hi chocolate lovers

what is the effect of keeping chocolate stored at about 30 degrees (celsius) for some weeks?

I just recently bought an exquisite collection of some 20 bars (Cluizel, Amadei, Valrona, …) and I usually just store them in a cupboard. In Belgium most of the time it’s like 20 degrees.
However… the last weeks we suffered from a serious heatwave and I stood watching the temperature getting at 30 degrees in the cupboard all the time!
I haven’t opened yet the delicious goods, but what should I expect to get? I feel so bad about it, but since it are my first ‘Premier Cru de plantation’ I have no reference yet as to what it’s like in a normal state.

Will the texture have changed? will it have melt? or… is 30 degrees not that disastrous?

EJ

Hi Sebastian,
thanx for all the info, I feel a little reassured, and learned a few things :)

Uptill now I really thought putting the chocolate in the fridge would break its structure or so, that’s why I didn’t dare to put in a (very) cold zone. But of course you can always let it heat up at room temperature before consuming it.

Mostly I eat pure bars straight up, I really enjoy tasting al the fine ‘nuances’ in every different bar. So you suggest to re-melt it first before I eat it? I’ll maybe try that with one of the bars, why not? :)

thx !
EJ

Always taste from the dark side of life

There is also a chance that the bloom isn’t too bad. Look for white streaks or blotches on the chocolate…the chocolate should be pure brown to Dark Brown…NO WHITE! so just check it first…

Robert

hi chocoholics!
thanx for all this info, especially thank you aguynamedrobert!
I will definitley have to look for the white streaks… for which I’m a little afraid :s

I’ve been a true heavy dark chocolate freak for years (at which my friends often poke fun :)). I’ve visited shops in Paris and Italy for some years at occasions, in search for the purest bars possible. But only recently in Barcelona & especially Stockholm I found and bought some very special ones from ao. Cluizel and Valrohna.

So you’ll understand that I’m a little nervous and afraid to discover that my little brown treasure will not be as shiny anymore. We’ll see, and open them one by one at a time.

I’m still learning a lot, and I’m glad to have posted my question (which I thought was a little silly at first), because I learn a lot
(especially the myth of putting them in the fridge would harm them!)

All this will welp me to enjoy even more.
thank you, glad I found some dark likeminds here on 70percent!

EverJean

ps: my guess that supposed that there are white streaks, putting them in the fridge is of no use anymore. I’ll try to temper one anyhow, for the fun of alchemy :)

Looks like fat bloom, Fardus, imho

Sugar bloom I’ve seen was more irregular, sparkly sharper tiny crystals on the surface. It does appear with evaporating condensation, or moisture exposure. Chocolate itself went much paler and crumbly.
Fat bloom caused by temperature flucs. more uniform, filmy, could be in patches or swirls and has fatty, creamy feel when rubing it off.
Could always lick it, if in doubt – taste will tell all ;)

Thanks for all the info.

I can’t remember it being greasy. I haven’t got the pictured bar any more. Simply scraping the bloom off made it fairly edible again. From what I recall it was dry, dusty and coarse. So I still guess it was sugar bloom in this case.

I think I never really had a bar afflicted with severe fat bloom. Some of them have very faint shiny swirls on the bottom side. I always assumed this to be slight fat bloom. Is this the case or is it a natural occurrence inherent in the chocolate production process?

Cheers,
Thomas

Hi there again,

in the meantime I’ve opened and tasted some of the bars I had, and almost all of them had indeed litlle les or more ‘bloom’ on them. Though sometimes it felt that taste was not that badly affected, structure definitly was, which is of course half the pleasure wasted.
Anyway, the (not so) dramatic meltdown resulted in a lot new knowledge I gathered over here!

thx Sebastian and Ellie. Now I’ve even learned about fat bloom and sugar bloom, I feel I’m truly becoming an expert ;)

T.Fadrus, what chocolate was that?

I’m keeping my new chocolate bars in the fridge from now on, and get them out some time before eating them, to let them get the right temperature just like a wine. And no worries no more, here in Belgium temperature is down at 15… goodbye summer :(
Hello chocolate.