Chocolate field glossary

Cocoa percentage

The combined share of cacao-derived ingredients, usually cocoa mass plus any added cocoa butter.

Ingredients · working definition

Use the word
with precision.

Why it matters: It lets a buyer estimate the combined cacao-derived share of a recipe while leaving many internal choices undisclosed.
Common confusion: It does not equal non-fat cocoa solids, does not state sugar directly in every flavored bar and is not a quality or ethics score.
Practical example: Two 70% bars can use different ratios of cocoa mass and added cocoa butter and therefore taste and flow differently.

Evidence trail

EU compositional definitions and reserved chocolate product names.

Indian definitions for cocoa mass, cocoa butter and chocolate categories.