Years go by and chocolates continue to be one of the most typical Valentine's gifts. Without a doubt, buying them at a pastry or chocolate shop is the best option if you are looking for quality, but there are also those who choose them from the supermarket to complete a gift and not spend too much. In the latter case, it is interesting to know which brands (white or not) offer the best, a doubt that the Organization of Consumers and Users (OCU) has recently resolved in a new study.
The organization has selected 11 boxes of well-known chocolates that are easy to find in large stores, and then analyzed their labeling and composition. With the help of a panel of expert pastry chefs, he has also examined the taste, smell and texture of the products.
The conclusions reached by the OCU after these tests are that most products contain a lot of fat and sugar, as well as a high energy density. "Now, that does not mean that we cannot taste a chocolate from time to time, simply that we eat it in moderation," they clarify.
The problem is that some replace cocoa butter with other fats: it occurs in 8 of the 11 chocolates analyzed, to a lesser or greater extent. And, in fewer cases, there are manufacturers that replace part of the sugar with glucose syrups. They are cheaper alternatives and, therefore, of poorer quality, which worsen the taste of the product.
After taking these aspects into account, the organization has concluded that Ferrero Rocher, with a sales price of €5.89/200g (€29.45/kg), is the chocolate that has obtained the highest score in the study. "It stands out for its balanced flavor and good texture," they point out.
It is followed by another Italian chocolate, Pocket Coffee espresso, filled with a thin layer of dark chocolate and an interior of creamy sugared coffee "which is characterized by the power of flavor and its careful exterior chocolate layer," they point out. It costs around 4.89 euros/225g (which means 21.73 euros/kg).
According to the organization, to know that we are dealing with a good chocolate, it must have a bright color, a smooth surface with the absence of white spots that reflect the crystallization of the fat, a filling that has a thin layer of chocolate that covers it and, If you don't have it, let the candy melt in your mouth as soon as possible and release the filling. Lastly, you should appreciate the cocoa flavor, they explain.
