Following up with our last collection of frequently asked questions here are some more with answers by the staff here at Amano.

Is Amano “Fair Trade” certified?

Sadly the history of chocolate is full of unscrupulous companies and people who have engaged in unethical business practices. One of these is that the large companies created a lock on the industry so that they could dictate the price to the cocoa farmer. This meant that the farmers were always living on borderline poverty and often had to resort to child labor or poor farming practices in order to stay afloat and feed their families.

Since Amano is concerned only with the highest quality cocoa beans, Amano always pays farmers and co-ops significantly more for their product than is set by the “fair trade” organizations. Unfortunately, it costs significant amounts of money for the farmers to become fair-trade certified in addition to it being a long drawn out process. Many farmers simply cannot afford it. At Amano, we believe in paying a premium price for premium cocoa beans. The prices we pay are measured in multiples (i.e., 3-4 times) the London Cocoa Terminal Market price. This not only ensures that we obtain the highest quality beans available but this also ensures that the farmers we work with not only can provide for their families but are encouraged to produce a high quality product and improve their farms. We don’t pay the prices we pay to get a label on our box — we do it because it is the right thing to do.

Is Amano a “Belgian style” chocolate?

There are fewer differences in chocolate made in different countries than many people think. There really isn’t a “Belgian style” per se though surely fine chocolate is made there. If you look at the history of chocolate, different countries lead the industry in different ways and at different times. If anything, we think we get our inspiration from the French and Italian chocolate makers who, as a whole, are — in our opinion — producing some of the best chocolate today. Chocolate is very much a matter of personal preference and what one has grown up with. Each company has its own artistic vision, no matter what country it is in.

What does it mean when a chocolate bar says 65%, 70%, or 85% cacao?

This is a measurement of how much of the chocolate is actually made from cocoa bean. It can be both chocolate liquor (ground cocoa bean) as well as cocoa butter. (Cocoa butter is made by pressing the fat out of the ground cocoa bean.) Some manufacturers add cocoa powder as part of this. (We do not, because it results in a chocolate with inferior flavor.) Typically, the remaining percentage is sugar, vanilla (to help round out the flavor), and sometimes a bit of emulsifier, such as soy lecithin (no more than .5%). The higher this number, the richer and less sweet the chocolate typically will be.

Does a higher cocao content result in a better chocolate?

No. The best chocolate is the chocolate that you enjoy the most. These numbers are a useful way for consumers to gauge how rich the chocolate is and find what best suits their tastes. We recommend that people try a variety of chocolates with varying amounts of cocoa content to find what they like the best.

What is the difference between “semisweet” and “bittersweet”?

These loose terms are sometimes used interchangeably. Semisweet is typically more sweet than bittersweet. This may vary slightly from manufacturer to manufacturer.