-40% cacao, but again, this varies widely depending on brands and other ingredients like cocoa butter. Either way – you will almost never see a cacao percentage on a milk chocolate bar.

So what’s the deal with semi-sweet or bittersweet? Again, there are no set guidelines. Typically, bittersweet is darker than semi-sweet; but one brand’s bittersweet might be sweeter than another brand’s semi-sweet.

Wow – now that was helpful wasn’t it? Your best bet is to just read the ingredients. If chocolate is the first ingredient, you’re in good shape. If sugar is the first ingredient – that’s a big clue you’re not exactly getting the best chocolate money can buy.  Stick with chocolate that tastes delicious, and you won’t go wrong.

When your chocolate has a whitish tint to it – you think it’s old and throw it out right? Well age has nothing to do with it; blooming does. What is bloom, you ask? In simple terms – it’s the fat (or sugar) rising to the top of the chocolate. There are two culprits at play – temperature and humidity.

Though bloom may very well happen in production (or on the store shelves), when you have a piece of chocolate at home and it blooms – it is typically the result of where and how it was stored.

The next question you probably have is (we pride ourselves on reading minds): Can you refrigerate or freeze chocolate? The short answer is yes. But in order to prevent sugar or fat separation – you must take steps when cooling your chocolate. If you purchased chocolate and left it in your car – or your bag on a very warm and sunny day – you may be quick to throw it in the refrigerator before eating. While doing so won’t make your chocolate toxic – it will make it bloom. Drastic temperature changes are a quick way to get that whitish film on top of your chocolate. The best solution (provided your chocolate didn’t melt into a gooey soup) is to simply get the softened chocolate to room temperature (preferably in a room that’s about 70 degrees or less). Once you have done so – if you still wish to refrigerate it to firm it up – do so in a sealed bag (or it’s original packaging) for just a few minutes – then put it back to room temperature without removing the bag unless you plan on eating it right away.

If you are hoping to freeze the chocolate to extend it’s life or to resist temptation – freeze it in an airtight bag. When you take it out – do not remove the bag until it has reached room temperature. Condensation will separate the sugars in the chocolate and they will dissolve along the top – causing the same whitish tint.

If these steps still don’t prevent the bloom – it’s entirely up to your preference as to whether or not you eat it. Though the texture may change – there is nothing at all bad about eating bloomed chocolate.

DYK? That among the earliest to discover the health benefits of chocolate were the Mayan people and their predecessors, in approximately 3,500 years ago! These ancient peoples of the Americas used the chocolate bean as the main ingredient in a bitter beverage honored for its nourishing qualities and ability to boost energy and stamina. Also used to treat stomach and intestinal complaints, infections, fever and coughs, the drink was a mixture of fermented and roasted cocoa paste, water, chili peppers, cornmeal.

WOW, spicy chocolate has been around for a long time!  We like ours with Cayenne

Drum roll please…and our winner of our Third Year of Chocolate Contest is Pamela R. from Ohio! Pamela answered questions on our Facebook page and was chosen at random to receive 12 months of free chocolate from Barkeater Chocolates. Congratulations Pamela! Her first gift certificate will be issued in September.