Facts About Chocolate, Including Caffeine

A six ounce cup of coffee contains 100-150 mg. of caffeine, whereas one ounce of milk chocolate typically contains only 5 mg of caffeine. Interesting, huh? Both appear to have some health benefits but the 'high' one gets from chocolate is not due to caffeine. Chocolate contains the highest concentration in any food of phenyl ethylmine, which is the chemical produced by the brain when a person is in love. This is why chocolate is sometimes called the 'love drug' and one of the reasons chocolate is a desired gift for Valentine's Day.

The botanical name for the cacao bean is Theobroma, which is Greek for “food of the gods.” Because of chocolate's smooth texture and delicious taste, many liken it to a food of the gods but this term was originally in reference to the cacao bean.

White chocolate is made from cocoa butter. It contains no caffeine and no cocoa. Because it is the same consistency of chocolate and because it is white in color, it is referred to as 'white chocolate.' Traditional dark and milk chocolate is manufactured using the cacao bean. When processed, it becomes a dark or light brown color, depending if diluted with milk or other products.

Chocolate liquor, extracted from crushed, roasted cocoa beans is solid at room temperature but melts at 92 degrees Fahrenheit, giving it the melt-in-the-mouth effect.

In the eighteenth century, chocolate was regarded as an aphrodisiac.

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