How to Store Chocolate
While we might personally love the return of summer and sun, it is not the same for chocolate... Yet, enjoying chocolate in summer is possible, you just have to know how to store it properly. The simplest answer would be to store the chocolate in the fridge. Well, we don't recommend it at all for solid chocolate like bars. Indeed, chocolate can, not only be affected by heat, but also by humidity. The temperature of a refrigerator is generally between 32°F and 45°F.
Optimal Freshness
An optimal preservation of chocolate is between 57°F and 68°F. Below these temperatures, the cold freezes the cocoa butter and brings it out, which causes the chocolate to bloom. This natural reaction should be avoided as it impacts the taste of your chocolate, while giving it a duller appearance and grainy texture. Preserving your chocolate at the "right" temperature is not enough, it must remain away from humidity.
Premium chocolate contains a good amount of cocoa butter, which will be impacted by sudden changes of temperature. The higher the cocoa butter content, the more sensitive the chocolate will be to heat. As a rule, dark chocolate has a longer shelf life than milk or white chocolate. Regarding chocolate bonbons and/or truffles such has ganaches and pralinés. They can be kept in a refrigerator and even freezer. Indeed, some research shows that alteration would only be a serious risk below 0°F.
Temperature Control
However, you will need to bring them slowly to room temperature to avoid the humidity to "stick" on the chocolate bonbon/truffle. Make sure to wait long enough before enjoying them. At Manufacture Cluizel, we are proud to craft chocolate that has a "long shelf life". Cluizel’s “Excellence du goût” focuses on great quality chocolate and unique taste. Being crafted in France, we have to ensure the continuous supply chain with temperature and humidity control so they arrive in the same perfect quality they left.
Finally, the last step is shipping orders to retailers and final consumers. In our South Jersey facility, we strive to ensure that, each product is well packaged and kept at the right temperature. This is our commitment to each of you! To sum-up we encourage you to store your chocolate in a dry and cool place (an airtight jar, for example), away from light and extreme temperatures. We hope you found this blog interesting.
Feel free to leave us feedback in the comments.