Couverture (koo-vehr-tyoor) comes from the French word “couvrir” meaning to cover or coat. This chocolate is of very high quality and is almost exclusively used in the candy, pastry and baking industry for dipping, coating, and molding.

Couverture contains high amounts of added cocoa butter which makes it incredibly fluid and easy to work with. It gives the chocolate a wonderful sheen and a firmer “snap” when broken.

Professional chocolatiers usually do not use general terms such as bittersweet or semi-sweet to identify types of chocolate. They need more specifics and look at the percentage of ingredients on the package. They take into consideration: 1) cocoa mass; 2) sugar content; and 3) total fat content.

A formula on industrial couverture packaging may look something like this: 60/40/38. This number indicates that the chocolate consists of 60% cocoa mass, 40% sugar and has a total fat content of 38%. The higher the fat content, the greater the viscosity and fluidity the product will have.

In North America, the minimum standard for couverture chocolate must contain at least 31% cocoa butter and the cocoa solids must be at least 54%; however, these standards vary around the world. Sugar will make up the remaining percentage as well as about 1% or less of lecithin and/or pure vanilla. Chocoholics and those who appreciate extremely good chocolate, know that it is deliciously-smooth to eat without further processing.