Q: What is the difference between Scharffen Berger and other chocolates? Why is Scharffen Berger more costly?

A: Scharffen Berger is a chocolate maker. That means we start with the raw product, cacao beans, and transform them into chocolate to eat or for use in baking. Many other chocolate companies buy already made chocolate liquor and make confections with that liquor.

Making great tasting chocolate begins with careful selection of the best cacao beans available. We buy cacao beans from around the world and only use cacao beans that undergo thorough on-farm fermentation. The farmer ferments the cacao beans before packing and shipping them. This step is critical to flavor. This takes extra time and effort on the part of farmers and we are willing to pay more for taking these extra essential steps.

In addition to cacao beans, our chocolate is made from sugar, cocoa butter, and very small amounts of soy lecithin and vanilla. We use whole vanilla beans from Madagascar and Tahiti, a rare practice in chocolate manufacturing.

Finally, we make chocolate in small batches, blending and roasting cacao beans from up to eight or more origins. We pay close attention to every detail in our chocolate making.

All of these factors result in higher costs, but we think it is worth the resulting delicious and unique flavors of our chocolate.

Q: What do the percentages (62%, 70%, 82%, 99%) mean?

A: The percentages indicate by weight the amount of ingredients derived from the cacao bean that is in the chocolate. The remaining percentage is sugar and a small amount of vanilla and soy lecithin. For example, our 70% cacao bittersweet has more cacao and less sugar than our 62% cacao semisweet chocolate. The semisweet is thus a bit sweeter than the bittersweet. Our 99% cacao unsweetened adds no sugar at all.

Q: How does Scharffen Berger cocoa powder differ from other cocoa powder?

A: Cocoa powder is made by pressing some of the cocoa butter out of roasted cacao beans. In the store you will usually find both "Dutched" cocoa powder and "natural" cocoa powder.

Dutch processing means the cocoa has been alkalized or washed with an alkaline substance such as potassium carbonate to reduce harshness and acidity. Manufacturers reasoned that since cocoa butter, the more valuable fraction extracted during the making of cocoa powder, was unaffected by bean quality, it made sense to use less expensive beans and then chemically treat any flavor problems in the powder.

"Natural" cocoa, however, has not been chemically treated. Scharffen Berger cocoa powder offers only natural powder.

Because Scharffen Berger uses such high quality cacao beans, there is no need for Dutch processing. We let the inherent fruitiness and full flavor of the cacao bean itself emerge.

Q: How do I know if the cocoa is natural or Dutched?

A: The package should state if a cocoa is Dutched. However, when you look at the cocoa, if it is dark to almost black, you are looking at Dutched cocoa. Our natural cocoa powder is much lighter and sometimes reddish in color.

Q: Can I substitute natural cocoa for Dutch processed?

A: Many bakers believe it is not a good idea to substitute natural for Dutched cocoa. The alkalization process changes the pH of the cocoa which can have an effect, especially if you are using it in baking. If the recipe does not call for leavenings such as baking powder or baking soda, then you can substiture one for the other.

Q: Do you sell whole cacao beans?

A: We do sell cacao nibs, the roasted nut of the cacao bean with the hull removed. We do not sell whole unshelled or partial cacao beans.

Q: Does Scharffen Berger make a white chocolate?

A: We do not manufacture white chocolate. White chocolate is made by combining sugar, vanilla extract, and milk with cocoa butter. Cocoa butter is the fat that remains after pressing cacao beans to make cocoa powder.

Q: How do I get information to buy product in bulk as a wholesale customer?

Q: What is the difference between candymaking and chocolate manufacturing?

A: Chocolate manufacturers make chocolate from the raw ingredients, beginning with the cacao beans and ending with various chocolate products such as bars or cocoa. Candymakers buy chocolate liquor and other ingredients from manufacturers and then use them to create their special confections. There are uncounted numbers of candymakers in the U.S., but there are only a handful of chocolate manufacturers. Scharffen Berger is a chocolate manufacturer.

Q: How are "eating" and "baking" chocolates different?

A: There is no difference. If a chocolate is good it is delicious to eat out of hand, and starting with a fine chocolate allows you to make an equally excellent dessert. Sometimes baking chocolate means unsweetened chocolate.

Q: Does your chocolate spoil?

A: Eventually every food product will go past its prime. Dark chocolate, however, is one of the longest lasting and most stable foods you can buy. Our dark chocolate has a shelf life of approximately 18 months. If held properly, chocolate can last for years. That being said, many people wrongly identify the phenomenon of fat or sugar "bloom" as "spoiled" chocolate.

The best way to store a chocolate bar is in a cool, dry environment where it will not come in contact with heat or moisture. There is usually no need to refrigerate dark chocolate that you will use within 8 months to a year of purchase. If you live in a very hot or humid area and must refrigerate your chocolate, we suggest wrapping it tightly in an extra layer of plastic wrap to help protect the aroma and flavor. Always allow the refrigerated chocolate to warm to room temperature before eating. We suggest that you never freeze chocolate.

Q: Why does chocolate sometimes get a white or gray sheen on it?

A: There are two possibilities for this: 1) the cocoa butter has "bloomed" because the chocolate got warm enough for the cocoa butter's crystalline bonds to break and re-form in a "sloppy" pattern ("fat bloom"); or 2) condensation of water on the chocolate's surface has caused "sugar bloom". Neither type of bloom damages the chocolate for cooking purposes, but both make the chocolate grainy for eating out-of-hand.