Understanding Chocolate Percentages: What Does 70% Actually Mean?
What does 70% Chocolate Mean?
📷 Ochre Brands
What Chocolate Percentages Really Mean in Craft Couverture
Whether you're sourcing couverture for your kitchen, pastry, or product development, one of the first things you'll notice on packaging is the cacao percentage, 70%, 80%, 90% and so on. But what does that number actually tell you?
In this article, we’ll unpack what chocolate percentages do and don’t mean, how they affect flavour, and why they’re only one part of the quality equation when selecting couverture.
The Basics: What Does the Percentage Represent?
The percentage on a chocolate label refers to the total cacao content, everything that comes from the cacao bean. That includes:
Cocoa mass: ground-up cacao nibs (providing flavour, tannins, texture)
Cocoa butter: the fat component of cacao (affecting mouthfeel and melt)
So, a 70% couverture chocolate contains 70% cacao ingredients by weight. The remaining 30% typically consists of:
Sugar
Possibly vanilla, lecithin, or a trace of emulsifier (though at Ochre, we avoid these as much as we can)
At Ochre Brands, our 70% couverture contains only:
Peruvian cacao mass
Cocoa butter
Cane sugar
No fillers, no lecithin, and no additives that compromise flavour clarity.
Why a Higher Percentage Doesn’t Always Mean Better Chocolate
While a higher percentage generally indicates lower sugar and more cacao, it says nothing about:
The origin or genetic variety of the beans
The fermentation quality at origin
How the beans were roasted, refined, or tempered
Whether the cacao was grown ethically or sustainably
Two 70% chocolate bars from different producers can taste radically different, one may be flat or bitter, the other nuanced and aromatic. That’s because percentage only tells you quantity, not quality.
Flavour Expectations by Percentage (in Couverture)
For chefs and chocolatiers, here's a simplified overview of how cacao percentages can guide flavour decisions:
Cacao % Typical Flavour & Applications:
60–65% Softer cocoa notes, approachable for ganache, mousses, moulded bonbons
70–75% Balanced intensity, ideal for enrobing, bars, rich fillings
80–85% More bitter, earthy, sometimes tannic, suited for dark pastries or connoisseur blends
90%+ Minimal sugar; best for specific dietary needs or custom formulations
What matters most is how origin, fermentation, and processing elevate that percentage into flavour clarity, not just intensity.
The Role of Origin and Process in 70% Chocolate
At Ochre Brands, we focus on single-origin couverture from Peru. Even within the 70% range, our different origins offer unique characteristics:
Piura: Bright citrus and lactic
Cuzco: Nutty, floral, and cherry
San Martín: Nutty, roasted undertones, tobacco
Amazonas: Lactic, blueberry, grapefruit
Huánuco: Toasty and caramel-like
All made with minimal intervention to preserve the cacao’s natural aromatic complexity.
What to Look For Beyond the Percentage
When selecting couverture, consider the following in addition to cacao %:
Bean variety: Criollo, Forestaro, Trinitario etc.
Fermentation practices: Impact flavour development
Roast profile: Influences bitterness and aroma
Fat content: Affects mouthfeel and tempering
Ethical sourcing: Impacts traceability and values
Ochre’s couvertures are crafted to meet culinary standards while offering full transparency on sourcing and process.
Final Word: Don’t Let the Number Decide For You
Understanding chocolate percentages is helpful, but it’s not enough. A 70% couverture made from high-quality, ethically sourced cacao can outperform an 85% made from industrial-grade beans.
At Ochre Brands, we craft each origin to let its natural character shine, whether you’re tempering, baking, moulding, or formulating a finished product.
Explore our origin range or speak with us about which couverture best suits your culinary application.
👉 Explore Our Origins →
