TIPS FROM THIERRY MURET: SAVORING FINE CHOCOLATES

Here are Thierry Muret's tips for engaging all of your senses with the wonder of chocolate:

Look - Fine chocolates have a consistent color and natural-looking satiny sheen free of air bubbles or other blemishes. The best chocolates also display a high degree of craftsmanship in their shapes and designs.

Smell - Savoring fine chocolate begins when you open the box and take in the bouquet of the contents. Fine chocolates have a fresh, deep aroma, not the overly-perfumed or sugary smell associated with artificial flavors or preservatives.

Taste - Freshly made fine chocolates have very intense but refined flavors and subtle nuances of textures. With the notable exception of truffles, the couverture or outside coating of fine European-style chocolates is often molded in a sleek, semi-hard shape that "snaps" when you bite into it. The inside of a chocolate piece is called the center or filling and, in fine chocolates, is specifically intended to complement the couverture in terms of flavor and texture.

When tasting a piece of chocolate, let it melt against the roof of your mouth to feel the texture. A fine chocolate is velvety smooth without the graininess that comes from incomplete refinement. Roll the chocolate over your tongue, allowing the flavors to permeate your mouth. The initial taste should be a nutty, roasted chocolate flavor, followed by sweetness and other flavor components. Lastly, fine chocolates tend to have a longer "finish" or pleasant aftertaste that lingers on the palate.

According to Muret, fine chocolates are more expensive because they cost more to make. Their intensity of aroma, texture and flavor, however, means that people can easily satisfy their chocolate cravings with only one or two pieces, making fine chocolates one of life's affordable luxuries.

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