What to Look for on a Label When Buying a Chocolate Bar

When I’m shopping for chocolate — whether that means buying some for myself or someone else — I often judge a book by its cover and pick up the bar with the most aesthetically pleasing packaging. But similar to ensuring I select a novel I’ll actually enjoy, deciphering what’s inside is something I’ve always wanted to learn about. Of course, I know I prefer dark chocolate over milk, but what other insights and details should I be able to discern to ensure I’m buying one that’s not just good, but great?

In an effort to find an answer to this question, I jumped at the chance to talk with Amy Guittard, a fifth-generation chocolate maker and the chief marketing officer of Guittard Chocolate Company. You may recognize the Guittard name from the elegant, slanted script you see on different chocolates every time you go down the baking aisle at the grocery store. It’s no surprise that you’ll find it in most supermarkets — this family-owned, American chocolate maker was founded in 1868, and has been operating for over 150 years.

If you’re planning to buy chocolate any time soon, make sure you incorporate these essential tips to understand what you might enjoy more and what you should seek to buy.

Look for a short ingredient list

One simple trick for finding better quality chocolate is to look at the ingredients listed on the packaging. You’ll want to see a short list. “The fewer, the better,” Guittard says. “Avoid bars with excessive emulsifiers or artificial flavors. And make sure that the fat is coming from cocoa butter.” In the most common commercial chocolate bars available, like Hershey’s and Cadbury milk chocolate, you’ll notice that soy lecithin (a mixture of fats) and PGPR (an emulsifier) are almost always present; these are the kind of additives you may want to avoid when purchasing a high-quality gift for a loved one.

Cacao percentages are more complex than you think

To start, looking at a cacao percentage can tell you if a bar is leaning more in the direction of a milk or dark chocolate flavor profile. When you’re gifting chocolate, Guittard says “If the recipient isn’t a dark chocolate enthusiast, a 55–70% cacao range is often a safe bet, balancing sweetness and complexity.”

A higher cacao percentage translates to a darker, deeper flavor profile. But a number like “70% cacao” doesn’t mean the exact same thing for every chocolate bar. Cacao percentage indicates the percent of the chocolate that comes from the cacao beans, which could include cocoa mass (also known as cocoa liquor, which is a paste made from grinding cacao beans), cacao nibs, and cocoa butter. However, there is no standardized ratio for each of these components, so the exact amount of each ingredient could vary depending on the chocolate, but as long as it adds up to 70%, the chocolate has the same percentage in the end.

This doesn’t mean that a certain ratio of the components is better than others, but it does cause a variety of flavor profiles in chocolate bars that might seem like they’d taste the same. In particular, the amount of cocoa butter can impact the eating experience of a chocolate bar. “​​A higher percent cacao typically indicates something a bit more intense,” says Guittard. “That said, additional cocoa butter relative to cocoa mass can shift how that intensity is expressed.” A more significant amount of cocoa butter will yield a richer (and more “buttery”) taste, but too much may lessen the intensity of the final flavor.

Most bars of chocolate, unfortunately, don’t detail the exact ratios of these three components on their packaging, so you’ll need to taste different options to figure out what you like. Try sampling a variety of chocolate brands with the same cacao percentage — you may discover that they taste dramatically different. If you determine that you consistently like one brand more, it may be worth emailing them to find out what the breakdown of their cacao percentage is.

Be discerning about certification and sourcing

It’s time to look at where your chocolate comes from and how it’s made. To start, Guittard points out, “Ethical and sustainability labels can provide insight into the brand’s commitment to quality and responsible farming practices.” You want to look for ethically crafted chocolate because it illustrates a brand’s willingness to exert extra effort for quality. Fair trade and organic certifications are the most common and important, but additional designations like Rainforest Alliance Certified are even more confirmation that a company is crafting conscientious chocolate.

The origin of a chocolate can also tell you something about its flavor profile, although this is another case where you may need to taste different options to determine what you like. “Single-origin chocolates highlight unique flavors,” Guittard says. “Blended chocolates offer a more balanced profile.”

As you taste even more single-origin chocolates, you may start to notice how widely they can range in flavor. “Different beans have different flavor profiles, mostly contributed by genetics (and origin, post-harvest practices, [and] roasting),” Guittard says. “Madagascar is typically really bright and sour (red fruit); an Ecuador [chocolate] is usually quite floral; Cocoa from the Ivory Coast tends to have some coconut notes amidst deep robust chocolate.”

The journey to buying and giving better chocolate inevitably involves eating more of it too, which is a good problem to have. But even before you start sampling sweets to learn what you or your significant other likes, you can use these insights to inform the bars you buy first.