You love to eat chocolate. But do you know how to savour it — and why this matters?

I sat down with Spencer Hyman of Cocoa Runners to explore chocolate from farm to flavour. It was Chocolate Week, but as this is a weekly occurrence in my home, I thought I’d share Spencer’s top tips.

We cover:
• Why most mass chocolate lists sugar first, and how that shapes what we taste
• The “bliss point” and sensory-specific satiety — and how they keep us reaching for more
• Craft chocolate 101: transparency, where beans come from, and how bars are actually made
• The Flavour Wave — Spencer’s simple way to taste chocolate like a pro and find length, balance and complexity (ooh, check us!)
• How to choose better bars in the wild: origin down to co-op, where it’s crafted, and what to avoid on labels
• The true cost of cheap chocolate for farmers and forests, and why paying for quality can do real good
• A live tasting to show texture, melt and lingering mouthfeel in action (I have the best job in the world, yes)

If you love the gooey brown stuff and want to get more pleasure and insight from every square, this episode is for you.

Email us at ingoodtastepod@gmail.com with your thoughts, feedback and suggestions for next time.