The white mist or "bloom" is fairly common. It means your chocolate has been
around awhile. It doesn't mean it is bad. It is a natural occurance in
chocolate. Just wipe it off. As to the hardness, 62% cocoa type chocolate
is very hard. If it had high cocoa butter content(30% or more), it would be
a little softer and smoother to the bite. 62% chocolate is not really for
eating like a hershey bar, it is for baking. Your chocolate will make a
great mousse or cake or even truffle. There is a surprising amount of
information to learn about chocolate, especially the effect of cocoa solid
and cocoa butter content.


"Vic Canova" > wrote in message
om...
> I just received a shipment of Scharffen Berger 3oz. semi-sweet bars. I
> opened the first one and found a powdery mist covering the chocolate.
> It's barely noticeable at this point, but a finger swipe over the
> surface leaves a clear trail.
>
> It could be the natural oxidation of fine chocolate, but as a novice,
> it alarms me because having read many of the posts here, it could also
> be indicative of product about to spoil. I still have 11 more bars to
> consume, so should I return them now, or am I fretting over nothing?
> It doesn't taste spoiled (yet).
>
> Also, should the product itself be so HARD? I mean it behaves like a
> plane of glass and doesn't melt in your mouth very easily. Are these
> typical characteristics of 62% cacao, or did I get stuck with stale
> chocolate?
>
> I paid $47 for these things, so I really need to know!
>
> -- Thank You