A complete guide to buying the best chocolates

Intrigued by the endlessly alluring chocolate options you can choose from? Discover the main types of chocolates, and important factors to consider when shopping.

Generally speaking, different types of chocolate are defined by the ratios of various ingredients like sugar and milk that go into each version. The most common include:

Milk chocolate: The most familiar type is found in countless chocolate candy bars and treats like chocolate eggs, Easter chocolate and chocolate truffles.

Dark chocolate: Most of the recent growth in the chocolate industry has come in this category. Since the news broke about potential health benefits from consuming dark chocolate, manufacturers have rushed to market with darker versions of all the traditional, candy counter favourites.

White chocolate: Technically not chocolate because it lacks a key ingredient called chocolate liquor (non-alcoholic if you’re wondering).

Baking chocolate: Semi-sweet or bittersweet chocolate is commonly found in products like chocolate chips for baking cookies and contains little or no sugar.

Cocoa powder: You probably have some in your pantry for baking or making hot chocolate. Made from pressed and ground cacao beans, most of the fat is removed in manufacturing and it’s bitter without added sugar.

1. Dare to go darker? According to the latest science, the higher the cacao content in your chocolate, the greater the health benefits (and the darker it gets). But the current standard is at least 75 per cent cacao for those benefits to kick in and many find that’s too bitter compared to sweeter milk chocolate.

2. Handcrafted or not? Artisanal chocolate shops are popping up all over like neighbourhood bakeries and craft breweries. Independent chocolatiers can produce truly unique products using premium ingredients, which can offset the higher price. Domestic shops are challenging the Belgian chocolate and Swiss chocolate makers who've long dominated the luxury market.

3. Fair trade chocolate: Harvesting cacoa beans is hard and often dangerous work and we all want to feel good about the products we eat. Makers of certified fair trade chocolate have seen that workers are paid a decent wage and protected.

What’s considered “good chocolate” is definitely in the taste buds of the beholder. It’s as much a personal choice as a style of footwear or favourite sports team. Healthy chocolate consumption means ramping up the cocoa ratio. In other words, the darker the better but not so dark that your face puckers.

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