This Is How You Should Really Be Eating Chocolate, According To Experts

We’ve got some bad news, chocolate lovers. The powers that be (the Chocolate Police? — we’re trying here!) have decided that most of us are eating our chocolate all wrong. In fact, we’ve messed with the temperature, the texture, and the very way in which we’re eating it.

Here’s how we can mend our ways and make good with our favorite snack:

You Should Touch Up Your Chocolate First

According to a luxury chocolate boutique Delish spoke to, we need to be pressing our thumb into our chocolate before eating it. The goal is to get it all soft and smooshy and aromatic. Don’t forget your chocolate rubbing gloves, everyone!

You Shouldn’t Just Devour It Right Away

Speaking of aromas, you’re supposed to be smelling it first — you want to get down into those not-so-obvious scents that may be buried in the chocolate.

Nadège Piller of the Swiss La Maison Cailler (that’s a chocolate factory, aka dream job, in case you were wondering) told National Geographic  that the biggest mistake she sees is people who simply pop the chocolate into their mouth before taking in its aromas. So, stop and smell the roses, you barbarians!

You Actually Don’t Need To Refrigerate It

A lot of people keep their choc in the fridge, which makes sense if you don’t want a fancy bar to melt or you are hoarding post-Halloween chocolate like crazy.

But the fridge is the enemy of the chocolate, apparently, as it prevents you from truly enjoying the magic of the treat. (You’ll see why below.)

Our current chocolate inspo:

You Need To Break It Up First

Downing giant chunks of the stuff? Think again. According to Vosges Haut Chocolat, you want to “break the bar into two pieces. Hear a crisp, ringing snap, which indicates a well-tempered bar of chocolate.” And don’t even think about taking a massive bite: “Take a small bite,” Vosges suggests. “Break up the chocolate in your mouth, let it sit over your tongue, press to your palate (the roof of your mouth), and melt.”

You Need To Feel The Experience

Vosges also suggests, rather poetically, that you must feel the “life in your body,” which makes us wonder if maybe we maybe need to eat more fancy Swiss chocolate.

As they say, “Recognize the life in your body as you benefit from the anti-oxidants in chocolate… boost your immune system with some of the natural ingredients.” This is intense stuff, friends! Maybe you should even keep a chocolate journal?

Don’t You Dare Mix Your Chocolates

Don’t just grab the nearest two candies and pop them down the hatchet. Spend time with your chocolate, getting to know its unique personality and flavor. So, the next time you’re at a party staring down of a bowl of Reese’s and Mars Bars, pick one and savor it.

In the end, we know these chocolate “rules” are only suggestions — and that some may sound a bit over the top — but if having a little intentionality can help us enjoy a little more, why not?