Cocoa is a wondrous gift of nature first domesticated by Native Americans in Central America. It is now grown worldwide in the narrow tropical latitudes 20° north and south of the equator which provide the climate that cocoa requires. Over the past several hundred years many cultures have contributed to the elaboration of the uses of the seeds or beans of this tropical fruit. First consumed by Maya and Aztec aristocrats as a bitter beverage mixed with other flavorings, it was adopted by Europeans in the 16th and 17th centuries. At first Europeans saw it as a medicine or aphrodisiac, not as a food. The Church worried about it. Once sugar was added to the mixture, Europeans began to transform it into a popular beverage and confection consumed by aristocrats and the wealthy. During the 19th century, Europeans developed new techniques for industrial processing of cocoa beans. Chocolate was on its way to becoming a food that most could afford. Always searching for new environments in which to grow the crop, people carried it around the world. It has become a favorite of many people worldwide. Chocolates and cocoa beans vary in quality, just as they vary in price like many other products. Because so many people worldwide now appreciate and want chocolate, many manufacturers have begun making their chocolates using less expensive ingredients. They may substitute other fats such as palm oil and butter fat for cocoa butter, add wax to make it look shiny, and substitute artificial flavoring or vanillin for pure vanilla. They also use less expensive grades of cocoa to make their chocolate, or blend smaller amounts of more expensive grades with larger amounts of the less expensive grades to try to reduce costs. First quality Ghana cocoa (not to be confused with West African cocoa in general) always commands a premium price on world cocoa markets. Chocolate makers consider fifteen percent first quality Ghana cocoa in a chocolate bar top quality chocolate. Jamieson's single origin chocolate is made with 100% first quality Ghana cocoa. And remember ---our chocolate is made in Ghana, so it is always made with the freshest cocoa beans! You can taste it! Frances Bissell, food columnist for the London Times, recently pointed out that "the amount of cocoa solids is one of the keys to chocolate's quality. …The higher the cocoa content, the less room for other ingredients, such as sugar. Too much sugar and a low cocoa content means the chocolate flavour will be masked by sweetness." (Jan 16, 1999) Inexpensive milk chocolate can have as little as 10% cocoa content and still be called milk chocolate. Our chocolates begin at 37.8% cocoa solids for our Rich Milk Chocolate, and top out with our Robust Dark Chocolate at 70% cocoa solids.