Sensation 72 and Essential 54 chocolate: the differences

When creating delicious dishes, your choice of ingredients will largely determine the end result. Veliche Gourmet Belgian chocolate helps you achieve the best possible taste, quality and shine with different types of dark, milk and white chocolates. Each of these has its own unique flavour and texture and, importantly, contains different quantities of cocoa, which has a distinct effect on the taste. Our range of dark couverture chocolates consists of four different types, with cacao content varying between 54% and 72%. To help you find the best choice to optimally enhance the flavours of your creation, we would like to introduce you to two of our favourites: Sensation 72 and Essential 54. Both can be used by chocolatiers, pastry chefs and bakers to create a wide variety of recipes, but there are also some important differences between the two.

Sensation 72 vs Essential 54

Sensation 72 Belgian dark couverture chocolate, with its rich concentration of cocoa is pronounced, powerful and intense. It can be used to provide bitter accents and predominant fruity notes. Compared to Essential 54, Sensation 72 is significantly less sweet and has a very pronounced cacao flavour. Essential 54, on the other hand, is less bitter, earthy and fruity. Essential 54 could best be described as a very well balanced, rounded dark couverture chocolate. There is also a clear difference between the two when it comes to viscosity and the average fat percentage. The fat content affects the mouth feel of the chocolate and the way it melts in your mouth, but does not affect its viscosity. For Sensation 72, viscosity and fat percentage are both higher than for Essential 54.

Below is a schematic representation of the differences in taste between Sensation 72 and Essential 54. This ‘taste profile’ lists the key elements that make up the flavour of our dark chocolates and shows how different varieties ‘score’ in each of these areas. This makes it easy to compare different products, and find the type that best complements the recipe you’re working on.

Sensation 72 Essential 54

Despite differences in taste, the workability of both products is comparable. Like all of our chocolates, Sensation 72 and Essential 54 are highly workable and make melting and tempering easy. You can achieve a professional shine, density and crispness in your creations every time.
The ideal tempering curve of both dark couverture chocolates is the same, too:

Would you like to find out some of the tastiest ways of processing these different types of dark couverture chocolate? We have listed several exquisite recipes below:

• Sensation 72 has been used for the chocolate cream in these choux, which also have a hazelnut praline core. A tempting double chocolate treat that is also a delight to look at – you can find the recipe here!

• These Power of Dragon bonbons consist of delicious sesame shortbread with Chinese green tea ganache and Crispy Crunchies. The chocolate shell is a mix of our Essential 54 and Sensation 72 Belgian dark couverture chocolates – you can find the recipe here!

• A dark chocolate mousse made with Sensation 72 chocolate is essential to this appetizing dessert in glass. A great mix of soft sweetness and crunch, which is guaranteed to go down well, further contains delightful cherry compote, chocolate almond biscuit, and whipped vanilla cream – you can find the recipe here!

• The luscious mousse in this Dark Chocolate Bombe is made with Essential 54 Belgian dark couverture chocolate. This is complemented by red fruit crème anglaise filling and a raspberry/cassis bavarois – you can find the recipe here!

Veliche Gourmet is a premium Belgian chocolate range especially for artisans and chefs. We offer truly exceptional taste, great workability and consistent quality. Try our chocolate for yourself and discover the differences in cocoa solids. Share your own unique recipe with #velichegourmet. Indulge yourself, and others!