How to tell if tasting notes in fine chocolate are floral vs fruity

I received a great chocolate related question today: "How can I tell if what I'm tasting in chocolate is fruity, or floral?".

For floral tasting notes (for aromas too) think lavender, lemongrass, jasmine, and orange blossom.

For fruity notes (and aromas) think apple, grape, tropical fruits, stone fruits, berries, and even dried fruit, etc.  I get tasting notes of berries, and raisins a lot in chocolate.

This list is a starting point, there are hundreds of flavor notes to be found in chocolate, and several more tasting flavor categories.

What I've learned the most from fine chocolate tastings is that not all chocolate tastes like the traditional chocolate most of us grew up with because most of that was made from one to two bean varieties only, and there are so many available now.  Each type of bean, each country it's grown in, how it's fermented, dried, roasted, etc really brings out different flavor notes.  At first, it was hard to wrap my brain around the fact that not all chocolate taste like what my mind thought of as "chocolate", yet it's all chocolate.

Also, I was asked if these tasting notes come from the ingredient being added.  Nope, it's just the flavors that come through.  It's a lot like how there are so many wine grapes out there, and each wine tastes so different from the next, but nothing other then the grapes are in there.

I've also noticed that I get a changing experience each time I try a certain chocolate bar, so I try to taste it 3 times over the course of a week to get my full impression.  Sometimes I don't like a bar on the first go, but I often do by the 3rd time.

Hope this helps!  Keep sending questions my way!

Victoria Cooksey