Willy Wonka would love this laboratory that checks the quality of chocolate

Julien Simonis, Programme Manager for Cacao of Excellence, smells and meticulously inspects halved cocoa beans during a physical quality evaluation at the laboratory in Perugia. This sensory and visual assessment allows for the immediate verification of fermentation levels and the identification of aromatic potential or internal defects in the samples Valerio Muscella for NPR hide caption toggle caption Valerio Muscella for NPR Chocolate scientist Julien Simonis gazes upon 50 cacao beans that have just been sliced in half by something he calls "the guillotine." A distinctive aroma wafts upward. This is among the first steps in characterizing the quality of a particular cacao. Stay up to date with our Global Health newsletter, sent weekly. In central Rome, Julien Simonis holds a tiny bar of chocolate made from cacao beans that originated in Hawaii. He cracks it into pieces before unwrapping the gold foil that surrounds it. Simonis places a morsel on his tongue and then breathes in through his mouth and out through his nose to heighten his perception of the chocolate's aroma and taste. A look of reverence comes over him. "My god," he whispers. "Each time I taste this, I'm always amazed. You have a boost of acidity. This burst of fresh flavors." Simonis detects a fruitiness and a hint of cardamom and nutmeg. When he does the same thing with a bit of chocolate produced from cacao harvested on a Peruvian farm, he describes a flavor of raisins that gives way to a nuttiness. …