The unexpected winners in this year’s Academy of Chocolate Awards were white chocolate bars and varieties with higher cocoa content according to the results from the Academy of Chocolate which posted the results on their website.
The Academy judged almost a thousand chocolate bars from over the world, including dark, milk chocolate and white chocolate. White chocolate has been a polarising subject in the industry for some time, so it must come as a surprise at the level of success achieved in these awards.
For the first time in the Awards’ history, white chocolate bars were awarded over 12 silvers and 7 golds. There was also a progressive rise in interest, and the quality of, chocolate bars with 100 per cent cocoa solids.
The Academy also noted that the market in Asia, particularly in Thailand, were picking up awards this year, including a gold award, for a salted egg flavoured bar!
The panel of judges was formed from more than 30 leading individuals from across the sector, who met online in closed virtual tasting sessions to discuss each chocolate.
This year, Europe performed well, with 30 awards going to Scandinavia and 13 awards going to newcomers from Germany. As a Brit, I was also pleased to see the statement that new and established brands from the UK took home 27 awards, including four golds.
The Academy website has much more detail about the winners and the chocolate, so we encourage you to visit the award page here.
