- Latin name
- Theobroma cacao
- Family
- Mallow family (Malvaceae)
- Origin
- an accord; natural basis — cocoa absolute
- Parts used
- fermented and roasted cocoa beans
- Raw materials
- cocoa absolute, gourmand accords
- Extraction
- extraction; the accord — synthesis
- Olfactory group
- gourmand
- Position in the pyramid
- heart and base
- Synthetic substitutes
- pyrazines, cocoa absolute, patchouli
Dark chocolate is chocolate with a high cocoa content and a minimum of sugar and milk. In perfumery it sounds like a separate note: deeper, drier and more bitter than milk chocolate.
How it smells: dense, bitter and warm: roasted cocoa, a faintly smoky and coffee-like depth, a light sweetness and the dry powdery shade of cocoa powder. Dark chocolate sounds elegant, grown-up and sensual.
The more cocoa a chocolate contains, the stronger its roasted pyrazines and bitterish earthy notes. That is why dark chocolate pairs so naturally with patchouli — they share a similar warm, faintly earthy depth.
What it pairs with: with patchouli — the classic chocolate chypre, with coffee — a “mocha”, with chilli — “chocolate with chilli”, with rose and oud — luxurious evening compositions, with orange — “chocolate orange”.
Good to know: the percentage on a bar shows the share of cocoa products: 70% means that 70% of the mass is cocoa mass and cocoa butter, and the rest is mostly sugar.
