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Alex Rast

at Thu, 23 Feb 2006 23:22:48 GMT in
>,
(Dr. Edward Warren) wrote :

>I just got some Valrhona cocoa and it is wonderful. Does anyone know if
>it is Dutch processed or not?

Yes. (It's Dutched).

BTW, there are 2 ways to tell if a cocoa has been Dutched. The first way is
the colour. Dutch cocoa is very dark brown, usually with a slight purplish
cast to it. When you add water it becomes almost black. Meanwhile natural-
process cocoa is usually redder, and when you add water it takes on the
colour of dark terra-cotta.

The second way is the taste. Dutch cocoa has a slightly metallic taste to
it, unmistakeable when you know what you're looking for. Natural is sharper
and more acid, often fruity. Taste 2 cocoas side-by-side, one Dutch, the
other natural, and the difference will be obvious, as well as being able to
identify the metallic taste I'm talking about.

--
Alex Rast

(remove d., .7, not, and .NOSPAM to reply)