Chocolate Care

How to store your Crave Chocolates

For the most pleasurable experience we recommend eating your Crave Chocolates as fresh as possible. However, if stored properly, most of our products are formulated to maintain flavor and texture for 2-3 weeks.

If, however, life gets in the way of you and your chocolates, they can be saved for later. Here are a few facts and tips to keep in mind when storing them:

• Chocolate contains cocoa butter, a polymorphic fat with six different crystalline forms. Each form (I through VI) has a different melting point, taste, and texture. A quality chocolate will contain mainly Form V crystals because they impart the best physical properties, including the silky smooth mouth feel for which chocolate is known.
• Due to the polymorphic nature of cocoa butter, chocolate is very sensitive to temperature fluctuations. If chocolate begins to melt it is not likely to reset in the proper Form V crystals, and thus the taste and texture will be affected. Chocolate can begin to lose its form when kept above room temperature for too long, therefore it is best to store chocolates in a cool place.
• Like all fats, cocoa butter absorbs flavors from its surroundings. As a result, it is important to keep chocolates in a sealed container and away from anything with a strong odor.
• Chocolate is an emulsion, made up of solid particles suspended in a fatty phase. It has a fairly delicate balance, which can be greatly affected by the addition of moisture. The sugar crystals in chocolate are attracted to water, so any condensation on chocolate will draw the sugar to the surface and bind it together. This is called sugar bloom and creates a grainy texture.
• To avoid sugar bloom it is important to keep moisture away from chocolates. Moisture can form due to excess humidity or through condensation. The best way to keep chocolates dry is to make sure they are stored in a sealed container and in an area with low humidity.
• Chocolate can be kept in a refrigerator or freezer if some precautions are taken. The chocolates must be stored in a sealed container or wrapped tightly with plastic wrap. It is also best to include a paper towel with the chocolates to absorb any residual moisture. To avoid condensation when removing the chocolates, it is important to let them come up to room temperature before opening the container.