Who doesn’t love chocolate? Why not celebrate International Chocolate Day with a post-dinner chocolate tasting! Here are the basics:

1) Chop or break up the bars into small pieces. Put each bar on its own plate, and set the wrapper beside it. You could always do the tasting “blind” and save the wrappers until the end – it is amazing the effect a pretty wrapper has on many people's perception of a bar.

2) Don't serve drinks or other food with the chocolate.  

3) Once you are ready, have each guest taste the same bar at the same time following this process:

• Place a piece of chocolate on your tongue and press it up against the roof of your mouth.
• Slowly move it around and let your body heat gently melt the chocolate. No chewing allowed!
• Breathe normally as the bar melts and concentrate on what sensations you are feeling and the taste of the chocolate as it flows over your palate. Does it feel smooth or slightly grainy? Does it seem sweet, astringent or balanced? Can you taste elements of fruit, herbs, berries, spices, toast, earth, tobacco, vanilla, coffee....etc. etc.
• After a minute or two the chocolate should be mostly dissolved. Note any residual flavours and textures, plus your overall enjoyment of the bar.
• You could have guests attach a number score to each bar and write tasting notes if they'd like.

When selecting chocolate for a tasting, try 4 to 6 different bars, and one bar will usually serve 8 people, leaving enough for a second taste — a great excuse to enjoy lots of types of chocolate!