Chocolate: Organic Bars from the Salzburg Region

Chocolate is made from cocoa mass, cocoa butter, and sugar; milk powder is added for milk and white chocolate. What can be labeled as chocolate is governed in the EU by a specific directive, implemented in Germany through the Cocoa Ordinance. Aside from cocoa butter, a maximum of 5% other vegetable fats is permitted. In this category, you will primarily find organic bars from the Berger Confiserie in Lofer—pure, with pieces, or filled.

Milk, Dark, Extra Dark, White: what the names mean

The product designations are tied to minimum values for cocoa content. Dark chocolate requires at least 35% cocoa, milk chocolate at least 25%. Whole milk chocolate must contain at least 30% cocoa and 18% milk solids. In Germany, Zartbitter (semi-sweet) and Halbbitter (bittersweet) denote at least 50% cocoa, and Edelbitter (extra dark) at least 60%. White chocolate contains no cocoa mass at all and consists of at least 20% cocoa butter with milk and sugar—which is why it is so light and mild.

The Berger bars exceed these limits: the milk chocolate varieties have at least 37% cocoa, and the extra dark varieties at least 70%. The higher the percentage, the less room there is for sugar, and the more clearly you can taste the cocoa bean with its fruity, roasted, or tart notes.

Pure, with pieces, or filled

In bars with pieces, dried fruits or caramel are incorporated directly into the chocolate: raspberry, fig, and caramel in milk chocolate, strawberry in white chocolate, sour cherry in extra dark chocolate. The extra dark chocolate with orange gets its citrus note from an extract of the peel. Filled chocolate has a chocolate shell and a soft center—here, a ganache made of quark and raspberries or heavy cream and tonka bean, a nougat made of organic almonds, or a cream with pomegranate juice. Cat tongues are thin, tongue-shaped pieces that melt particularly quickly.

Chocolate or confectionery?

The name "chocolate" assumes cocoa butter as the fat. Other vegetable fats are only permitted up to 5%. If the fat originates predominantly from coconut or palm kernel, the result is called cocoa confectionery, for example—and that is why it is not listed here, but rather under our sweet snacks.

Our chocolate manufacturers

The Berger Confiserie in Lofer produces almost all the bars in this category, most of them in organic quality and with cocoa, raw cane sugar, and vanilla from Fairtrade sources. Our top seller is the milk chocolate with raspberry pieces, where mild chocolate meets fresh fruit acidity. The pure extra dark chocolate contains four ingredients—cocoa from Madagascar, raw cane sugar, cocoa butter, and vanilla—and, according to the manufacturer, tastes of cassis and banana with a hint of coffee. Tart and fruity is the extra dark chocolate with sour cherry pieces, and creamy is the white chocolate with strawberry pieces.

Among the filled varieties, the dark raspberry quark combines a tart shell with a creamy quark ganache, while the milk chocolate almond nougat combines mild milk chocolate with organic almond nougat. The organic milk chocolate cat tongues are packaged as individual pieces, and greeting bars like milk chocolate Happy Birthday feature their message right on the wrapper.

Enjoying and pairing chocolate

Milk chocolate with caramel or fig pairs well with afternoon coffee or a cup of hot cocoa. The extra dark varieties unfold best in small pieces that you let melt slowly on your tongue, ideally with an espresso after dinner. A square of tonka bean-filled chocolate serves as a perfect dessert. White chocolate with strawberries tastes good with tea; place cat tongues next to a scoop of vanilla ice cream or on a dessert plate. For baking, chop an extra dark bar coarsely and stir it into brownie or cookie dough.

Buying and properly storing chocolate

• Cocoa content: Mild and creamy with 37% in the milk chocolate, bold and less sweet with 70% in the extra dark.
• Organic, Fairtrade, vegan: Most Berger bars are organic; the cocoa, raw cane sugar, and vanilla come from Fairtrade sources. The extra dark pure, orange, and sour cherry varieties are vegan according to the manufacturer.
• As a gift: The greeting bars with "Happy Birthday" or "Thank you" require no additional wrapping and are a quick gift idea.
• Storage: Cool, dry, and dark at about 15 to 18 °C, well-packaged and away from coffee or spices. Temperature fluctuations can cause a gray fat or sugar bloom, which barely affects the taste.
• In summer: Filled bars with ganache or nougat are happiest in a cool place; in hot weather, keep them well-wrapped in the vegetable drawer and let them reach room temperature briefly before eating.

More sweets and snacks

Chocolate belongs to our Sweets & Snacks category. For your coffee table, you will find gluten-free organic cookies from Belgium, fruit jellies from Berger, and cocoa confectionery in Bundt cake form from Goufrais under sweet snacks, and for an aperitif under savory snacks, grissini and Schüttelbrot (crispbread) from South Tyrol.

Ordering chocolate online

Whether extra dark for your espresso, milk chocolate for the afternoon, or a greeting bar as a small thank-you: order your chocolate online at Leni & Hans, and your package will arrive in 1–3 days.