Valrhona Guanaja 70% is one of the most celebrated dark couvertures in professional patisserie. Launched in 1986, it was the world’s first 70% dark chocolate — a landmark that redefined what dark chocolate could be. Decades later, it remains a benchmark for intensity, complexity, and technical performance.
What Is Valrhona Guanaja 70%?
Guanaja is a grand cru blend of fine Trinitario and Criollo cacao beans from multiple origins, carefully selected and blended by Valrhona’s team in Tain-l’Hermitage. At 70% cocoa solids, it’s a serious dark chocolate — bold, bitter, and deeply aromatic.
Flavour profile: Intense bitter cocoa, roasted notes, dried fruit, and a long, complex finish with hints of coffee and spice. It’s powerful but never harsh — the bitterness is clean and balanced.
Format: Fèves (small oval discs) for even melting and precise scaling.
Why Chefs Choose Guanaja
- Intensity: When you want chocolate to be the dominant flavour — not a background note — Guanaja delivers.
- Technical reliability: Excellent tempering behaviour, consistent fluidity, and a clean snap when set.
- Versatility at high cocoa %: Despite its intensity, it works across mousses, ganaches, glazes, and ice creams without becoming one-dimensional.
How to Use Valrhona Guanaja 70%
Mousses: Guanaja makes an exceptional chocolate mousse — the intensity holds up beautifully when folded with cream and egg whites. Use slightly less sugar than you would with a 66% chocolate.
Ganaches: Use a 1.5:1 chocolate-to-cream ratio for a firm ganache. The bitterness balances beautifully with a touch of honey or glucose.
Ice cream: Guanaja’s roasted notes shine in a dark chocolate sorbet or ice cream base — use it where you want a deeply chocolatey, almost espresso-like result.
Glazes: Ideal for mirror glazes on entremet cakes where you want a dramatic, intensely dark finish.
Tempering: Melt to 50–55°C, cool to 27–28°C, bring back to 31–32°C.
Recipe: Valrhona Guanaja Chocolate Mousse
A classic French chocolate mousse that lets Guanaja’s intensity speak for itself. Light, airy, and deeply chocolatey.
Serves: 6 | Prep: 20 mins | Chill: 2 hours
Ingredients
- 200g Valrhona Guanaja 70% fèves
- 6 eggs, separated
- 30g caster sugar
- Pinch of fine sea salt
- 200ml double cream, lightly whipped
Method
- Melt Guanaja gently over a bain-marie until smooth. Remove from heat and cool slightly to around 45°C.
- Whisk egg yolks into the melted chocolate one at a time until combined and glossy.
- In a clean bowl, whisk egg whites with a pinch of salt to soft peaks. Add sugar and whisk to firm peaks.
- Fold the lightly whipped cream into the chocolate mixture, then fold in the egg whites in two additions — gently, to keep the mousse airy.
- Divide into glasses or ramekins and refrigerate for at least 2 hours.
- Serve with a small quenelle of crème fraîche and a few flakes of sea salt.
Pairing Suggestions
Guanaja’s bold bitterness pairs well with: salted caramel, raspberry, espresso, toasted almonds, and orange zest. For a stunning dessert, layer the mousse with a thin raspberry gel and a Guanaja sable base.
Shop Valrhona Guanaja 70%
We stock Valrhona Guanaja 70% fèves at Nut House — ideal for professional bakers and serious home patissiers.